Pasta With Roasted Tomatoes, Capers and Labneh

Pappardella With Roasted Tomatoes, Capers and Labneh

With time, my pasta dishes have changed proportions, with veggies now taking a central role in flavoring the dish, and in presence – they comprise at least half of what you see in the serving bowl. I love adding capers to pasta. Capers are an ancient ingredient – they’re the flower buds of a widespread wild Mediterranean bush – they contain flavonoids and antioxidants that show promise for fighting disease. When you roast or cook them their flavor transforms into something even more wonderful. This simple pasta dish is inspired by Adeena Sussman’s recipe in Sababa, and it works well with any flat surface pasta.

Ingredients

For the tomatoes

• 2 pounds cherry tomatoes

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper 

For the pasta

• ½ pound Pappardelle or Tagliatelle pasta 

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tablespoons small brined capers drained and patted dried with a towel

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon dried pepper flakes

• ½ teaspoon fresh black pepper

• ¾ cup labneh

• 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or marjoram for serving 

• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Roast tomatoes until they start to look like raisins and release their juice into the pan

To roast the tomatoes:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F

2. Spread the tomatoes on a large baking sheet, drizzle with about 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with the salt and pepper

3. Place in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, until the tomatoes start to look like raisins and release their juice into the pan

4. Remove the tomatoes and their juice from the pan set aside

For the pasta:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook the pasta until al dente according to its instructions, drain into a colander, while setting aside ½ a cup of the pasta water

2. Dry the pasta pot, place the olive oil and heat to medium, add the garlic, cumin pepper flakes and capers, stir occasionally and cook until the garlic is golden, about 1-2 minutes

3. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the labne and pepper, cook for another 2-3 minutes, see if you need to add pasta water to loosen the sauce

4. Add the pasta to the sauce, stir well, correct taste with salt and pepper if needed

5. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with the Parmesan and with the chopped herbs and serve immediately

Enjoy!

Dr. Ayala