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Deb Hall

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Penne with Marinated Tomatoes

by Deb Hall » Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:02 pm

Folks,

Since a lot of us are heading to the Farmer's Market (or our gardens) tommorrow, I wanted to share this recipe. Quick, very attractive and tasty way to use those beautiful heirloom tomatoes. Great on a hot day- only to be made with the very best in-season tomatoes. I've made it for years and adapted it; don't know the original source.

Penne with Marinated Tomatoes

Roasted (or Sundried Tomatoes) add an extra depth of flavor to the sauce.

2 large farmer's market tomatoes,
(I recommend one yellow or orange, and one red- makes a very attractive dish)

4 oil-packed roasted tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes.(I use Divina Roasted tomatoes- if using these, use 8 as they are small)

1 clove fresh garlic- minced

approx. 1/4 good extra virgin oil

1/2 lb good quality penne or penne rigate (tube pasta)

Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
Basil leaves for garnish


Coarsely chop 2 tomatoes and put in a colander to drain for 15- 20 minutes. (this eliminates the need to seed them) Drain roasted tomatoes, reserving oil and coarsely chop. Add olive oil to the drained oil to make 1/4 cup total. Combine fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, oils, sea salt & pepper to taste in a large bowl. Marinate at room temperature for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Boil pasta in salted water until al dente (11-13 minutes). Drain well, and while still hot, toss with tomato mixture.

Coarsely chop basil and combine with pasta. Adjust seasonings. Turn into a low pasta bowl and garnish with basil sprig/leaves. Serve immediately or at room temperature. (I prefer room temp).

Deb
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Robin Garr

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Re: Penne with Marinated Tomatoes

by Robin Garr » Fri Jul 27, 2007 4:56 pm

Deb Hall wrote:Penne with Marinated Tomatoes


Great recipe, Deb, and thanks for posting! We make a simpler Italian version here every summer - very similar but without the sun-dried tomatoes, just fresh, juicy tomatoes cut up and tossed with very finely minced garlic, basil chiffonade, excellent olive oil and S&P, over either penne or long pasta. The Italian name is "<i>salsa cruda</i>" ("raw sauce"), as I recall.

I'm playing around in my mind with the idea of adding the sun-dried tomatoes and oil, and can argue it both ways. It would certainly intensify the tomato flavor, always a good thing. But on the other hand, one of the great joys of <i>salsa cruda</i> is that it celebrates fresh, fresh, fresh tomatoes and basil, and I almost hate to tinker with that.

Might have to try it both ways ...
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by Deb Hall » Fri Jul 27, 2007 5:11 pm

Robin,

Try it with the the roasted tomatoes, it adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the recipe. (no wait, that's french, not Italian...)

I also love Salsa cruda and its close cousin bruschetta topping. But the roasted tomatoes in this one have a smoky depth of flavor that is a great counter-point to the bright acidy (is that a word?) of the heirloom tomatoes. Big thing is (as always in a simple recipe) to use the best ingredients you can find- I use Napastyle Gray salt for my sea salt and really high quality roasted/sundried tomatoes, and some of my best green olive oil.

It's also really pretty and keeps for hours for buffet service- what more can you ask?
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by TP Lowe » Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:46 pm

Deb Hall wrote: to the bright acidy (is that a word?)


"acidity," I'm guessing, is what you were looking for, Deb.

I've tried (from Cook's Test Kitchen) a couple of times using roasted tomatoes (and other vegetables) in salsa, but for some reason I can't buy into the taste. What do you think, Deb? Roasted for salsa?
Last edited by TP Lowe on Sat Jul 28, 2007 1:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by Deb Hall » Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:48 pm

TP,

I'm with you: I wouldn't want roasted tomatoes in my salsa. If I'm going to make salsa, it'll be a fresh salsa with the emphasis on fresh tomatoes. I don't mess with cooked salsa there are too many good packaged ones out on the market for it to be worth it.

Deb
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by TP Lowe » Sat Jul 28, 2007 1:48 pm

The Cook's folks actually roaster all of the vegetables for their salsa, although their ultimate product was served over something hot (sorry, I can't recall the whole show), so maybe that is why they favored the roasting. Whatever I ended up with in my kitchen wasn't too good on a chip, though!

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