Perciatelli With Roasted Tomato And Almond Pesto Food

PERCIATELLI WITH ROASTED TOMATO AND ALMOND PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place tomato halves, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1 1/2 tablespoons oregano in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt; toss. Arrange tomato halves, cut side down, on baking sheet (drizzle any remaining mixture from bowl over tomatoes). Place unpeeled garlic cloves on prepared baking sheet with tomatoes. Bake until garlic is tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer garlic to work surface. Turn tomatoes over, cut side up. Roast until tomatoes begin to brown in spots but are still soft, about 30 minutes longer. Cool tomatoes on baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, spread almonds on small baking sheet and toast in oven alongside tomatoes until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool.
• Peel garlic. Place in processor along with 2/3 of roasted tomatoes, 4 tablespoons toasted almonds, and crushed red pepper. Pulse to coarse puree. With machine running, gradually add 5 tablespoons oil. Transfer pesto to bowl; season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Place remaining roasted tomatoes in small bowl; cover and chill. Store remaining 1 tablespoon almonds airtight at room temperature.
• Chop remaining 1/3 of roasted tomatoes. Coarsely chop remaining 1 tablespoon almonds. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Place pesto in large bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Add pasta and chopped tomatoes; toss to coat, adding more pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls as needed to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle chopped nuts and remaining 1 tablespoon oregano over. Serve, passing cheese alongside.

TOMATOES ROASTED WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Core the tomatoes and then slice them across (not through the stem) in 1/2 inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle the tomatoes with the olive oil and sprinkle with the oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper.
• Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, spread each slice with Pesto, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Return the tomatoes to the oven and continue baking for 7 to 10 minutes, until the Parmesan is melted and begins to brown. Using a flat metal spatula, put the tomatoes on a serving platter, sprinkle with extra salt, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
• Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use immediately or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE (PESTO WITH TOMATO AND ALMONDS)

Steps:

• Score tomatoes by cutting a small 'X' on the bottom of each. Drop in boiling water 1-2 minutes until the skins loosen. Drain and rinse under cold water. Use a paring knife to remove skins. Slice tomatoes in half and scoop out seeds with spoon. Chop.
• Place tomatoes, almonds, basil and garlic in a blender, food processer, or mortar. Drizzle in the olive oil and blend, process or grind with pestle until pureed to the desired consistency (almonds should still be a bit crunchy).
• Add salt and pepper and serve over cooked pasta.

PASTA WITH TOMATO AND ALMOND PESTO (PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE)

Steps:

• A half teaspoon of red wine vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes can be substituted for the pepperoncini. If you don't have a food processor, a blender may be substituted. In step 2, pulse ingredients until roughly chopped, then proceed with the recipe, reducing processing times by half.
• 1. Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Cool almonds to room temperature.
• 2. Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperoncini, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.
• 3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.
• 4. Add pesto and ½ cup Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reser.

EASY BASIL PESTO WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• Combine basil, Parmesan cheese, almonds, olive oil, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until blended. Pour in more olive oil, with the processor running, until pesto is thick and smooth.

PERCIATELLI WITH ROASTED TOMATOES AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine eggplant, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; toss to combine. Transfer to a baking pan in a single layer. Place all tomatoes and garlic cloves in a second pan. Transfer both pans to oven. Roast eggplant until brown and tender, about 40 minutes; roast garlic and tomatoes until garlic is soft and tomatoes are shriveled, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, squeeze soft garlic from cloves.
• Meanwhile, place peppers over a gas burner with a high flame; roast until charred on all sides, turning as needed, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a metal bowl; cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. Using a paper towel, rub charred skin off peppers. Remove and discard seeds and stems. Place 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, and any liquid collected in bowl, in the bowl of a food processor. Add roasted garlic, plum tomatoes, vinegar, cayenne, remaining tablespoon olive oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/8 teaspoon pepper; process until smooth. Cut remaining peppers into 1/4-inch-thick strips; set aside
• Fill a large stockpot with salted water; bring to a boil. Place pasta in water; boil until pasta is al dente, about 11 minutes. Drain in a colander; transfer to a serving bowl. Pour puree over pasta; toss to combine. Add basil, roasted eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and reserved pepper strips; toss. Serve garnished with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.