Garlic & rosemary roast late-tomato spaghetti with breadcrumbs & ricotta

This simple pasta dish is a celebration of the last of the summer’s tomatoes, by now so ripe and juicy that they make the most wonderful lazy pasta sauce when roasted in olive oil with rosemary, for not as long as you might expect. I discovered this method a couple of years ago after buying a huge crate of bulgingly ripe late-summer toms. It’s still delicious without the anchovy crumb, but it does add another irresistible texture.

SERVES 2 PREP 15 mins COOK 55 mins EASY V

400g late-summer tomatoes, halved and chopped 100ml extra virgin olive oil 3 large rosemary sprigs

1 bay leaf

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 banana shallots, finely sliced 200g long pasta (I like spaghetti, linguine or bucatini for this) 50g ricotta For the anchovy chilli breadcrumbs 80g stale sourdough

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 anchovies in olive oil

1 lemon, zested pinch dried red chilli flakes

1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the tomatoes with the oil, rosemary, bay, garlic and shallots in a roasting tray. Season well and roast for 30-45 mins, until the tomatoes are soft, concentrated and spilling their seeds and juices into the olive oil (cover with foil if browning too much). Discard the bay leaf and rosemary.

2 While the tomatoes are roasting, make the breadcrumbs, if using. Blitz the stale bread in a food processor. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat, then add the anchovies and cook until dissolved into the oil – a couple of mins. Add the lemon zest and chilli flakes and stir to infuse the oil, then add the breadcrumbs and fry, stirring to make sure they don’t catch,

until crisp, deeply golden and dry (4-5 mins). Set aside.

3 Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, well-salted water, until al dente. Drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water (I put a cup in the sink to catch the water as I drain). Place the roasting tray over a low-medium heat on the hob, pour the pasta into the tomatoes and oil, along with a generous slug of the pasta water. Cook for a couple more mins, tossing to coat in the oil and juices, and shaking the tray. Divide between warm bowls and top with spoonfuls of ricotta and the anchovy crumbs.

GOOD TO KNOW fibre • vit c • iron • 1 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 1,187 kcals • fat 72g • saturates 12g • carbs 106g • sugars 11g • fibre 9g • protein 23g • salt 1.5g