Linguine with oven-dried tomatoes and roasted garlic

Ingredients

• 2 lb. (1 kg) plum tomatoes
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 large cloves garlic
• ¾ lb. (375 g) linguine, preferably whole wheat
• 2 oz. (50 g) fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh basil
• 2 tbsp (25 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 °F/160°C.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Cut tomatoes into wedges (quarters for small tomatoes and sixths for larger ones) and place on the baking sheet, skin side down.
4. Drizzle 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil over tomatoes, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Bake for about 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until tomatoes are slightly dried but still soft to touch. Be careful not to over dry.
6. To prepare garlic, cut ¼ inch (0.5 cm) off the top of the cloves.
7. Drizzle with 1 tsp (5 mL) olive oil and wrap in double-thickness aluminum foil.
8. Place in oven alongside tomatoes and bake for about 30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
10. Squeeze roasted garlic into a small bowl. Using a fork, mash it together with 2 tsp (10 mL) olive oil.
11. Remove tomatoes from oven and allow to cool; cut into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces.
12. Set aside.
13. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
14. In a large skillet, over medium heat, add garlic-oil mixture; add dried tomatoes and toss to coat. Heat until mixture is warmed through. Add cooked linguine and toss.
15. Remove from heat.
16. Add mozzarella and basil, being careful to distribute pieces evenly.
17. Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) of olive oil over pasta.
18. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with Parmesan.

Notes

You can use this preparation to oven dry any type of tomato and use tomatoes that are not very flavourful. Shorten cooking times if the tomatoes are small.

This is a recipe from Rosie Schwartz.