tomato + rosemary {pasta}

It’s often the simplest recipes that are the hardest to get right. Take Cacio e Pepe, for instance. You’d think that a pasta dressed with only cheese and pepper would be a no-brainer. But if you don’t get the proportions or ingredients exactly right the entire thing can become one big cheesy, glumpy ,tasteless mess.

I also think that pasta al pomodoro is a dish a lot of people take for granted. Pasta with tomato sauce. What could be easier? But haven’t you had your share of really bad pasta al pomodoro? Or, alternatively, maybe you’ve even given up on making it yourself at home, since it’s never as good as the one you remember being oh-so-perfect at your favorite trattoria in Rome.

Of course, as with everything, quality matters. If you don’t start out with great tomatoes, then you aren’t going to get very far. And no, great tomatoes doesn’t necessarily mean fresh tomatoes. In fact, more often than not, great tomato sauce starts out with canned tomatoes. The key is quality. If it’s the height of summer, and tomatoes are at their best, by all means use fresh. But otherwise, search out the best canned pelati you can find, and you’ll already be ahead of the game.

Another secret to a truly luscious tomato sauce is oil. Good olive oil, and lots of it. There’s a reason this is called a sauce, and not simply a tomato reduction. The richness to this dish comes at the moment when the two main ingredients – tomatoes and olive oil – emulsify and bind together to create a velvety, slick and thick sauce that will coat the pasta.

Once you have these factors under control, then you can begin to be a bit creative on the seasoning front. Most people I know throw in basil. Fresh basil is always good, if it’s in season. Added at the very last minute, it is the bestest, most summery taste I can imagine.

But for something a bit more hearty I often turn to garlic and rosemary. Yes, I said rosemary. It’s amazing that a lot of good cooks I know are shocked when I say I add rosemary to my tomato sauce. As if it were against the law or something.

The thing is, I think, that most people just think of rosemary as something they use on grilled meats. And in fact, that slightly burned, super piney taste of rosemary adds a completely new – almost meaty- dimension to pasta sauce.

The trick in this sauce is to really brown both the garlic and the rosemary. I start by cooking a good quantity of garlic in the oil. While in most dishes I would never think of letting the garlic get so golden, in this dish I let it go deep and dark. Just before the cloves start to brown, I scoop them up with a slotted spoon. While the oil is still sizzling hot, I lay in four small branches of rosemary. As they immediately start to sizzle, I turn the heat completely off. This gives the rosemary a chance to get toasty, without running the risk of it getting truly burnt (which can happen very quickly)

At this point, if there is anyone else in the vicinity of your kitchen, they will come running in, asking “What IS that smell? What ARE you cooking?” Because it smells that good. Olive oil, garlic and rosemary. The best.

Once the oil has cooled off a bit, you can add the tomatoes. Cooked at a fairly lively simmer, the sauce should cook down in about 20 minutes. The thing you are aiming for is to reduce the juices in the tomatoes, letting them merge with the olive oil, yet avoiding the overcooked taste of stewed tomatoes. In fact, if the heat is high enough, the sauce will start to almost caramelize against the sides of the pan, which makes the sauce even sweeter and better.

You’ll never think of pasta al pomodoro as boring ever again. Promise.

pasta with rosemary and tomato sauce
(serves 5)

1/3 cup olive oil
1 large can (16 oz) best quality pelati*
5 cloves garlic, peeled, but left whole
6 branches of fresh rosemary
1 tsp salt

1 pound / 1/2 kilo penne
grated ricotta salata

Pour olive oil into a saute pan large enough to hold all of the drained pasta later. Add the garlic and let cook until well golden (about 10 minutes). Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and discard. While oil is still hot, add 4 rosemary branches. They will sizzle. Turn off heat and let the rosemary brown in the still hot oil.

Let the oil completely cool down, then take the crisp rosemary out of the oil and place on a paper towel to drain, reserving it to use at the end. 

Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining rosemary,  tomatoes, with their juices and salt. Raise heat and cook over a high heat until the sauce has thickened. (about 20 minutes). Remove and discard the rosemary branches.

In the meantime bring a large pot of salted water to boil, and cook pasta. When al dente, drain. Add to pasta sauce, and turn on heat, letting the pasta absorb the sauce and finish cooking.

Top each dish with a sprinkling of crisp rosemary leaves, and served topped with grated ricotta salata.**

*I have the hardest time finding good San Marzano pelati in the States. I think I’ve tried every brand at Whole Foods. Bleh! Just not the same. For truly great imported pelati, you can order from Gustiamo.
**I don’t like parmigiano in this dish, since it melts in and makes it too creamy. Instead I like ricotta salata, which is a type of aged ricotta, and pretty widely available these days.