Name: Pasta with slow-roasted cherry tomatoes & anchovies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 2-4
Ingredients: 500g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved; ½ cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil; 1 medium onion, chopped finely; 6 anchovy fillets, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar; 300g penne pasta; 1½ cups (120g) finely grated pecorino; 1 cup fresh basil leaves

Ingredients

500g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped finely

6 anchovy fillets, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

300g penne pasta

1½ cups (120g) finely grated pecorino

1 cup fresh basil leaves

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 150°C/130°C fan. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Step 2

Place tomatoes on tray, cut-side up. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Bake for 45 minutes or until slightly browned and slightly shrivelled.

Step 3

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add anchovies and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until anchovies have almost dissolved. Stir in vinegar and season with pepper.

Step 4

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 8 minutes or until just tender. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup (80ml) pasta water. Return pasta to pan with onion mixture, roasted tomatoes, reserved pasta water, half the pecorino and half the basil. Season and mix well.

Step 5

Serve pasta topped with remaining pecorino and remaining basil.
Suitable to freeze.

For best results, make sure the cherry tomatoes are really red and ripe. We used wholemeal penne, but any short pasta shape is suitable.

Anchovies provide an irreplaceable flavour for many Mediterranean dishes, dissolving into sauces, braises, dressings and stews to provide deeply rich, salty and savoury notes. The delicate nature of these tiny fish means they are rarely eaten fresh, but instead they’re filleted, salt-cured and packed in oil or salt in
tins or jars. Anchovies packed in olive oil are the best to use for cooking.
From the Test Kitchen

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Ingredients

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