While I adore Paris, for its culture and beauty, if my stomach is ever allowed to choose a destination it will always choose Italy. Jeremy and I dined at numerous places all over Italy in the summer of 2009, but my favorite places to eat were in Siena and The Cinque Terre. It was in Siena that I learned to love tomatoes. It was in Siena that I tasted wild boar. It was in Siena that I had pici. While in Siena, one of the best places I ate was Osteria Il Campaccio.
An osteria is a small establishment that caters to regular customers and serves local food. These are the types of places I like to eat while traveling; the food is for the locals which means it’s consistently delicious and offers a genuine experience. At Osteria Il Campaccio, I had this meal – cheese ravioli with roasted tomatoes.
It looks so simple, but it was so good. I’ve recreated this meal with a twist for the Foodbuzz and Barilla contest. Barilla makes their tortellini in Parma, Italy, which adds an air of authenticity to everything. Unfortunately, Barilla tortellini isn’t available at any of my local grocery stores, so I had to use store brand. I’d suggest enjoying a bottle of Montepulciano because it’s fun to say and drink.
| Roasted Tomatoes and Tortellini |
- Barilla spinach and ricotta tortellini 3/4 of a bag
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic peeled
- cup olive oil
- Parmesan or Asiago cheese
- Kosher salt & cracked black pepper
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Toss tomatoes and garlic in a tablespoon or two of olive oil and a ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, spread them on a baking pan.
- Roast tomatoes in the oven for about 15 minutes, tossing after 7 minutes. When the tomatoes have finished roasting, they should be heated and plump.
- While tomatoes are roasting, prepare the pasta.
- Chop the roasted garlic and sauté it in the remaining olive oil on medium heat. Before the garlic begins to brown, remove from heat and add the tomatoes and pasta.
- Serve with a garnish of chopped basil, cracked black pepper, and cheese
