American Life Style Mag Photos by Saghar Setareh
This pasta is inspired by the volcanic island of Stromboli in the Aeolian Islands and its fiery unpredictable nature.
I love this dish as it delivers on flavor and deliciousness with minimal effort. All that’s required is putting a dish of tomatoes in the oven, followed by the ricotta, cooking the pasta, and uniting the two in the baking dish. I like to think of it as an ode to Stromboli through spice and domed ricotta.
Serves 5
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1 lb. 5 oz. cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
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1 small red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
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¼ tsp. chili flakes
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2½ fl. oz. olive oil
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Sea salt
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9 oz. ricotta, drained
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1 lb. 2 oz. rigatoni
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2¾ oz. parmesan, finely grated
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Handful of basil leaves
Instructions:
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Preheat the oven to 400°F (conventional oven) or 350°F (convection/fan-forced oven).
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Put the cherry tomatoes in a large baking dish (I use one attractive enough to serve from). Add the chopped chili, chili flakes, half the olive oil, and a couple of generous pinches of salt and toss to combine. Roast for 15 minutes.
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Remove the tomatoes from the oven—by now they should have started to steam and collapse. Use a spoon to make a space in the center and nestle the ricotta into the mixture, wide base downwards so that it looks like a little volcano. Spoon some of the cooking juices over the ricotta, along with another drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Return to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the rigatoni, give it a good stir so that it doesn’t stick together, and cook until al dente (about 12–13 minutes, but check the package instructions). Drain, reserving half a mugful of the pasta water in case it’s needed.
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Remove the tomatoes and ricotta from the oven. Add the drained rigatoni, parmesan, basil and remaining olive oil and gently toss to combine, with a splash of pasta water if needed. Take the dish to the table and serve immediately.
Excerpted from Italian Coastal by Amber Guinness. © Thames & Hudson Australia 2024. Text © Amber Guinness. Reprinted by permission of Thames & Hudson Inc. Recipe photo credit: © Saghar Setareh
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