Farfalle with Roasted Tomato Sauce

Blanching tomatoes to remove their skins makes a roasted tomato sauce velvety smooth. Piment d’Espelette is a fine grind of mild red chiles grown in the Espelette region of France’s Basque country. If you can’t find this specialty spice, substitute a pinch of cayenne.

Photo: Pornchai Mittongtare

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.

Blanching tomatoes to remove their skins makes a roasted tomato sauce velvety smooth. Piment d’Espelette is a fine grind of mild red chiles grown in the Espelette region of France’s Basque country. If you can’t find this specialty spice, substitute a pinch of cayenne.

Servings
4

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lb. tomatoes (6 large or 9 small)
  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 3 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. Piment d'Espelette or pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 10 oz. mini farfalle
  • 2 Tbs. finely chopped parsley

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Fill large pot or bowl with ice water. Bring 4 to 6 quarts salted water to a boil in large stockpot. Score a small ‘x’ on bottom of each tomato. Boil 2 to 3 tomatoes at a time, 10 to 30 seconds, or until skin starts to peel back from each ‘x.’ Transfer all tomatoes to ice bath with slotted spoon, and let cool 3 to 4 minutes. (Because tomatoes only get blanched on the outside, they cool quickly and do not need to be cooled in batches.) Drain and peel tomatoes, then cut in half.

2. Coat 13- x 9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Tuck garlic cloves into tomato halves, and place face-down in dish. Scatter shallots over tomatoes, and drizzle with oil, then sprinkle with Piment d’Espelette. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bake 1 hour, or until tomatoes have shrunken and edges are browned. Transfer contents of baking dish to bowl of food processor, and blend until smooth. Stir in balsamic vinegar.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Toss pasta with 11/4 cups sauce. (Reserve remaining sauce for another use.) Sprinkle pasta with parsley.

Nutrition Information

  • Calories 348
  • Carbohydrate Content 69 g
  • Cholesterol Content 0 mg
  • Fat Content 4 g
  • Fiber Content 4 g
  • Protein Content 9 g
  • Saturated Fat Content 0.5 g
  • Sodium Content 9 mg
  • Sugar Content 3 g