Mafalde with roasted tomatoes. Food bloggers pasta party.
When Domenica asked me to take part in the Food bloggers pasta party to celebrate the launch of her brand new book, The Glorious Pasta of Italy, I was deeply honoured and excited. Why? Just have a look at Domenica’s blog, at her light-hearted yet professional recipes, at her enjoyable and sensitive writing, at her positive look at life and you’ll easily understand why I was so happy.
Domenica, as her name foretells, grew up in an Italian family: her mother was born on the hills around Chieti, on the Adriatic coast. She spent her summer holidays in Italy with her mother’s three sisters, all great cooks. She has a true passion for simple, honest food. You can almost touch this great respect for ingredients and traditions in her recipes and through her words. I was captured by her work, by this genuine love for food.
As an Italian pasta lover, I couldn’t help but leaf through her new book for hours, lingering on beautifully photographed and well-described recipes. A special mention to the fresh pasta chapter, enriched by step-by-step instructions and plenty of variations on the classic egg pasta. Thank you Domenica for being such a brilliant Ambassador for authentic Italian food abroad!
So here we are, directly from Domenica Marchetti’s The Glorious Pasta of Italy, one of my favourite recipes. It is a genuine dish where the sweet tomatoes are gently matched with the creamy texture of robiola and the unexpected fennel seeds.
MAFALDE WITH ROASTED TOMATOES, ROBIOLA AND CRUSHED FENNEL SEEDS
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share by EmailIngredients
- 2 1/2 lb 1,2 kg plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
- 1/2 cup 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large cloves of garlic, sliced paper-thin
- 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- Kosher or fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb 445 g dried mafalde, pappardelle or fettuccine
- 8 oz 225 g of robiola cheese, cut into bite-size chunks
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 275°F7135°C7gas 1. Arrange the tomato halves, cut-side up, on a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil over them. Scatter the garlic slices and fennel seeds over the tomatoes, and season with a generous sprinkling of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Roast the tomatoes for 3 to 4 hours, or until they have begun to collapse and are caramelized but are not dry. They should have some shriveling but still look juicy. Let them sit until they are cool enough to handle. Then chop them coarsely and transfer them to a warmed serving bowl, along with any oil and juices left in the pan. Keep warm.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt generously. Add the pasta, stir to separate the noodles, and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander set in the sink, reserving about 1 cup/240 ml of the cooking water.
- Transfer the pasta to the serving bowl and strew the robiola pieces over it. Toss gently to combine the pasta, tomatoes and cheese thoroughly, taking care to break apart any large chunks of cheese that stick together. Add a little of the hot cooking water to the bowl to help melt the cheese a bit but not too much - you want some pieces in there. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if you like. Serve immediately.
I decided to keep it simple and test one of the most appetizing and simple recipes in the book, a tomato-based sauce for mafalde, a large and flat kind of noodles with cute curlings on the edges. Am I Italian or not? So a good dish of tomato pasta is sometimes the best medicine for everything.
I fell in love with this pasta immediately from the mouth-watering picture, so I read the recipe with high expectations. I was entangled by the presence of crushed fennel seeds and by the idea of sweet slow roasted tomatoes, I could almost taste the milky and soft robiola. A real success with my guests, a new favourite to me! Buon Appetito!
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Beautiful is all that comes to my mind when I see this, the recipe is clearly screams simplicity and yet Italian! I have recently found Domenica’s blog and loving it 🙂
Lovely clicks and dish! It’s not yet 10am and I amalready hungry…
Cheers,
Rosa
I love pasta and this dish is not only healthy but requires very little ingredients. Thanks for sharing Domenica’s recipe!
Direi che questo primo piatto è davvero perfetto!
Questo libro deve essere quasi peccaminoso per una come me che non può fare a meno della pasta…. soprattutto di pasta lunga e carnosa, tipo mafaldine appunto!
Giulia, thank you so very much for coming to the pasta party. Even though we are far away from each other I feel like you are right here at the table with me. Thank you for your beautiful post.
Marvellous! We can smell the fragrance through the photos! It will be also better to go with a chocolate dinner! What do you think? Do you like chocolate? So follow us on Faceciok http://www.facebook.com/faceciok ….you can find a lot of news, chocolate events and recipes! We are waiting for you 😉
This looks great! I love simple pasta with tomatoes!
These pictures are amazing – I have not had the pasta and I am not sure they do the food justice! Sounds like a great time!
Stunning photography as usual- this pasta looks mouthwatering!
What a gorgeously fragrant and tasty pasta dish! When you visit me in Sydney can you pleeeease make a dish like this?! 😉 x
Amazing pictures! The pasta on the plate looks soooo inviting !!! I am sure that must have been an amazing party. I am so glad I came across your blog…seems to have some stunning pictures and recipes!
-Shilpa
Awesome photos of suh a delicious pasta dish.