Ingredients:
For the pasta
- 4 oz cork-screw pasta (or any other pasta)
- 8 oz asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 medium red bell pepper cut into thin slices
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- cooking spray
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- generous 1/2 cup cherry tomato halved
- 1/2 cup black olives
- salt to taste
For the sauce
- 2 medium sized ripe tomatoes (tomato on the vine)
- extra virgin olive oil for tomatoes
- 6-7 sun dried tomato halves (not the oil packed)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 teaspoon basil paste
- salt to taste
Method:
To make the pasta dish
- Cook pasta and drain and keep aside
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray cooking oil to a cookie sheet. Arrange all the cut vegetables except cherry tomatoes on the cookie sheet in one layer. Spray oil and roast for about 25 -30 minutes
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add cherry tomatoes and saute for about a minute or two
- Add all the roasted vegetables, black olives, and pasta to the skillet and mix well.
- Slowly add the sauce and mix and cook on very low flame for a minute or two. Season with salt
- Serve warm. If needed sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.
To make the sauce:
- Cut tomatoes into half and brush brush with extra virgin olive oil.
- Place cut side down on a cookie sheet and roast on a preheated oven (400 F) for about 20 minutes. Let cool
- Peel the roasted tomatoes and cut into chunks. Add all the sauce ingredients to a food processor and puree until smooth. If the sauce is too thick to puree, add a little bit water or extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt
Yields: 2 main dishes
Source: Chelvi’s original dish
