When I visited Sagra Trattoria in Austin with my friend, photographer Jeff Stockton, Chef Gabriel Pellegrini whipped up a simple, yet incredibly delicious dish he called Roasted Tomato Spaghettata.

He told me, “The idea behind a Spaghettata is that you are supposed to be able to make the entire dish and set the table before the pasta is cooked. This recipe is a good way to practice your timing while cooking because there are very few ingredients.”

If Jeff and I hadn’t been crowding around him — me trying to record every sizzle and Jeff shooting great photographs — he could have had the dish completed in about 5 minutes. As it was — it took all of 10.

Roasted Tomato Spaghettata, Photo: Jeff Stockton

Roasted Tomato Spaghettata

Serves 2
Prep time 15 min

Ingredients

• 8  ripe tomatoes (paste style work best, Roma, San Marzano, Yellow Taxis, Orange banana etc.)
• 2  T    Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 T butter
• 2  cloves garlic
• 2 t fresh lemon thyme
• 4 oz dry pasta (6 to 8 oz fresh)
• kosher or sea salt and pepper to taste
• Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preparation

1. Start pot of salted water to cook the pasta. As the water is coming to a boil toss tomato’s with 1 T extra virgin olive oil(reserving remainder of oil for sauce).
2. Place the tomatoes in oven safe pan and cook tomatoes under high heat until skins blister and become easy to remove. Tomatoes can be cooked under broiler, on grill or even in toaster oven set to high.
3. Set the Table.
4. The pasta water should be boiling by now. Check pasta water for seasoning (should taste like soup).
5. Place pasta in water.
6. Heat remaining olive oil in pan being careful not to allow oil to get to hot.
7. Thinly slice garlic and add to the pan containing olive oil.
8. When the garlic becomes translucent, add butter, roasted tomatoes and fresh thyme.
9. Crush tomatoes until they reach the desired consistency.
10. Check sauce for seasoning.
11. Drain pasta reserving some of the pasta water if the sauce consistency needs to be adjusted.
12. Toss pasta and sauce together, garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano.