Roasted Summer Tomatoes with Spaghetti

One of the best summer treats is tomatoes. It grows in abundance here without much effort. I mean by the buckets. Our Sunday markets sells a huge choice of regular and heirloom varieties and it’s always fun to try new ones.They say California comes out with a new variety of Poodle, Plums and Tomatoes every year, Im sure thats a joke. My home grown ones do well too. I use them in our daily salads or juice when I have time and make homemade pasta sauce, curry paste and freeze them for later use in the dead of winter.

This roasted tomato pasta is best made with peak summer tomatoes that have had a chance to sun ripen and are at their peak of flavor and sweetness. To lighten things up I made a spicy breadcrumb to replace the Parmesan making it vegan, this also to adds a punch of heat. You can serve the roasted tomatoes with toasted baguette or rustic Italian bread in place of pasta.

 Roasted summer tomato spaghetti with spicy ciabatta crumbs

Makes about 4-  5 servings depending on appetite

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 lb wholegrain spaghetti
• 2.5 lbs small heirloom tomatoes or larger cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6 fat cloves of garlic
• a glug of balsamic vinegar
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
  Spicy ciabatta Topping:
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion or shallot, finely chopped
• 1 cup Italian crusty bread or ciabatta bread a day old torn and pulsed a few times in a small food processor like coarse breadcrumbs
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1-2 sprigs” Rosemary
• A generous pinch of chilli flakes
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• To finish
• Handful of fresh basil leaves, for garnishing
• Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil to drizzle, ( optional)
• parmigiano-reggiano cheese, if needed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti till al dente. Check box for cook time, every brand varies. Set 1/2 a cup of water to the side and drain the rest. Add the basil leaves and set aside.
2.  Wash and pat the tomatoes dry. Place the tomatoes and whole garlic on a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper. Spread them out on the baking sheet in a single layer Roast the tomatoes for 15-20 minutes, flipping them every 5 to 10 minutes until they start to pop and blister.
3. Pull the garlic out, mash them with the back of a fork, add it back to the tomatoes and set aside.
4. In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat.
5. Add the chopped shallot and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots have become translucent.
6. Add the breadcrumbs, herbs, chilli flakes and chopped garlic. Reduce the heat to low and toast the breadcrumbs for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the breadcrumbs from burning–or until they are golden and fragrant.
7. Remove from heat and place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
8. Place the pasta with basil back into the pot and drizzle with olive oil (optional). Add the warm, roasted tomatoes with pan juices and mashed garlic. Toss gently. Add reserved pasta water as needed.
9. Garnish each pasta serving with more basil (torn or chiffonade), a generous sprinkling of toasted spicy breadcrumbs, and serve with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese ( for vegan Parmesan see here.)