TOMATOES 3-WAYS PASTA

TOMATOES 3-WAYS, OLIVES, CAPERS AND CHILI – SERVED WITH TAGLIATELLE

This is by far my favourite pasta – all the flavours I love in one dish!!  It is quick and easy to make.  I sometimes add a bit of cream to the sauce just before serving or some pan fried chicken strips. You can add more olives and chili if you prefer (I always do!)  The dish looks spectacular and the fresh tomatoes added at the end gives a wonderful fresh flavour to the dish.

(Serves 4)

60 ml               olive oil

200 g               vine tomatoes

1                      small onion, chopped

2                      garlic cloves, crushed

410 g               tinned Italian chopped tomatoes

5 ml                 sugar

15                    kalamata olives, stoned and halved

60 ml               capers, chopped

1                      green chili, chopped

200 g               small rosa tomatoes (cut most of the tomatoes in half but leave some whole)

                        Salt and freshly ground black pepper’           

                        Fresh basil, torn and Parmesan shavings for serving

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Place the vine tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with 15 ml olive oil, season with salt and black pepper and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the skins start to burst.  Keep aside.
• Heat the rest of the olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat and fry the onion until tender but not brown.  Add the garlic
• Add the chopped tinned tomatoes and sugar.  Simmer for about 5 minutes, remove from the heat and season with salt and black pepper.  Use a stick blender and blend the sauce to be smooth (do this in the saucepan)
• Return the saucepan to the heat and add the olives, capers and chili and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning, stir in the fresh rosa tomatoes and some basil.
• Serve on cooked tagliatelle pasta, top with the oven roasted vine tomatoes, parmesan shavings and more fresh basil