Farfalle with Roasted Tomato Sauce

What the heck is farfalle? It's a fancy word for bow-tie...as in bow-tie pasta. I had to do a google search to confirm that the farfalle ingredient was both affordable and attainable, and it obviously is.

I love making tomato sauce from scratch during the summer months. Summer time denotes the season of sprouting tomatoes and they have some of the best flavors EVER! This recipe didn't have a lot of active cooking, it's a nice weekend meal to toss in the oven, then kick back a bit while the tomatoes roast.

Farfalle with Roasted Tomato Sauce
Source: Vegetarian Times, July/August 2011 Issue
Serves 4

Ingredients

2½ lb. tomatoes (6 large or 9 small)

8 cloves garlic, peeled

3 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

2 Tbs. olive oil

½ tsp. Piment d’Espelette or pinch cayenne pepper

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

10 oz. mini farfalle

2 Tbs. finely chopped parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Fill large pot or bowl with ice water. Bring 4 to 6 quarts salted water to a boil in large stockpot. Score a small ‘x’ on bottom of each tomato. Boil 2 to 3 tomatoes at a time, 10 to 30 seconds, or until skin starts to peel back from each ‘x.’ Transfer all tomatoes to ice bath with slotted spoon, and let cool 3 to 4 minutes. (Because tomatoes only get blanched on the outside, they cool quickly and do not need to be cooled in batches.) Drain and peel tomatoes, then cut in half.

2. Coat 13-x 9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Tuck garlic cloves into tomato halves, and place face-down in dish. Scatter shallots over tomatoes, and drizzle with oil, then sprinkle with Piment d’Espelette. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bake 1 hour, or until tomatoes have shrunken and edges are browned. Transfer contents of baking dish to bowl of food processor, and blend until smooth. Stir in balsamic vinegar.

Publish PostThis pasta would go well with shrimp, or grilled chicken atop. Additionally, I'm sure you can easily replace the farfalle with your favorite pasta. I think I will double the amount of balsamic vinegar, and add some red pepper flakes the next time I make this. The more heat, the better!