At about this point in the winter, I am craving a good tomato. Of course no such thing is available in the stores near us in February. But this dish is enough to remind me of how good it can be.
Roasting even mediocre grape tomatoes brings out their sweetness, softens their firmness, and mellows their acidity. I tossed those sweet tomatoes with Vidalia onions that had also been roasted until they caramelized and added a creamy ricotta. The result was a dose of summer.
We used rotelle pasta because I thought the wheel shapes would nicely complement the shape of the tomatoes and the onions and would be a fun shape for the children. But you can substitute any short pasta. Roasting the onions is the only time consuming part of this recipe. If you did those on the weekend, you could roast the tomatoes and prepare the dish in the time it takes the pasta to cook - a perfect weeknight dish.
Serves 6
15 minutes preparation time
45 minutes cooking time
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, sliced
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ricotta
1 pound rotelle or other short pasta
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
While the tomatoes and onions are cooking, set a large pot of water to boil. Put the ricotta in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Cook the pasta and before draining it, scoop out about a cup of the pasta water and reserve it. When the onions and tomatoes are done, use a bit of the pasta water to loosen any of the caramelized bits that adhere to the pans.
After draining the pasta, toss it in the bowl with the ricotta, and add a bit of the pasta water to create a creamier sauce. Gently toss in the tomatoes and onions with any liquid and serve immediately.
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i'm doing this one this week...definitely...
sounds deeeelicious and easy to put together -- a must in the vollmerhausen kitchen.
went through the entire site and it is amazing.
love, love!
Posted by: rosana | February 25, 2009 at 10:50 AM