![\"Roasted](\"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Roasted-cherry-tomato-pasta.jpg\" "\\"Roasted")
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This was not the greatest tomato season where I live. Until the last couple of weeks, the weather was just too cool for regular size tomatoes to ripen properly.\u00a0 But the cherry tomatoes have been just fine.<\/p>\n
So, more often than not, when I’ve wanted a\u00a0 quick and easy pasta sauce with the tang of fresh tomatoes this season, I’ve turned to the beautiful little Sweet 100s or orange Sun Golds lined up in baskets at the farmers market.\u00a0 Not only do they add a bright shot of flavor to every dish, they don’t need chopping or peeling.<\/p>\n
![\"cherry](\"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/cherry-tomatoes2.jpg\" "\\"cherry")
For this recipe, I roast the baby tomatoes in plenty of olive oil with slivers of garlic, a dried chile, oregano and chopped parsley until they’re beginning to split and release their juices.\u00a0 When the weather is as hot as it’s been for the last couple of days, though, I would cook them slowly on top of the stove in a wide skillet.<\/p>\n
Any long skinny pasta will do, but I love the chewy snap of the bucatini now available at my local grocery story.\u00a0 Although bucatini looks like fat spaghetti, the strands are formed with a hole in the center \u2013 just like a straw \u2013 and seem to suck up any sauce with which they’re tossed.<\/p>\n
Curds of salty feta cheese and a shower of shredded basil bring the dish together.\u00a0 Dinner couldn’t be easier.<\/p>\n
2 pints small cherry tomatoes, rinsed and stemmed
\n4-6 cloves garlic, to taste
\n\u00bd teaspoon oregano
\n4 tablespoons chopped parsley
\n1 small dried red chile pepper
\n\u00bc cup extra virgin olive oil
\nSalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
\n1 pound bucatini or spaghetti
\n1 cup basil leaves
\n1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
\nGrated Parmesan for passing.<\/p>\n
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.\u00a0 Place whole cherry tomatoes in a baking dish or ovenproof skillet large enough to contain them in a single layer.\u00a0 Slice garlic vertically into thick slivers and scatter over tomatoes.\u00a0 Add dried chile pepper.\u00a0 Sprinkle oregano and chopped parsley over all.\u00a0 Drizzle with olive oil, season to taste, and toss to coat.\u00a0 Roast tomato mixture on the center rack of the oven for about 30 minutes, until tomatoes are hot through and beginning to burst.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.\u00a0 About 10 minutes before tomatoes are expected to be done, drop bucatini in the boiling water, stir to separate the strands and cook according to the package directions, about 8 minutes.\u00a0 Stack the basil leaves together in bundles, roll up like cigars and shred finely across the grain. Remove tomatoes from oven and smash then with a fork.\u00a0 Add a little pasta cooking water if necessary to get a saucy consistency.<\/p>\n
When pasta is al dente, drain and place in a serving dish.\u00a0 Pour smashed tomatoes and sauce over pasta, top with feta and toss.\u00a0 Add shredded basil and toss again.\u00a0 Serve, passing grated Parmesan for diners to add if desired.<\/p>\n
Aleta Watson<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This was not the greatest tomato season where I live. Until the last couple of weeks, the weather was just too cool for regular size tomatoes to ripen properly.\u00a0 But the cherry tomatoes have been just fine. So, more often than not, when I’ve wanted a\u00a0 quick and easy pasta sauce with the tang of … Continue reading Cherry tomatoes perk up pasta<\/span>