Penne with Roasted Tomatoes and Fresh Ricotta

I just LOVE this recipe. It is simple and fast and so so so delicious. You can serve it hot or cool - it is completely flexible and agreeable. The one thing you absolutely MUST do is have is fresh and wonderful everything. Okay, the pasta can come out of a box, but the rest of it? Must be fresh. The little bits of lemon peel that you see on the top? Shaved off the lemon 2 minutes before the plate hit the table. The tomatoes? I had a whole dish of these babies....

I ate the green and the yellow ones, but the red ones got roasted with some fresh thyme and some fantastic olive oil. A good olive oil can make your whole life better.

And then we come to the ricotta. Now, before you read the rest of this post, please know that fresh ricotta is readily available in many places, including Whole Foods. And if you really must, you CAN use supermarket variety ricotta in this dish. But I had some extra time on my hands this weekend and I do love a challenge, and so yes, I did. I made my own ricotta.

And before you get all impressed with me, I have to confess that the hardest part of the whole ricotta-making process was taking that picture with the drip coming out of the cheesecloth bundle at exactly the right time. The rest of the ricotta-making process? Ridiculously easy. Ridiculously fast. And ridiculously delicious. I am never buying ricotta again. I mean, just look at it.

Isn't it beautiful? I am ridiculously proud of myself. If you are so inspired, you can get the recipe here. Salt it lightly and let it drain for only 5 to 10 minutes if you (like me) like your ricotta creamy. Or, just run to Whole Foods and buy some...but I promise you that making your own is actually a snap.

Anyway, whatever way you get your fresh ricotta, this recipe is lovely and easy and feels like spring. You roast up some cut up cherry tomatoes that are tossed with olive oil and fresh thyme. While the tomatoes are roasting, cook the penne until it is al dente, and then stir in just enough olive oil to keep it from sticking. Spoon it into bowls and top with some of the tomatoes, a few spoonfuls of the ricotta, some freshly grated lemon peel, a little coarse salt and a grinding of fresh pepper. That's it! It's also lovely at room temperature -- just let the pasta cool off for a little while after you add the olive oil and then proceed with the rest of it.




Happy spring, everyone.

Penne with Roasted Tomatoes and Fresh Ricotta, from Real Simple

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 pound penne, cooked according to the package directions
• 1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta
• zest of 1 lemon

1. Preheat oven to 425º F. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; season with the salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Scatter the thyme on top. Place in oven and bake until the tomatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Divide the cooled pasta among 6 large bowls. Spoon some the ricotta over each serving. Top with some of the tomatoes and thyme sprigs. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with lemon zest and pepper to taste just before serving.

Click here for printable recipe

Penne di Parma

Now, I do love all my wonderful cookbooks. The Silver Palate Cookbook. Cold Weather Cooking by Sarah Chase. There's A Chef in My Soup by Emeril Lagasse. My current favorite, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. And my all-time favorite, The New Best Recipe by the genius cooks at Cooks Illustrated. But truth be told, I am also a big fan of what I call "back of the box" recipes. I am forever turning boxes and bags and jars over to see what the recipe possibilities are, because pretty much anything edible and in a package these days has a recipe that goes with it. And sometimes they are pretty dang good.

That's where I got this lovely penne recipe from. I had some prosciutto left over from one of my favorite quick appetizer dishes (take a chunk of fresh pineapple, wrap it in some thin prosciutto, spear it with a toothpick, put on a pretty plate, repeat 25 times, instant elegant appetizer!) and I was trolling around for something to make with it. And then I remembered that I had cut this recipe out of the back of the Ronzoni penne box. Yes! Now me being me, I did mess with it a little. It called for mushrooms, and since mushrooms and I do not get along I substituted peas. It wanted me to put the prosciutto in early on in the recipe, and since I know from sad experience that if you put prosciutto (or bacon) into recipes too early, it loses some of its nice salty punch....so I changed that too. If you want to try the original version of this recipe, click here and type "penne di parma" in the keyword search box. But if you want my adjusted version, it's here for you below. And if you want to try it but don't have any leftover prosciutto hanging around, you can use bacon and it will work perfectly well. I've found that his is true for most things in life...bacon will work perfectly well for whatever you need. Think about it -- it's true, right?

PENNE DI PARMA, adapted from the back of the Ronzoni penne box.

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups peas
3/4 cup (about 2 oz.) prosciutto, sliced into thin strips*
1 cup milk
1/2 cup light cream
2-2/3 cups (8 oz.) RONZONI PENNE RIGATE, uncooked
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. In large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add garlic. Cook for 1 minute.

2. Add milk and cream; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, uncovered, until mixture is reduced by half, about 6 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Remove sauce from heat; add peas, prosciutto, 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and parsley.

4. Toss hot pasta and sauce; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

*Or substitute bacon or thinly sliced smoked ham.

Click here for printable recipe