Spagetthi al Pomodoreo al Forno
I decided it would be fun to go to a cooking class at the Kitchen Barn. The class was hosted by Janie Jacobson and it turned out to be a really good class with lots of good information and some very delicious food. I was hoping for a little hands-on, but the class turned out to be an instructional class only. So what was on the menu you ask me, here it is:
- Spaghetti al Pomodoro al Forno (Spaghetti in Sauce with Baked Tomatoes)
- Black-eyed Pea Salad with Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomato Dressing
- Tiramisu
I kept debating back and forth which dish I liked better and the Spaghetti won……I think….or was it the Pea Salad? I guess that means I’ll just have to make them myself and test taste them again. In any case, I wanted to share with you the Spaghetti al Pomodoro al Forno dish. It’s made with anchovies and fresh tomatoes which are baked in the oven. Now, I have never cooked with anchovies before and let me just say this. They are wonderful, however, I found it difficult to use real anchovies with their tiny little translucent bones. I know they simply just melt into the sauce but I think I’ll use anchovy paste next time. The anchovies do give a nice subtle background flavor that makes you go hmm what is that? Delicious. Note: the original recipe suggested 10 anchovy fillets, I used only approx 5 anchovy fillets.
Roasting tomatoes and anchovies
Ingredients:
1 lb Spaghetti
2 lb fresh tomatoes
5 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes
3/4 cup olive oil
15 sprigs of fresh parsley
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To prepare the sauce slice the tomatoes horizontally into thick slices. Cover the bottom of an oven proof baking dish with a layer of the sliced tomatoes. Place the anchovies on top of tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Pour olive oil over tomatoes. Place baking dish with tomatoes in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Coarsely chop parsley and set aside until needed. Bring a pot of cold water to a boil. Season water generously with salt and cook spaghetti until desired consistency, drain and set aside. Once done, remove tomatoes from oven and pour over spaghetti. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and toss well before serving.
