Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce

I got some beautiful tomatoes in my CSA Box. Then, a friend came over and brought more tomatoes. I knew I wanted to make a pasta sauce with these beauties; but, I wasn't sure what to make. I have made a raw tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil, and basil. That was pretty good. I have also made a cooked tomato sauce with onion, celery, carrot. That was good as well. But, I wanted to try something new. I was going through some of my cookbooks when I came across this recipe for Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce in Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop. Mr. Bishop states that, "I consider this the best tomato sauce in my repertoire." I felt compelled to try this and it was a lazy sunday afternoon; so, I had several hours to let the tomatoes slowly roast in the oven.

This recipe is very simple; but, does require several hours of cooking time. Believe me it is well worth the wait. This is the food of the Gods. If the Roman Gods on Mt. Olympus ate tomato sauce it would be this sauce.

First, you chop up the tomatoes and season them with salt and pepper. Then, bake them at 250 degrees for 3 hours -- turning the cooking sheets a few times.

Then, a quick whirl in the food processor.

Add a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

And, you have a truly amazing tomato sauce. I also used a method I found in The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper to coat the pasta. After the pasta was cooked, I mixed the pasta with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and then I add the pasta sauce. I really like this method because the cheese melts on the pasta and add a nice texture and saltiness to the sauce.

Then, I sprinkled a bit more Parmigiano-Reggiano at the end. As the great Ms. Mae West said, "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful." In this case, that certainly is true. However, the sauce is really good so if you want to add less cheese the dish will still taste really good.

Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce

Adapted from Every Day Vegetables by Jack Bishop and The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper by Lynne Rosetto Kasper and Sally Swift

Ingredients

5 large ripe tomatoes (About 3 1/2 pounds), cored and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound of pasta

1 generous cup fresh-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with aluminum foil.

2. Spread tomatoes out over the baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roast, turning the baking sheets occasionally and switching their position in the oven once, until tomatoes are extremely condensed and shriveled, about 3 hours.

3. At the end of the 3 hours, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box.

4. Carefully transfer tomatoes to a food processor. Puree the tomatoes into a smooth, thick sauce.

5. Drain the pasta. Sprinkle 3/4 of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on the hot pasta and allow it to melt. Add the pasta sauce to coat. Save any excess sauce. It can stay in the refrigerator for several days in an airtight container or frozen for several months. Sprinkle cheese over the pasta with sauce to taste.

Pasta with Chickpeas and Kale

On Saturday, I was watching Lidia's Italy and Lidia made this beautiful pasta with greens and chickpeas. I didn't pay very close attention thinking that it would just be on her website. I then tried to find the recipe on the internet and failed miserably. I knew I had some curly kale left over from my CSA box; and, watching Lidia make the pasta made me crave it.

I found a similar recipe on the blog Serious Eats. This recipe is very easy. You saute the chickpeas in olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Then, you add some chopped kale, cover it, and let the kale cook. After the kale is cooked squeeze lemon juice on it.

Add some cook pasta, reserved pasta water, and grated parmesan cheese. How easy is that?

And, doesn't it look delicious? It's sad but writing to this entry is making me crave more of this dish. I'm going to go grab some leftovers. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing if you like this dish as much as I do.

Pasta with Chickpeas and Kale

Adapted from a recipe from the blog Serious Eats

Ingredients

1 head of kale, chard, or other greens

3 tablespoons olive oil (plus some good olive oil for finishing)

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 pinch of red pepper flakes

1 can chickpeas (15 ounce), drained and rinsed

juice of half of a lemon

1 pound rotini or other short pasta

parmesan cheese to taste

1. Separate the leaves on the greens from the stems. Discard the stems. Then cut the leaves into thin strips. Transfer leaves to a colander and rinse well.

2. In a large skillet with a cover, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds. Add chickpeas and cook for a minute. Add greens, in batches, stirring often until they are slightly wilted. Cover the pot and let cook for 15-20 minutes until wilted. Season to taste with salt. Take off heat and stir in lemon juice.

3. In the meantime, add pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

4. Combine greens and pasta and stir to combine. Add pasta water and parmesan cheese to form a light sauce. Serve in bowls, sprinkle more cheese, and drizzle with a bit of good olive oil.