Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Prosciutto

The June 2011 issue of Bon Appetit featured a pasta recipe that looked pretty good.  The recipe called for baking cherry tomatoes for several hours at low heat to intensify and concentrate, their flavors, making a quick sauce by crushing and boiling some more tomatoes, and adding seasonings and the baked tomatoes befoe stirring in the pasta.  I've thought about making that recipe for awhile now (ever since I read the issue, really), but ultimately I decided to use some ideas from the recipe to make something quite different of my own.

I used a mix of cherry and grape tomatoes from our garden for this recipe.  Our tomato plants have been giving us more tomatoes than we've been able to keep up with, so this recipe provided a good opportunity to use some of that bounty.  The basil and chili peppers were also from our garden.   I used two fresh chilis and one garden-grown, dried one. 

This pasta turned out to be wonderfully delicious.  Cooking the nearly-done pasta with the sauce and some of the reserved pasta water resulted in the finished pasta having absorbed a lot of the flavors and being well-coated by the sauce.  Roasting the tomatoes really did concentrate and sweeten their flavor.  The chili peppers gave the dish just a bit of bite, while the proscuitto and Parmigiano-Reggiano added a savory element and more depth of flavor.  All in all, this made for a very satisfying meal.   It does take a bit of time to roast the tomatoes, but you needn't pay much attention to the oven during that time, and the effort is well worth it for this delicious a dish.

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Prosciutto

yield = 4 servings

6            cups cherry or grape tomatoes
3            tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1            large pinch kosher salt
1            tablespoon table salt
2            small onions, finely chopped
3            fresh or dried red chili peppers, finely minced
3            ounces thin-sliced prosciutto, chopped
2            teaspoons minced garlic
1/2         teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
12          ounces spaghetti (or other pasta of choice)
3/4         cup freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1            cup fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.   Place two cups of tomatoes in an 8x8x2" glass baking dish.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, stir and sprinkle with a large pinch of kosher salt.  Roast, stirring occasionally for 4-5 hours.

Heat a pot of water and one tablespoon table salt to boiling.  Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.   When the oil is shimmering, add the onions and chilis.  Cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and starting to brown.   Add prosciutto and cook, stirring often, until slightly crisped.  Stir in garlic and black pepper, cook 1 minute, then add the remaining 4 cups of tomatoes.  Cook, stirring frequently and mashing tomatoes with a potato masher, until the sauce has thickened and little liquid remains.  Stir in the roasted tomatoes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until not quite done per package instructions.  Reserve 2 cups pasta water, then drain the pasta.   Add the pasta and half of the grated Parmesan to the skillet with the tomato mixture.  Add 1/2 cup pasta water and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is done to desired tenderness.

Transfer to a serving bowl.   Add and stir in basil and top with the remaineder of the cheese.  Serve.

Broiled Parmesan-Herb Tomatoes

We've been getting a lot of great tomatoes lately, at farmer's markets and through our CSA.  Last weekend I decided to cook up something quick and easy that would showcase these great tomatoes.

There's really not a lot to this recipe.  Slice up some tomatoes, sprinkle on some seasoned breadcrumbs, toss the tomato slices under a broiler for a couple minutes.  That's pretty much it.   It's fast and easy to make.  Just be careful that you don't cook them too long, though, because the bread crumbs burn pretty quickly.  We found that out the hard way.  Watch closely as they cook, because they can go from almost done to over-cooked in about 15 seconds. 

Thankfully, the burnt stuff was only surface-deep,  It didn't have any impact on the flavor, but your tomatoes will look nicer if you pull them out of the oven before they get that browned.  The brief time under the broiler warms and softens the tomato slices a bit without making them mushy, while the topping provides a bit of crunch and adds some seasoning that complements the flavor of the tomatoes.  They were simply delicious.

I served these tomatoes with Grilled Garlic-Rosemary Lamb Chops and Grilled Baking Potatoes with Chives.  The three dishes went well together, making for a very nice meal. 

Broiled Parmesan-Herb Tomatoes

yield = 4 servings

1                 slice sandwich bread, broken into small crumbs
1/4              cup freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2                 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1                 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1                 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2              teaspoon kosher salt
1/4              teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
4                 medium-sized beefsteak (or similar sized
                         heirloom) tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Position oven rack so the surface of a broiling pan will be about 6 inches from the broiler element.  Preheat the oven for high broil.

Add bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil, basil, thyme, salt and pepper to a small bowl.  Mix thoroughly.   

Spray a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Arrange tomato slices on the grill of the broiler pan.  Sprinkle the tomato slices evenly with the breadcrumb mixture, then place the broiler pan in the oven.  Broil until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned, about 2 minutes.  Serve immediately. 

Lamb Kabobs and Other Grilled Goodness

Sunday Dinner:
Lamb Kabobs with Mediterranean Spices, Gilled Tomato Slices,
Yogurt-Dill Sauce, Orange Hummus and Pita Bread



I was very, very pleased with our Sunday night dinner.  We'd both had long days at work, and I was looking forward to a leisurely time doing some grilling on a fine autumn afternoon.   Thanks to having done most of the work the night before and that morning, I got that leisurely grilling time, and the result was that we both got an excellent meal.

Sunday's main dish was small chunks of lamb that had spent almost twelve hours in a flavorful marinade before being threaded onto skewers and grilled.  The marinade represents a recipe I developed by combining elements of several recipes I've made and seen.   The mix of spices gave the lamb a rich flavor, and having it marinate for several hours resulted in juicy, tender bits of seared lamb. I got the lamb marinating on Sunday morning, right after I got up.

While flipping through cookbooks as I planned the weekend's menu, I noticed a mouth-watering picture of thick tomato slices seared with grill marks and knew I wanted to make something like that.  They were simple to prepare, and absolutely delicious, as the grilling intensified their flavor.

Since lamb and tomatoes puts one close to gyros territory, I decided to go with that, so I picked up some fresh pita bread during our shopping earlier during the week and made up a batch of Yogurt-Dill Sauce last night.  I've used this sauce with other lamb recipes and knew it would go great with the bits of lamb and the tomatoes.  Once I'd finished the grilling and Juli had warmed up the pita bread, the table was rounded out with some Orange Hummus (which I'll write more about in another post) and a bowl of cherry tomatoes picked fresh from our garden.

Hot chunks of spicy, grilled lamb, thick, steaming tomato slices almost literally bursting with flavor, and cool, zesty sauce, all stuffed into warm, soft pita pockets... food really doesn't get much better than that.  As always, though, I urge you to not take my word for it.  Make a batch for yourself and let us know what you think.

Lamb Kabobs with Mediterranean Spices

2 lbs    lamb, cut into small pieces (1-inch cubes would be ideal)
1/4      cup beef broth
1/4      cup olive oil
2         tablespoons tomato paste
2         tablespoons grated onion
1         teaspoon cinnamon
1         teaspoon kosher salt
1         teaspoon paprika
1         teaspoon sugar
1/2      teaspoon ground allspice
1/2      teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2      teaspoon ground cumin
1/2      teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4      teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4      teaspoon powdered coriander

Mix all ingredients together in a large plastic ziploc bag.  Mix thoroughly, refrigerate at least 2 hours, and preferably 6 or more.

1/2 hour before projected cooking time, remove from refrigerator and thread the lamb onto skewers.  Smaller chunks of lamb can be pressed together for even cooking, but do not pack the lamb too densely onto the skewers.

Grill lamb skewers over direct, medium heat for 10-11 minutes, turning after about 5 minutes.  Remove skewers onto a serving plate and cover with foil for five minutes, then serve.

Yogurt-Dill Sauce

This sauce is excellent with lamb, pork or salmon. 
1        cup plain yogurt
1 1/2  tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2     teaspoon lemon juice
1/2     teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4     teaspoon salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate at least three hours before serving.

Grilled Tomato Slices

3     Large, firm, ripe tomatoes
Non-stick cooking spray
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste.

Cut each tomato horizontally into three slices of equal thickness.  Spray the skin sides of the top and bottom slices with cooking spray.  Sprinkle both sides of the tomato slices with salt and pepper.

Grill the tomato slices over direct, low heat for approximately 5 minutes per side.  Serve immediately