Tomato Basil And Goat Cheese Pasta Food

TOMATO & GOAT CHEESE CROSTATA

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse to combine. Add the diced butter and toss carefully with your fingers to coat each piece of butter with flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, until the butter is the size of peas. While pulsing, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Pulse to combine, stopping just before the dough forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and form it into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450˚ F. Heat the 4 tablespoons butter in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the leeks, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and sauté for 8 minutes, until the leeks are tender and starting to brown. Set aside. Place the tomatoes on a plate, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Set aside.
• On a floured board, roll the dough into an 11-inch circle, then place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Turn a sheet pan upside down and transfer the paper to the inverted pan. Spread the leeks on the pastry, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Crumble the goat cheese evenly on top. Arrange the tomatoes over the goat cheese, overlapping the slices because they will shrink. Turn the edges of the pastry up and over the tomatoes, crimping so they lie flat. Brush the pastry with the egg wash. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is nicely browned. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, sprinkle lightly with the fresh herbs and salt, cut in wedges and serve warm.

BAKED GOAT CHEESE PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Add the tomatoes, garlic, shallot, oregano and red pepper flakes to a 9 x 13 baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss to combine. Nestle the goat cheese in the dish among the other ingredients and drizzle with the last tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until the tomatoes have blistered and the goat cheese has melted slightly, 22 to 25 minutes.
• While the tomatoes and goat cheese bake, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water, and set aside.
• Remove the tomatoes and goat cheese from the oven. Add the pesto and begin tossing everything together, breaking up the goat cheese as you go and adding a little pasta water, until you have a creamy consistency. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Serve hot garnished with the fresh basil.

TOMATO BASIL SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients and allow to blend for 20 minutes.
• Delicious on its own or served on a bed of lettuce. Also good on crunchy bread or crackers.

PASTA WITH TOMATOES AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, then drain.
• While pasta is cooking, toss tomatoes with salt to taste in a bowl and let juices exude.
• Toss hot pasta with goat cheese in a large bowl until cheese is melted and coats pasta. Add tomatoes with juices, olives, basil, and salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine.

TOMATO, BASIL AND CHEESE BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Add small shell pasta and cook the pasta to al dente doneness which means that the pasta will still have a bite to it or be a little chewy. Cook probably 9-10 minutes.
• Preheat a deep, big skillet or a medium sauce pot over medium heat.
• Place garlic on the cutting board and place the flat of your knife on top of each clove. Carefully give the garlic a whack with the palm of your hand to seperate the cloves from the skins. Throw out the skins and chop up the garlic.
• Add EVOO to the pan by pouring a slow stream of it twice-around-the-pan. Do not let the oil pour out too fast. Add the garlic to the oil.
• Chop onion finely. Add to garlic and oil. Cook, stirring frequently, five minutes or until onions are tender.
• Add the tomatoes to the onions and stir. When the tomatoes come to a bubble, reduce the heat under the sauce to low.
• Stir in basil pieces to wilt them. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to your taste.
• Preheat your broiler to high and place a rack in the center of the oven.
• Drain pasta shells. Add them to a casserole dish.
• Add pesto sauce, 1 cup ricotta cheese and a handful of grated parmigiano.
• Stir carefully and coat the hot pasta with the pesto and cheeses.
• Pour the hot tomato and basil sauce over the pasta.
• Shred up mozzarella and scatter over the pasta. Add a final sprinkle of parimigiano to the mozarella as well.
• Place the casserole under the broiler in the middle of oven, 10-12 inches from the heat. Let the cheese melt and bubble on top (3-5 minutes).

TOMATO-BASIL QUICHE WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Blind-bake the pie shell according to package directions (approximately 12 - 15 minutes at 375 for the type I use. I also use pie weights to keep the crust from puffing.) Set crust aside to cool for approximately 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, slice the Roma tomato thinly and let it sit on a paper towel to draw out some liquid. Chiffonade the basil leaves (i.e., roll them up and slice them into thin strands.).
• Crumble the goat cheese into the warm pie shell, distributing it evenly over the bottom. It's okay if it begins to melt a bit.
• Layer the tomato slices in one layer over the goat cheese. Sprinkle the basil leaves over the top evenly. Top with a dash of nutmeg and some salt and pepper.
• Whisk the eggs with the half and half thoroughly. Pour the egg mixture into the pie shell carefully. (I like to do this when the pan in on the oven rack to avoid any spillage.).
• Bake at 325 for 40 - 50 minutes, until the top is slightly puffed and lightly browned. Keep an eye on the crust - halfway through baking (or even earlier) you'll need to use a pie-guard or tin foil to cover the crust so it doesn't get too brown. Allow the quiche to cool a bit before serving. It is best slightly warm, but not hot.