Tomato and ricotta pasta

with fresh or tinned tomatoes

I have this dish a few times with the tomatoes from a can or fresh ones so here are the pictures of both ways.

Feeds 4

Olive oil, 1/4 cup

Onion, 1

Salt, big pinch

Garlic cloves, 3

Tomatoes, 2 cans

Basil leaves, 6

Anchovies, 2

Ricotta, 1 1/2 cups

Pasta, 500g dry or equiv. fresh

Parmesan and chilli flakes to serve

Finely chop the onion and put in a saucepan with the olive oil and a big pinch of salt and cook on low until soft and translucent. Add the cans of cherry tomatoes and the garlic cloves, you can leave their skins on.

Simmer for about 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the garlic cloves are soft. Squeeze the garlic skins from their skins and discard the skins. Blend the sauce with the garlic, basil leaves and anchovies until smooth then transfer back to the saucepan.

Add the ricotta cheese and stir until combined. Simmer gently while you cook the pasta.

Cook the pasta in a pot of salty water and then drain, but save 1/2 a cup of cooking water. Add the pasta and water back to the saucepan with the tomato sauce and stir through.

Serve with grated parmesan and chilli if you like.

Note:

If you would like to use fresh tomatoes you can use about 8 medium and 2 punnets of cherry. Put them on a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil, a big pinch of salt and the garlic cloves, you could also cook a whole unpeeled onion on the tray too if you want.

Heat oven to 150C or 130C with a fan and roast for about 40 minutes or until they begin to collapse and have some colour. Squeeze the garlic (and onion if you are using) from the skin and then when the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, blend them into a puree with a few fresh basil leaves and the anchovies.