Slow Roasting For Intense Flavor!
Slow and steady makes this easy to prepare meal a real show stopper! Here’s a recipe for success and you can choose to make all things from scratch, or pick and choose and take on what you have the desire or time to make at home. One things for sure, a very slow Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce is super easy and the slow roasting only intensifies all the delicious flavors of the ingredients.
Tomato season is almost here. In fact, ours are starting to show up in small blooms across our garden. There are few things I love more than homegrown tomatoes. But the good news is, if you don’t grow them yourself, they’re available everywhere now. My husband grows the most gorgeous and delicious varieties of tomatoes. Here’s the deal, he doesn’t like to eat them raw. Anytime I can serve his incredible tomatoes that he will enjoy is a win for me.
Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce with Garlic and Oregano
This sauce gets put together in minutes. The only thing that takes a bit of time, is the roasting. Here’s the easy recipe!
This dish is best made in a cast iron pan, but if you don’t have one, use a heavy bottom pot that can go into the oven.
Preheat oven to 250º
Into a cast iron or similar oven-proof pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Next, add 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic and distribute evenly in the bottom of the pan.
For this recipe, use 1 1/2 lbs of fresh tomatoes. You can use any type of flavorful tomatoes you like best. Select from large heirloom varieties down to Roma tomatoes, or any kind of plum tomatoes. If you are using large tomatoes, like the heirlooms, remove the core. Otherwise, just slice the tomatoes in half. Lay the tomatoes into the pan with the cut sides up, skin side down. Sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoon of sugar then with 1 teaspoon of kosher or sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper. Top with 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped fresh basil and 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano. You can substitute fresh herbs for 2 teaspoons dried basil and 1 teaspoon dried oregano. Finally, drizzle the top with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Put the pan in the oven and let the tomatoes roast slowly for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Homemade Ricotta
I’ve been making homemade ricotta cheese for a very long time. Like the sauce above, it’s super easy to prepare, all you need is to invest a little wait time. It really is as easy as heating milk! If you would like to give it a try, here’s a link to my recipe: https://wp.me/p9KEfL-9P
The only equipment you need is a non-reactive pot. It works in stainless steel or enamel coated cookware, like a La Creuset or similar pan, and a candy thermometer. Those are sold right at your grocery store. Oh, and of course you need a nut bag or cheesecloth. You can buy cheese cloth at the grocery store. They’re usually right next to the candy thermometers.
The reason I like to make my own ricotta cheese is that you control the moisture level.
Homemade fettuccine
I realize there is a certain fear-factor element that goes into making homemade past for the first time. When I started out, it took me a little longer than it does now and I made a much bigger mess. If you are “Pasta-Curious” and want to give it a go, don’t waste anymore time! Once you do, you will realize how incredibly delicious it is compared to store-bought. Like me, you’ll probably wonder what took you so long to dive in. Here’s the way I do it.
Into a large, shallow bowl, add 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour and 1 very generous pinch of salt and mix together with a fork. Create a well in the bottom of the bowl where the flour is shallow or non-existent. Push most of the flour up the sides of the bowl.
Into the center, crack 2 large eggs and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Scramble the eggs and the olive oil with your fork. Once combined well, start adding flour with your fork. Continue to add more flour into the eggs until it’s too thick to mix with a fork.
Now, using your hands, work the dough together, adding more flour if the dough is sticky. Once it’s fairly dry, remove from the bowl and onto a very lightly floured work surface. There will likely be flour left in the bowl that you were unable to incorporate. That’s okay, just work with the dough ball. Gather it all together and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let it rest at least 1/2 hour. No need to refrigerate.
Rolling Pasta
I use a pasta roller. The kind that uses a hand crank. You can get attachments to your Kitchenaid mixer or you can roll by hand using a rolling pin. Using a the pasta roller is very easy and helps in the final texture of the pasta by following these steps.
I connect the roller to my kitchen counter. Then I put a wooden board in back of the roller and a baking sheet in front. I coat both fairly liberally with flour.
Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and cut it into quarters. Work with 1 quarter and cover the rest in the plastic to keep it from drying out.
Set the roller on the widest setting (1). Flatten the dough and put it through the roller. Fold it over on itself and put it through on setting 1 again. Do this about 4 times. Then, set the roller to #2 and roll it through once or twice. Process through all the settings until you reach the second to last setting, on mine that’s a 6. Thinner than 6 is too thin for this type of pasta.
When it’s out of the roller it will be quite thin. Set it one third onto the floured surface and lightly dust the top with flour and make 3-4 folds this way, dusting each top surface lightly with more flour. Once it is folded, cut into pasta.
Unroll and set in bunches on the floured baking sheet.
Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce with Homemade Ricotta and Fettuccine
Set a pot of water to boil, add plenty of salt, at least 2 teaspoons. Cook the fresh pasta for about 5 minutes, until tender. (If you’re making this with dried pasta, cook according to the package instructions.). Drain the pasta and put it into a large bowl.
Remove the pan from the oven and arrange the sauce over the top of the pasta. Add dollops of fresh ricotta cheese and top with freshly chopped basil and parsley.
Enjoy!
Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce with Homemade Ricotta and Fettuccini
Ingredients
For the Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce
- 2 lbs fresh heirloom or plum tomatoes
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano (or substitute with 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
For the Ricotta
- 1 gallon whole milk
- 1/3 cup vinegar or lemon juice (or 1 teaspoon citric acid)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Makes about 2 cups of homemade ricotta. Use 1/2 cup and refrigerate the rest or substitute 1/2 cup store-bought ricotta for this recipe
For the fettuccini
- 1 2/3 cup all purpose-flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1 large pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- (Or substitute 1/2 lb dried pasta)
Garnish
- 1/3 cup freshly chopped basil and parsley
Instructions
For the Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Preheat oven to 250º
- Into a cast iron or similar oven-proof pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Next, add 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic and distribute evenly in the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the cores of the tomatoes and slice in half.
- Lay the tomatoes into the pan with the cut sides up, skin side down.
- Top with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon of kosher or sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper.
- Top with 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped fresh basil and 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano. (You can substitute fresh herbs for 2 teaspoons dried basil and 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
- Drizzle the top with about 1 to 2 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Put the pan in the oven and let the tomatoes roast slowly for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Homemade Ricotta
- Into a non reactive pot, heat 1 gallon whole milk on medium low heat.
- Add the salt and stir.
- Allow the milk to heat to 195 degrees very slowly.
- Add 1/3 cup lemon juice or 1/3 cup white vinegar and stir to combine.
- Remove from the heat and let the curds develop, undisturbed for 15 minutes.
- Skim the curds carefully from the top and place into a nut bag or colander lined with 3 layers of cheesecloth to drain.
- Allow the cheese to drain until it's the right texture for your needs. (Usually about 5 minutes. The longer it drains, the dryer the cheese will be.)
NOTE: If you are using citric acid. Let the citric acid dissolve in 1/3 cup cool water and add the citric acid/water mixture at the beginning, right after you add the milk and the salt. Stir to combine and let it heat undisturbed.
- Continue as described above.
For the Homemade Fettuccini
- Into a large, shallow bowl, add 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour and 1 very generous pinch of salt and mix together with a fork.
- Create a well in the bottom of the bowl where the flour is shallow or non-existent.
- Push the flour up the sides of the bowl.
- Into the center, crack 2 large eggs and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Scramble the eggs and the olive oil with your fork.
- Once combined well, start adding flour with your fork.
- Continue to add more flour into the eggs until it's too thick to mix with a fork.
- Now, using your hands, work the dough together, adding more flour if the dough is sticky. Once it's fairly dry, remove from the bowl and onto a very lightly floured work surface.
- There will likely be flour left in the bowl that you were unable to incorporate. That's okay, just work with the dough ball.
- Gather it all together and wrap it in plastic wrap.
- Let it rest at least 1/2 hour. No need to refrigerate.
Rolling Pasta
- These are the instruction for using a hand roller.
- I connect the roller to my kitchen counter. Then I put a wooden board in back of the roller and a baking sheet in front. I coat both fairly liberally with flour.
- Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and cut it into quarters. Work with 1 quarter and cover the rest in the plastic to keep it from drying out.
- Set the roller on the widest setting (1).
- Flatten the dough and put it through the roller.
- Fold it over on itself and put it through on setting 1 again.
- Do this about 4 times. Then, set the roller to #2 and roll it through once or twice. Process through all the settings until you reach the second to last setting, on most rollers that's a 6. Thinner than 6 is too thin for this type of pasta.
- When it's out of the roller it will be quite thin.
- Set it one third onto the floured surface and lightly dust the top with flour and make 3-4 folds this way, dusting each top surface lightly with more flour.
- Once it is folded, cut into pasta.
- Unroll and set in bunches on the floured baking sheet.
For the Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce with Homemade Ricotta and Fettuccine
- Set a pot of water to boil, add plenty of salt, at least 2 teaspoons.
- Cook the pasta for about 5 minutes, until tender. (If you're making this with dried pasta, cook according to the package instructions.)
- Drain the pasta and put it into a large bowl.
- Remove the pan from the oven and arrange the sauce over the top of the pasta.
- Add dollops of fresh ricotta cheese and top with freshly chopped basil and parsley.
- Enjoy!
Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
