penne con pomodoro e capperi
This was served to us by Anna Tasca Lanza at her beautiful estate, Regaleali, in Sicily.
For 6
8 dry sun-dried tomatoes
1 kg ripe, organic yellow and red cherry tomatoes
4 tablespoons salted capers, prepared (see here)
400 g penne rigate
extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper
100 g ricotta salata, freshly grated
Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to reconstitute for 30 minutes. Cut the fresh tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds and any hard core. Do this over a sieve in a bowl to collect the juices. If the tomatoes are larger, cut them into quarters.
Put the drained sun-dried tomatoes, capers and 75–80 ml extra virgin olive oil in a food processor and pulse-chop to a rough purée. Place this purée in a large serving bowl and add half the tomato pieces, half the basil and enough of the tomato juice to liquefy. Stir to combine.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic slices until soft and lightly coloured. Season with salt and pepper, then add to the tomato mixture. Leave for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to blend, then heat.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, and cook the penne until al dente. Drain, keeping 2 ladles of cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce, and stir in as much of the cooking water as necessary to liquefy. Add the remaining tomatoes and basil, season and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve with the grated cheese.