Pasta Noms!
Last week my loyal laptop started acting really squirrely, it would obnoxiously beep instead of rebooting properly, and the monitor would do this extremely disconcerting flicker-shimmy. After failing to fix it with a bevy of safe reboots, I dragged the ungrateful metal clam to the nearest Apple repair shop to receive some R&R. Obviously, this separation has cut into my blogging, however, Andrew, boyfriend of the universe, has giving me unlimited access to his laptop so I can carry on as usual. To continue the giving karma and to cut down on my self indulgent rambling, I’m sharing the recipe of a delightful pasta concoction that I recently came up with. It’s very easy to make, super delish, and reheats wonderfully.
Linguini with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
serves 4 people
The stuff:
1 container of cherry tomatoes (or about two large hand fulls)
olive oil
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
kosher salt
pepper
about 5 sprigs fresh sage
1 lb linguini (I use whole wheat linguini, but it’s just as good with conventional semolina pasta)
1 teaspoons garlic powder
8 large cloves of garlic, minced, or crushed in a garlic press
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
about 2 oz goat cheese gently crumbled
a bunch of fresh basil chopped
The plan:
First preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash the tomatoes and dry them with a clean tea towel. In a small shallow baking pan toss the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Tuck the sage sprig among the tomatoes, then pop them into the oven and roast them for about 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to collapse and burst. While the tomatoes roast, bring the salted pasta water to a boil, and heat 5 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. 
When the oil is shimmering, add 6 cloves worth of the garlic, and the cook while stirring until the garlic is a light golden color. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon of red pepper, remaining 2 cloves of garlic, the lemon juice, and salt&pepper to taste. Add the linguini to the boiling water and cook until al dente, reserve 1/4 cup pasta cooking water before draining. Mix the warm drained linguini with the garlic oil mixture, goat cheese crumbles, and basil; add the pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, if it seems a little dry.
Serve immediately, preferably with a cute tiny can of sparklingly wine.
