The Best Simple Tomato Sauce for Pasta

As we exit summer, here's a simple sauce that's perfect for using some of those wonderfully vibrant and flavorful tomatoes. They need little adornment. This recipe uses no meat and just a scant amount of aromatics to underscore the tomatoes' flavor. Yes, the simmer time is pretty long, but it's worth it. This sauce is amazing. Finishing the pasta in the sauce helps it pick up the sauce's flavor.

The Best Simple Tomato Sauce for Pasta

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, cut into small dice
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 lb. fresh ripe summer tomatoes (use canned tomatoes out of season; I don't recommend using store-bought tomatoes from November until about mid-June as they lack flavor), cut into 1-inch pieces
4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied together with string
Dash of nutmeg
Pinch of red chili pepper flakes
1 lb. dried penne rigate pasta
8-10 basil leaves, cut into ribbons
Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter has melted and warmed, add the onion and cook about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until they are softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes more.

2. Stir in the tomatoes, thyme, nutmeg and red chili pepper flakes, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer (medium-low or lower). Simmer for 90 minutes, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes. The mixture should bubble just slightly.

3. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions 1 minute shy of al dente (al dente pasta is cooked through but chewy, so this pasta will be too chewy, indicating it needs more cooking time, which I'll get to in a second). Drain pasta, then stir the pasta into the simmering tomato sauce. Continue cooking the pasta in the sauce for another minute or two until the pasta is al dente (i.e. cooked through but chewy).

4. Remove the pasta from the heat and serve in shallow bowls topped with fresh basil and grated parmigiano-reggiano. Pair with a robust but not overbearing Italian red wine, such as Sassotondo Ciliegiolo.

Fresh Tomato Lasagna

Let's talk about lasagna for a minute. It's pretty amazing, right? Warm layers of chewy pasta alternating with layers of tomato sauce and gooey cheese. My mouth just started watering. It's a wonderfully versatile dish that can easily be adapted to include meat (or not), other vegetables (like squash) or not. You can definitely have it your way.

And it tastes good just about any time of year--except, perhaps, when the mercury rises up for those sweltering summer days like we're having right now. Do you want your kitchen oven to be on for hours this time of year? I didn't think so. It's enough to make you want to kiss lasagna goodbye (temporarily, of course).

Except it's such a shame, since lasagna is loaded with ingredients that are really good right now, principally tomatoes, which are reaching their peak. It lends itself well to lighter cheeses like mozzarella and ricotta, which are also summers staples. When you consider the fact that lots of other summer vegetables and herbs can play nice in a lasagna, I think it's time to find a compromise that lets us enjoy this wonderful dish even in 90-degree-plus weather.

So I did something novel: I made lasagna with the oven turned off. That's right. This lasagna is not baked. The noodles are cooked, but that's it. Consider it a cross between a pasta salad and a traditional lasagna. And the results were really quite good. The fresh ricotta "melts" into the fresh vegetable ingredients to make a delicious fresh uncooked sauce that's still sturdy enough to hold the layers of noodles together.

I conceived this dish as my entry for this year's Washington Post tomato recipe contest; however, unfortunately, the Food section staff revealed last week that there will be no contest this year. I hope it comes back. It's one of my favorite features they do (if it does, you can be sure I'll enter this next year).

Some tips: be sure to use regular lasagna noodles, not the "no boil" kind. Since you aren't baking this lasagna, the no-boil noodles will not work. You could probably use regular ricotta in place of fresh ricotta, but I haven't tried it. I find that fresh ricotta, which I get at Whole Foods, is a little firmer, so the consistency might be different, but I don't think it would be a deal-breaker. You can always make your own ricotta too.

Fresh Tomato Lasagna
Serves 12

15 lasagna noodles (13-14 oz)
3 large tomatoes (28 oz), diced
1 medium cucumber (9 oz), peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup minced red onion, minced
1/2 cup pitted kalamatta olives, chopped
1 oz fresh basil (about 32 leaves), most of the leaves cut into thin ribbons, with about 8-10 of the smaller leaves set aside
3/4 cup fresh ricotta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
16 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside. Lay the noodles flat on an oiled baking sheet until ready to use.

2. In a large bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olive and basil ribbons. Add the ricotta, olive oil and vinegar and stir to combine until the ricotta is well mixed and the mixture is "saucy." Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

3. In a lightly oiled 9 X 13 baking dish, spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish, then lay 3 noodles on top, followed by about 3/4 cup of sauce, a second layer of noodles, another 3/4 cup of sauce, half of the sliced mozzarella, a third layer of noodles, another 3/4 cup of sauce, a fourth layer of noodles, another 3/4 cup of sauce, a final fifth layer of noodles, the last 3/4 cup of sauce (portion the sauce evenly, you may use a little more or a little less than 3/4 cup each time), and the remaining half of the sliced mozzarella. Spread the whole basil leaves on top, drizzle with a little olive oil and finish with a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

4. Chill the lasagna in a refrigerator for about an hour. Serve cold cut into single-serving portions. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator--this is really good the next day too.

Related

Sliced Fresh Tomato Salad

Roasted Tomato Yaki Udon

Roasted Ratatouille Pasta with Garlic and White Wine Sauce

Flatbread with Tomatoes, Chickpeas and Yogurt Sauce

Roasted Tomato Risotto

Cocktail: Tipsy Gazpacho

Lasagna, Bolognese Style

Summer Vegetable Lasagna

Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese and Sausage Lasagna

Spinach-Tomato Lasagna with Sausage

Roasted Tomato and Kale Pasta

This is the other dish I made with the tomatoes I roasted the other weekend. With the cheese, it's vegetarian; without, it's vegan. Either way, it's delicious and simple to prepare if you've pre-roasted the tomatoes. This is an ideal dish to share with friends and family and eat outside on your patio.

Roasted Tomato and Kale Pasta

Salt, to taste
1 lb. whole-wheat pasta (I used gobbetti, which looks like it's identical to cavatappi)
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and discarded, leaves cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces (about 3 cups of leaves)
1 cup (or so) simple roasted tomatoes, from 3 lb. fresh tomatoes (see recipe below)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. Aleppo pepper flakes
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
Grated pecorino-romano cheese

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions for al dente (pasta will finish cooking in the sauce). Reserve 3/4 cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat (medium to medium-high). Add onion and garlic and sauté until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the kale and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale wilts. Add the tomatoes, season with salt (to taste), pepper, Aleppo pepper and thyme, and stir to combine, then add the reserved pasta cooking water and stir. When the mixture boils, reduce heat to simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and continue simmering another minute or two until the pasta is chewy but cooked through.

3. Serve pasta in shallow bowls with grated pecorino-romano cheese.

Simple Roasted Tomatoes

3 lb. fresh tomatoes, stem end removed, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus olive oil spray
Kosher salt, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Add the tomatoes to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and toss to combine. Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with olive oil. Spread the tomatoes in an even layer in the baking dish.

3. Bake the tomatoes until they have reduced significantly in size, look shrived and are starting to brown around the edges, about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Stir every hour for the first couple hours, then more frequently, up to every 10 to 15 minutes when you hit the 3-hour mark, to prevent the tomatoes from burning.

4. When done, remove from the oven, allow to cool, then transfer to a container to store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.

Mexican Roasted Tomato and Chorizo Pasta

Summer tomatoes are starting to arrive, which means its finally time to switch from cooking with canned tomatoes and using the fresh ones.

My first use of this year's crop involved roasting tomatoes. I bought 6 lbs. of beautiful big red tomatoes from my farmers market and roasted them in two batches (so yes, there will be a second roasted-tomato recipe soon).

Roasted tomatoes have such incredible flavor, both sweeter and more savory than a fresh tomato, if that makes sense. Roasting concentrates a tomato's sweetness while also caramelizing it a bit. When roasting, you want to roast the tomatoes to the point that most of their moisture has evaporated, but you also have to be careful you don't burn them. Since the risk of doing this increases as they cook, I stir the tomatoes with increasing frequency, one per hour for the first couple hours, then every 30 minutes or so, and finally every 10 to 15 minutes until they are done. They're done when they are very shriveled looking and starting to brown around the edges. Any remaining liquid with be thicker and not particularly watery. It's amazing how much the tomatoes will reduce: 3 lb. of quartered tomatoes will fill a large mixing bowl, but the roasted end-result is about 1 cup of tomatoes. Some people skin their tomatoes before roasting them, but I don't mind the skins.

Roasting tomatoes takes hours, but the dishes you make from roasted tomatoes can cook up quickly, like this spicy Mexican take on a simple pasta dish. I like to roast the tomatoes on the weekend and freeze them in batches, so I have them on hand to use during the week. Defrost the night before and you're good to go.

Mexican Roasted Tomato and Chorizo Pasta

1 lb. penne or other dried pasta
1/2 lb. spicy chorizo sausage, removed from casings
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup or so of simple roasted tomatoes, from 3 lb. of tomatoes (see below)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Crumbed queso fresco
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions 1 minute less than needed for al dente (the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce). Drain the pasta and set aside.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until cooked through.

3. Shove the sausage to the edge of the pan and add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes and stir to combine with the other ingredients. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and cinnamon. As the mixture simmers, reduce heat to medium. Stir in the pasta and cook an additional minute or two until the pasta is coated with sauce and cooked through but still chewy.

4. Serve pasta in shallow bowls topped with crumbled queso fresco and fresh cilantro.

Simple Roasted Tomatoes

3 lb. fresh tomatoes, stem end removed, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus olive oil spray
Kosher salt, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Add the tomatoes to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and toss to combine. Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with olive oil. Spread the tomatoes in an even layer in the baking dish.

3. Bake the tomatoes until they have reduced significantly in size, look shrived and are starting to brown around the edges, about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Stir every hour for the first couple hours, then more frequently, up to every 10 to 15 minutes when you hit the 3-hour mark, to prevent the tomatoes from burning.

4. When done, remove from the oven, allow to cool, then transfer to a container to store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.

Middle Eastern Chips and Salsa

What does spring taste like? It's definitely green. Herbal. And maybe a little tart. Spring dishes celebrate all those fresh flavors that went missing during the winter months. This is one of those ideal dishes for tasting spring.

I created this dish as appetizer for a dinner party. My original concept was a marriage between two classic dishes that celebrate the union of bread and vegetables: fattoush, which is a Middle Eastern bread salad with vegetables and pita pieces, and bruschetta, an Italian dish that consists of garlic-rubbed toasted bread often served with a topping, such as fresh tomatoes and basil.

I planned on making a fattoush-like salad with finely chopped ingredients and serving atop wedges of toasted pita. But I backed out of this plan thinking that the vegetable topping, which is pretty moist, would soak the pita too much. So instead, I decided to serve the topping in a bowl next to the pitas and use the pitas as chips for dipping into the topping. And, duh, that's basically what chips and salsa is, the favorite free (usually) appetizer of great Mexican restaurants everywhere.

The spices are essential to this dish, especially the ground sumac berries, which give the salsa an earthy tartness. Za'atar, if you're not familiar with it, is a Middle Eastern spice blend. There's some variation among specific za'atar blends, but I recommend finding one with thyme, sumac and sesame seeds as prominent ingredients.

Middle Eastern Chips and Salsa

1 tsp. ground sumac
1 tsp. warm water
3 whole-wheat pitas
Olive oil spray
1 tbsp. za'atar spice blend
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
3 tbsp. chopped fresh mint
3 scallions, green part only, finely chopped
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. honey
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Salt, to taste

1. Combine the sumac and water in small bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut pitas into fourths, then carefully separate the two layers, resulting in 24 quarter-round pieces. Place the pitas on a baking sheet with the rough side (i.e., the side the inner side) up. Spray the pitas with olive oil, then sprinkle with za'atar. Bake in the oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the chips to a cooling rack.

3. Slice off the tops of the tomatoes and squeeze the juice and seeds out, then chop the tomatoes into a fine dice. Peel and seed the cucumber, and chop into a similarly sized dice. Combine the diced vegetables in a small bowl and add the mint, scallions. Whisk together the soaked sumac with the soaking liquid, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, garlic powder and salt. Combine with the vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Serve the salsa in a bowl next to a plate with the pita chips.

Cooking with Ottolenghi

Here's an unfortunate but much too common scenario: I can't think of what to make for dinner. There's no particular "experiment" I want to do, no particular new dish or ingredient I want to try out. I'm in a rut.

So I go online and search for something, inevitably finding some delicious idea or recipe along the way. But I did it once again: I neglected my cookbooks.

In the Internet age, it's so easy to overlook this great resource. Every once in awhile, I find I need to remind myself to crack a few open, look at the pictures, read the recipes. I'm rarely disappointed in what I find.

It was a recent Saturday morning that I cracked open Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, the 2013 publication by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, the London-based chefs and restauranteurs that have together authored this cookbook and its best-selling predecessor, Jerusalem.

It's a wonderful cookbook wish dishes of varying complexity, beautiful photographs and loads of flavor. I settled on two dishes that I figured I could execute for dinner over a couple of hours: 1) fennel, cherry tomato, and crumble gratin and 2) beef and lamb meatballs baked in tahini.

Both of these recipes were delicious, but we were really blown away by the gratin. Although I recreated the meatballs faithful to Ottolenghi and Tamimi's recipe, I added an extra player to the gratin: fresh sweet corn. It was a welcome player indeed! In fact, I think this recipe could be switched up to accommodate different vegetable combinations, depending on the season. I bet it would be delicious with butternut squash and onion in the winter, for example.

Beef and Lamb Meatballs Baked in Tahini
Adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Tahini sauce:
2/3 cup tahini
2/3 cup water
4 1/2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of salt

Meatballs:
1 1/4 oz. white bread, crust removed
10-12 oz. ground beef
10-12 oz. ground lamb
3 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. salt (reduced from the original 1 tsp. in the recipe)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Grated lemon zest from 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Make the tahini sauce: Combine tahini, water, vinegar, garlic and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. The mixture should thicken slightly. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 400 F.

3. Soak the bread in water, then squeeze out the water and crumble the bread (it will be mushy) into a large bowl. Add the beef, lamb, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon and egg. Using your hands, mix the ingredients until completely combined. Shape the mixture into golf-ball-size meatballs.

4. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add half the meatballs and cook for about 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Remove meatballs from pan and place on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining meatballs.

5. Transfer browned meatballs to a 9 X 13 baking dish, arranged in a single layer. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, pour the tahini sauce over and around the meatballs and return to the oven to bake for another 10-12 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through (I checked them with a thermometer to be sure they were 160 F degrees). Garnish with the lemon zest and additional parsley and serve.

Fennel, Corn and Cherry Tomato Gratin
Adapted from Fennel, Cherry Tomato and Crumble Gratin from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Crumble:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3 1/2 oz. grated parmigiano-regginao cheese

Gratin:
2 1/4 lb. (about 1 large or 2 small) fennel bulbs, cut into pieces about of 1/2 to 1 inch
Kernels from 1 ear of corn (about 1 cup)
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 tbsp. sea salt (reduced from the recipe's 1 tbsp.)
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
10 1/2 oz. (about 1 1/2 cups) cherry tomatoes (I used sungold tomatoes)
1 tsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Make the crumble: combine the flour, sugar and butter in a medium bowl and mix together with your hands until the mixture has a uniform crumb texture (don't overmix or it will become dough-like). Stir in the grated parmesan cheese.

3. Assemble the gratin: in a large bowl, combine the fennel, corn, olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a 9 X 13 baking dish. Pour the cream evenly over the mixture, then spread the crumble evenly over the top. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

4. Remove the dish from the oven and remove the aluminum foil. Scatter the cherry tomatoes over the top of the gratin. Return the dish to the oven and bake another 15 minutes until the fennel is soft, the top of the gratin is lightly golden and the tomatoes have shriveled a bit.

Pasta with Quick-Cooked Tomato Sauce

It's hard to believe Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukin's The New Basics Cookbook is over 26 years old. The number one song in America when this book came out was Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative," his first (and only) #1 hit. Back then an "app" was something you ate before an entree and a "tweet" was a sound a bird made. Nobody bought music from Apple (unless you count the record companies). Cell phones wouldn't find in your bag, let along your pocket.

Well, you'll be chirping with delight if you make this easy tomato sauce for pasta. After my mother's spaghetti recipe, this was the second pasta dish I learned to cook when I was in high school, and it's still a hit today.

I made a couple of minor alterations. The original recipe calls for a mix of fresh and canned tomatoes, but since it's summer, I went with all fresh. I also substituted fresh basil for the recipe's flat-leaf parsley and upped the volume of fresh herbs, since fresh basil is so wonderful with tomatoes and, after a failed first attempt earlier this summer, I have a beautiful basil plant growing on my balcony now.

Pasta with Quick-Cooked Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Quick Cooked Tomato Sauce from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins

Salt, to taste
1 lb. dried fettuccine pasta
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 cups fresh tomatoes, cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup tomato paste
Dash of grated nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 yellow onion, cut into thin slivers
1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade)
Grated pecorino-romano cheese

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain pasta and set aside.

2. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add the fresh tomatoes and tomato paste and stir to combine. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and increase heat to medium-high until the mixture bubbles, then decrease heat to medium. Simmer until the tomatoes are tender and falling apart, about 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Preheat oven broiler with rack about 4-5 inches from the broiler. In a medium bowl, toss the slivered onion with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread onion mixture on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet in an even layer. Broil about 5-7 minutes, stirring every couple minutes, until the onions are lightly golden brown (be sure to stir to prevent onions from burning--some will still be quite browned around the edges, which is fine). Set onions aside.

4. Stir the pasta and fresh basil into the pasta sauce and turn off the heat. Serve the pasta in shallow bowls topped with some of the broiled onions and grated pecorino-romano cheese at the table.

8-2-Eat: 8 Recipes for Fresh Summer Tomatoes

8-2-Eat is my food-focused list series. A perfect Friday distraction. The last 2 weeks, I've shared a number of recipes for making use of fresh summer tomatoes. Here are 8 more of my favorites from summers past.

1. Tomato Bruschetta. Many of the best ways to enjoy fresh tomatoes are simple delights like tomato bruschetta--garlic-rubbed grilled bread brushed with olive oil and topped with tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. This recipe was accompanied by an article on the evolving use of the term "bruschetta."

Roasted tomato panzanella.

2. Roasted Tomato Panzanella. Panzanella, an Italian bread salad, is our favorite way to enjoy summer tomatoes. Although I usually serve it with raw tomatoes, sometimes I like them roasted too.

3. Greek Salad with Chicken. Classic Greek salad is a great way to showcase not just tomatoes but a variety of raw summer vegetables.

4. Freekeh Tabbouleh with Mint. Tabbouleh is usually made with bulgur wheat, but I love this version with the smoky-roasty flavor of freekeh, another wheat grain. Sweet sungold cherry tomatoes are my favorite tomato for this.

5. Peach and Tomato Salad with Tofu. This salad, a Hugh Acheson recipe, beautifully blends two summer staples into a spicy vegan salad (pictured above).

6. Ultimate Club Sandwich. I use a low-heat oven to dry out the tomatoes in this club sandwich, which also features avocado, bacon and Monterey Jack cheese.

Roasted tomato risotto.

7. Roasted Tomato Risotto. Most risotto recipes call for using chicken broth, but for more tomato flavor, I used my own roasted tomato broth in this recipe.

8. Tipsy Gazpacho Cocktail. I was inspired by the flavors of gazpacho in creating this gin cocktail made with roasted tomato syrup, a finalist in last year's Washington Post tomato recipe contest.

Roasted Tomato Yaki Udon

Yaki Udon is a simple Japanese dish of fried udon noodles--those wide Japanese noodles that resemble linguine--usually served with a mixture of meat and vegetables. I thought it could be interesting to develop a version of Yaki Udon that uses tomatoes.

By now, a lot of you have probably heard of the so-called "fifth taste," umami. The term is Japanese and mean roughly "savory." Lots of Japanese dishes are loaded with umami flavor, which comes from foods high in glutamates like mushrooms, seaweed and certain types of fish. Dashi, for example, is a Japanese broth made from dried kombu seaweed and dried fish flakes known as bonito or katsuobushi. Dashi doesn't taste like much by itself, but the glutamate-rich broth is used to enhance the flavor of other ingredients (I've used it to poach salmon, for example).

Tomatoes, although not something we commonly associate with Japanese food, are also loaded with glutamates. This isn't so apparent with raw tomatoes, but when roasted, those savory notes really come through. I thought it would be interesting to make Yaki Udon using a roasted tomato sauce. A sort of "Japanese Spaghetti" if you will.

I roasted and pureed fresh tomatoes for this dish and then made a sauce with onions, scallions, garlic and shiitake mushrooms. Although spaghetti is commonly garnished with grated parmesan, I used black sesame seeds. Although it takes awhile to roast the tomatoes, this can be done ahead of time. Otherwise, the dish comes together quite quickly.

Roasted Tomato Yaki Udon

3 lb. ripe red tomatoes, cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks
4 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
1/2 tsp. sea salt
10 oz. package dried udon noodles
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4-5 scallions chopped, white and light green parts separated from the green part
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 tbsp. low-sodium tamari (may use soy sauce)
1 tbsp. mirin
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
2-3 tbsp. black sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine tomatoes, 2 tbsp. vegetable oil and sea salt in a large bowl and toss to combine. Spread the tomatoes in an even layer in a 9 X 13 baking dish. Roast the tomatoes, stirring every 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have shriveled, browned a little around the edges and significantly reduced in volume, about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Set aside to cool. Transfer tomatoes and any remaining juices to a food processor and pulse 5 to 6 times to make a chunky sauce. Store sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the udon noodles and cook until the noodles are al dente, about 4-6 minutes (may vary by noodle brand, consult package directions). Drain noodles and set aside.

3. Heat remaining 2 tbsp. of oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the white and light green chopped scallions and the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender and their water has evaporated, about 4 minutes.

4. Add the noodles to the stir fry and stir to combine. Add the soy sauce and mirin (the liquid will help break up the noodles if they are sticking together). Stir to combine the noodles with the other ingredients and cook about 1-2 minutes. Add the roasted tomato sauce and the sesame oil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook just enough to reheat the tomatoes, 1-2 minutes. Add the sesame oil and chopped scallion greens and stir to combine.

5. Serve the noodles in bowls topped with a sprinkle of black sesame seeds.

Related

Dashi-Poached Salmon

Roasted Ratatouille Pasta with Garlic and White Wine Sauce

Ratatouille is such a perfect summer dish. And easy too. Basically, you sauté a bunch of beautiful in-season summer vegetables like eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, garlic and onions and serve them with fresh herbs like thyme and basil. I've done a simple version before. This is a little more complicated, but I promise it's worth the extra work.

"I am the Ratatouille Man."

I love the combination of vegetables in ratatouille, and I thought they would work well as a basis for a pasta. It's not uncommon to serve ratatouille over pasta (or rice), but I wanted to do a little more with it, making a sauce that integrates the pasta and the vegetables.

I first roasted the vegetables for quite a long time, as they give off a lot of liquid. After about 80 minutes they were quite soft and just starting to turn a little brown around the edges. As that was finishing, I made a simple sauce of garlic cooked in butter to which I added first a little tomato paste and then some white wine. This formed the base of the sauce into which I folded the roasted vegetables.

If you love vegetable pastas, this summery version is sure to please. It was a real hit in our house. I recommend serving it with grated cheese. Parmigiano-reggiano or grana padano would do, but I think the brighter flavor of pecorino-romano works well here.

Roasted Ratatouille Pasta with Garlic and White Wine Sauce

1 eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. dried pasta, such as fearful (I used tricolor)
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
3-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tbsp. tomato paste
3/4 cup gruner veltliner wine (or other dry white wine)
Dash of ground nutmeg
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil ribbons (chiffonade)
Grated pecorino-romano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Combine eggplant, zucchini, onion, bell pepper and tomatoes in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste and stir to coat vegetables with the oil. Spread vegetables in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast vegetables until shriveled and the edges are lightly browned, about 60 to 80 minutes, turning vegetables every 20 minutes. Remove roasted vegetables from oven and set aside.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the dried pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain pasta and set aside.

4. Heat remaining tbsp. of olive oil and 2 tbsp. of butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook another minute. Add the wine, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and increase heat slightly to bring to a bubble, stirring to combine the ingredients into a sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the roasted vegetables until combined. Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked pasta and basil. Serve in shallow bowls with grated pecorino-romano at the table.

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Manhattan "Chowder" Salad

As a kid, I loved clam chowder, and it's still one of my favorites. It's a wonderfully creamy soup flavored with the briny clams, butter and (in the best versions) a little smoky bacon. But I'll never forget the time I ordered Manhattan clam chowder, not knowing it was something different altogether.

"What is this?" I'm sure I asked my mom.

What I think of as clam chowder is the New England variety, which is also popular on the West Coast: a creamy broth with onion and other vegetables, potato, clams and (if you make it right) bacon. Did I mention it's supposed to have bacon in it? My mom's version was so bacon-y, we called it her "bacon chowder."

And Manhattan clam chowder is not these things. It has a thinner, tomato-based broth instead of a thick, creamy base. Frankly, it's just not as good, despite the fact that it's composed of so many things I love: onions, celery, potatoes and tomatoes (plus clams, which I don't "love," but are good when used right).

With this in mind, I decided to take the parts I like about Manhattan clam chowder and re-fashion them as a salad. I kept the onion and celery, but included them raw. I fried the potatoes into cubes, which makes them a bit like croutons. Instead of tomato broth, I used raw beefsteak tomatoes. And I replaced the clams with salmon, which is much more flavorful for a salad. A garlicky white-wine vinaigrette pulls the whole thing together.

Manhattan "Chowder" Salad

1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6-7 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 oz. salmon fillet
2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces (may use other tomatoes, you want about 2 cups)
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/8-thick pieces on a sharp angle
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into strips with a julienne peeler or shredded
1/2 small red onion, cut into thin slivers
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. aleppo pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, very finely minced or pounded into a paste
1 1/2 tbsp. white wine vinegar

1. Fill a medium with 1 1/2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Add the potato cubes and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Immediately drain the potatoes and set aside in the colander for 5 minutes.

2. Heat 2 to 3 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet (use enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet) over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cook undisturbed for 5 minutes, then stir the potatoes occasionally until they are browned and crisp on all sides, about 10-12 minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate.

3. Preheat oven broiler. Brush a foil-lined baking sheet with olive oil. Place the salmon fillet skin-side down on the baking sheet and brush the salmon with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt (if you have it, smoked sea salt is great here) and pepper and broil about 5 inches from the broiler for about 5 minutes. Turn the fish over and broil about another 5 minutes until the salmon is cooked through. Remove and discard the skin and any gray layer. Transfer the salmon to a cutting board and flake with a fork into bite-size pieces.

4. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, celery, onion, thyme, parsley, aleppo pepper flakes and salmon. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegar and 3 tbsp. of olive oil. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly. Divide the salad into shallow bowls and top each with a handful of fried potato cubes.

Flatbread with Tomatoes, Chickpeas and Yogurt Sauce

I love cooking with tomatoes during the summer, since they are so delicious, abundant and varied. I love making a quick pasta sauce with chopped tomatoes in a pan with other vegetables, herbs and spices. I love roasting tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper until they are shriveled and their savory notes are more pronounced.

But summer tomatoes are wonderful raw too. When the fahrenheit gets to be too extreme to turn the oven or stove on, a great no-bake recipe like this one I found in a recent issue of Bon Appétit really hits the spot.

This is almost like a pizza, which is perhaps what drew me to it. The dish starts with flatbread. Although the original recipe--from Joshua McFadden of the celebrated Portland restaurant Ave Gene's--includes a recipe for making the flatbread, it's quicker and won't warm the kitchen if you use something pre-made. I started with a plain Mediterranean flatbread from the grocery store similar to a pita but without the inside "pocket."

From there, the flatbread is topped first with a cooling yogurt-cucumber sauce, then partially mashed and seasoned chickpeas, and finally a layer of sliced and spiced tomatoes. The recipe below was enough for four flatbreads. I figured we'd eat two and have two leftover; I was wrong. They didn't stick around long.

I made a few modifications from the original recipe. Instead of fresh garlic, I used garlic powder in the mixture for spicing the tomatoes. The mixture is sprinkled over the tomatoes, and chopped garlic--being slightly wet--doesn't "sprinkle" as well as the powdered form. I also used Greek instead of plain yogurt, since that's what I had on hand. I could see this recipe taking well to a number of variations: whatever fresh herbs you think would be tasty, substituting cannelloni beans for the chickpeas, using more or less chili pepper flakes (or substituting aleppo pepper), depending on your taste for spice.

Flatbread with Tomatoes, Chickpeas and Yogurt Sauce
Adapted from recipe for Falafel-Spiced Tomatoes and Chickpeas on Flatbread by Joshua McFadden of Ava Gene's, Bon Appétit, August 2015

Makes 4 topped flatbreads

1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground sumac
1/2 tsp. red chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning to taste
3 heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced (shoot for between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch)
15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 small shallot, thinly sliced (shoot for an 1/8 inch or thinner)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus extra
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
3/4 cup nonfat plain or Greek yogurt (the original recipe calls for plain, but I used Greek)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
Hot sauce (optional)

1. Combine garlic powder, sumac, chili pepper flakes, coriander, cumin and salt in a small bowl. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or Silpat. Spread the tomatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with the spice mixture and set aside for 30 to 60 minutes while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

2. Combine the chickpeas and vinegar in a medium-size bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Mash with a fork until about half of the chickpeas are smashed. Stir in the sliced shallot, parsley and olive oil and set aside.

3. Combine the cucumber, yogurt and mint in a medium-size bowl and season with hot sauce (if desired), salt and pepper.

4. Assemble the flatbreads: place a flatbread on a plate. Spread about 1/4 of the yogurt sauce on the bread, then top with about 1/4 of the semi-mashed chickpeas and layer on about 1/4 of the sliced tomatoes. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and more salt and pepper, as desired. Serve room temperature either whole or sliced into wedges sprinkled with some additional parsley.

Loaded Quinoa Bowl

If you live in Washington, D.C., I hope you've gotten to try Beefsteak, José Andrés' vegetable-focused fast-casual restaurant located on the George Washington University campus. Shortly after I visited it a few months ago, I was inspired to make a sugar snap pea salad. More recently, after seeing Andrés quinoa bowl recipe in Food & Wine magazine, I was inspired again to revisit the Beefsteak approach.

What I like about the Vegetable Quinoa Bowls with Garlic Yogurt recipe is the combination of lightly cooked and raw ingredients tossed together with a grain (or seed, in this case, since the base is quinoa). I used a similar combination of ingredients but added a few of my own and left out the lettuce and garlic yogurt--my bowl had enough going on with the honey-lemon dressing.

I also used a combination of white and red quinoa--mostly because I had just a little bit of red left in a bag I wanted to use up--but I like the resulting color contrast. Feel free to use just one color.

Loaded Quinoa Bowl
Inspired by Vegetable Quinoa Bowls with Garlic Yogurt by José Andrés, Food & Wine

Kale chips:
12 kale leaves, thin part removed from stem (stems discarded) and torn into 2-inch pieces
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Seasoned salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

Quinoa:
3/4 cups white or red (or a mix) quinoa, rinsed (it's okay if it's still a little damp from rinsing; it will dry out quickly in the hot pan)
1 cup water

Cooked ingredients:
1/2 lb. green beans, ends trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 zucchini, cut into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices

Raw ingredients:
1 beefsteak tomato, cut into 1/4-inch thick pieces
1 cucumber, partially peeled, seeded and sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
1 avocado, peeled, seed removed and sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
2 tbsp. unsalted toasted pumpkin seeds

Dressing:
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. honey (substitute agave nectar to make the recipe vegan)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Roast the kale chips: Preheat oven to 250 F. Spread kale leaves evenly across two baking sheets. Toss or spray with olive oil. Season with seasoned salt and pepper. Bake until dried and wilted, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. Cook the quinoa: Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and toast, stirring frequently, until the quinoa is fragrant and makes a popping sound almost continuously, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the seeds are just tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pan to sit covered for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Cooked ingredients: Bring a medium saucepan half-filled with water to boil. Add the green beans and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water to cool and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and zucchini, and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes.

4. Combine ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the kale chips, quinoa, green beans, onion, garlic, zucchini, tomato, cucumber, avocado in  large bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the vegetable-grain mixture. Toss to combine. Serve in large bowls.

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Crunchy Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Fettuccine with Fresh Tomatoes, Zucchini and Sausage

If you shop farmers markets, you know that the most exciting time of the market-year has arrived. Summer is when farmers markets get into full-swing, flush with beautiful summer produce--greens, zucchini (of all colors), tomatoes, peppers, herbs and much, much more.

A simple pasta sauce is a wonderful way to savor these summer vegetables. For this dish, I've used tomatoes, zucchini, red bell pepper, onion and fresh oregano and basil, along with chicken sausage, for a satisfying fettuccine dish. It comes together quickly, making a great mid-week meal.

Fettuccine with Fresh Tomatoes, Zucchini and Sausage

1 lb. dried fettuccine noodles
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. mild Italian chicken sausage, casings removed
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 zucchini, cut into coins
1 red bell pepper, diced
Seasoned salt, to taste
Generous pinch of red chili pepper flakes
3-4 large tomatoes, diced
6 oz. can tomato paste
3/4 cup dry white wine (Columbia Crest H3 chardonnay)
Dash of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. fresh chopped oregano
1/4 cup fresh copped basil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, at table

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package direction for al dente. Drain pasta and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned and cooked through, breaking up with a wooden spoon. When finished, transfer to a cutting board and chop the sausage a bit smaller. Set aside.

3. Add the onion, garlic, zucchini and red pepper to the skillet. Season with seasoned salt and a pinch of red chili pepper flakes. Sauté until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, white wine, nutmeg and water, and increase heat to medium-high to bring the mixture to a rigorous bubble. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in the fresh oregano and basil and freshly ground black pepper, then add the pasta and toss with the sauce to coat evenly.

4. Serve pasta in shallow bowls with grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese at the table.