Menu Of The Week

This menu is very easy and quick, which is really nice to have in ones arsenal. I came up with this sauce a couple of winters ago. I missed tomatoes and all there was on-sale was plum tomatoes (which by the way are a $1.00 pd. at Safeway this week). Sadly they are not very flavorful. So I roasted the tomatoes which caramelizes the sugars in the fruit and concentrates the flavors. I do the tomatoes after lunch and set them aside till dinner. I also like to keep some roasted veggies in the fridge to have on-hand. So you can do this part a-head. You could even put all the ingredients in the blender and pull out at dinner time. I will say you do need to make sure your tomatoes are soft and ripe. If you buy them too firm, no amount of roasted is going to help. So let them sit on you counter for several days first.

This sauce is a very creamy and rich, without the cream. You can serve it with pasta and dress it up with shrimp and veggies if you want. You could also add a splash of red wine or vodka. So feel free to play with it. Also use raw garlic. The bite of garlic helps balance the sauce.

The sorbet is wonderful. I made it with frozen raspberries and pushed the sorbet though a strainer to remove the seeds. Hope you find it yummy.

Roasted Tomato Ricotta Sauce

10 plum tomatoes cut in half, length wise

1 cup ricotta

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 basil leaves

3 garlic clove cut in several pieces

3 TBLS olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

To roast tomatoes

Pre-heat oven 3.25. Set tomatoes on a cookie sheet, cut side up. Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and sprinkle some salt and sugar on tomatoes. Roast tomatoes 1  1/2 hour to 2 hours, till tomatoes have collapsed and tops caramelized.

To make sauce.

In a blender or food processor put tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients. Blend till smooth.

Mix cooked pasta with sauce. The hot pasta will warm the sauce. Serve with more cheese.

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For dessert this veryyyyyy simple fruit sorbet !!!

Image by Cindy Revell

Comments

[Jill Pettis]

Hi Clarice!
Who is the artist of this painting? Love it.

[kat]

mmm sorbet! yay for sorbet!
and extra yay for straining... I made raspberry sorbet once in high school and forgot to strain it. unfortunately my parents also had company staying. we sat around the dining table and ate our dessert.. and you could hear all the tiny seeds crunching!!!!!

i think the roasted tomato sauce will come in very handy- I have zillions of cherry tomato plants come up every year so far and i've oven roasted them but there's only so many of them you can eat on salad.... thank you!!!

[Jody]

Clarice,
I am SO ready to eat this dinner! Thanks for sharing your good ideas with us.

((HUG))
~Jody

[Jenny]

I was casting about for a fresh recipe and here I found it on your darling blog -- I've been peeking about here and there and am entirely charmed. Thank you. This is lovely.

Jenny

[Mizsmoochielips]

This is such a unique recipe! And it's picture pretty too. I will have to keep this in my summer menu arsenal :)

[lauren Mumford]

Being in California and very near Napa, we are BIG pasta eaters in this house--I will definitely be making this maybe tonight! And McMinville the Napa of Oregon???? Wow, things have changed since I lived in the area (Eugene). So funny. Can't wait to get up that way again some day!
Thanks for the recipe.

[charlotte]

I am so out of touch, but very much enjoyed the walk through your last several posts. I was thrilled to read Susan's words for you in the interview....thanks for the yummy recipe! Happy weekend, Clarice! xoC

[Kelli]

Oh, my mouth is watering, Clarice! The sauce sounds delicious and I just love the painting you shared!
Kelli

[Bessieb]

Clarice,
This picture is incredible! I absolutely love it! I'd love to own that tea pot. And look at those heirloom tomatoes!
Your sauce sounds so yummy. I may just have to make some homemade ricotta so that I can try this.

[tongue in cheek]

My mouth is wathering from the description, and the image!
That painting is amazing!!