Spaghetti with Roasted Tomato & Stracciatella
Spaghetti con sugo e stracciatella
This is my twist on the classic spaghetti with tomato sauce – I roast cherry tomatoes first before adding to some passata, finishing off with a big dollop of stracciatella cheese before mixing through. Stracciatella means ‘ripped’ or ‘shredded’, and this cheese is made from fresh mozzarella strings that are mixed with cream – divine. Originally from Puglia, this cheese that was once hard to find outside Italy is now more readily available in supermarkets and delis – thank goodness! It’s a simple variation but makes the world of difference to this staple dish. Don’t just take my word for it – try it!
Recipe
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
3 punnets (750g) of mixed cherry tomatoes (eg regular cherry, baby roma, grape, solanato etc)
Salt and pepper
1 tbs of sugar
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
½ cup of olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
750g bottle of tomato passata
500g of spaghetti
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
250g tub of stracciatella cheese
Grated parmesan to serve
Method
Cut the tomatoes in half and mix in a bowl with salt, pepper, sugar, balsamic vinegar and only half of the oil. Bake in a moderate oven (350°F or 175°C) for 2 hours. They should be softened, surrounded by juices
Pinch the skins off the tomatoes and discard (this step is optional, but I like to do this for a silkier sauce, however if you prefer a more rustic version you can keep the skins)
Put the remaining oil in a fry pan, gently heat the garlic then add the bottle of passata
Add the cherry tomatoes and the juices into the passata sauce and gentky simmer for half an hour. Add more salt and pepper to taste
Boil the pasta in salted water according to packet instructions and save 1 cup of the pasta water for later use
Mix the drained pasta with the tomato sauce, basil leaves and a little of saved water
Dish onto plates, grate some parmesan over the top and add a dollop of the Stracciatella.
Mix through and savour the silky sauce with the creamy cheese – Yum!