Spaghetti with Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Goats Cheese, Basil and Pangrattato
My new all time favourite pasta recipe!
This recipe came about after making a breakfast of fried halloumi, roasted tomato, egg, croutons and avocado. Whilst it was delicious, it was actually munching on the leftover sour dough crumbs and juice from the tomato that I discovered the best bit. The crunchy, garlicky sourdough crumbs combined with the rich and sweet slow roasted tomato juice is a perfect match. Add some spaghetti and a delicious and super simple dinner you have.
I am definitely not the first person to discover the amazingness of tomatoes and breadcrumbs with pasta. Breadcrumbs or pangrattato (poor man’s parmesan), is popular in Italian cooking. It a great alternative for vegans who can’t eat cheese and also works using gluten free bread. I am a big parmesan fan but love the extra textual element that pangratto brings to a pasta dish. And how much better does pangrattato sound than breadcrumbs?
I am going through a big pasta appreciation phase at the moment. I think the cold weather and being at home in lockdown has made me crave filling comfort food. And does it get much more comforting than a big bowl of delicious pasta? I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.
Spaghetti with Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Goats Cheese, Basil and Pangrattato
Prep time: 30 minutes plus 2 hour cooking time
Makes: 4 serves
Dietary guide: This recipe need to be adapted for all restricted diets. Gluten Free, FODMAP friendly, Vegan and alternatives provided – see the end of the recipe
Ingredients
400g of spaghetti
100g of goats cheese marinated in oil*
Handful of fresh basil
For the tomatoes
500g of tomatoes on the vine (or mini Roma or cherry tomatoes)
3 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil*
1 teaspoon of Maldon salt
4 sprigs of thyme chopped
2 teaspoon of sugar or maple syrup
1 teaspoon of garlic oil or chopped garlic
Pepper to taste
For the pangratto
100g of sour dough bread roughly broken into pieces
1 teaspoon of garlic oil or finely chopped garlic
25g of butter
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
4 sprigs of thyme
Handful of washed and very finely chopped Italian parsley
Cooking note: *I highly recommend using Meredith goats’ cheese – the one marinated in oil. It’s subtle and creamy, which is ideal for this recipe as it doesn’t overpower the rest of the ingredients. I also use the leftover oil from the goat’s cheese for both the tomatoes and the pangrattato. It adds the most amazing flavour.
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 130 degrees C. Place the oils, sugar, salt, pepper and thyme in an oven tray with sides. Give it a mix, add the tomatoes and gently coat with the oil mix using your hands. Place in the oven for two hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the pangrattato. Place all ingredients except the parsley into a food processor and blitz until you have rough breadcrumbs. I like mine to have some large chunks in it so don’t whizz it too much. Pour into a baking tray and place in the oven with the tomatoes. The pangrattato will take about 1 – ½ hour to cook. Give the mix a little stir a couple of times during this process to make sure all the crumbs are evenly soaking up the butter and oil. They are ready when they are a dark golden colour.
If you are not cooking the pangrattato at the same time as roasting the tomatoes, you can crank the oven up to 180 and the breadcrumbs will take a lot less time. But it is important that the tomatoes are not cooked at a higher temperature. When you are happy with the bread crumbs, remove from the oven. Add the chopped parsley and let it cool. It can now be stored in an airtight contained if you are not using them straight away.
When the tomatoes have nearly finished roasting, cook the spaghetti to al dente as per the packet directions. Drain the spaghetti leaving a small amount (about ¼ of a cup) of cooking water and return to the pan. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and place about half aside. Remove the stems from the remaining tomatoes, squash them a little. Using a spatula, scrape any bit of tomato that have stuck to the bottom of and mix in with the juices and oil from the tomatoes. This forms the sauce for the spaghetti. Pour the pasta into the tray.
Roughly tear the basil leaves and add to the sauce along with the parsley. Give it a good mix and test for seasoning. Just remember the goat’s cheese and pangrattato will be salty. Crumble the goat’s cheese on top and gently mix before serving into four bowls. Top with the remaining whole tomatoes and sprinkle over the pangrattato – don’t be shy with it, use it all up! Enjoy your delicious pasta.
Gluten free dietary alteration: Replace the pasta and bread with gluten free pasta and bread.
Vegan dietary alteration: Omit the goat’s cheese and replace the butter in the pangattato recipe with more oil.
FODMAP friendly alternation: Use gluten free pasta and garlic oil instead of fresh garlic.
