Martin's Random Cookery: Sexy Pasta

Sexy Pasta

Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables with Pasta.

A few years ago, I wanted to make the most of actually having an oven (we had lived several years without). I experimented with an Italian theme and 'rustic' chunky chopped veg. Once the first attempt was cooked and served with a little pasta, my fiancée dubbed it 'Sexy Pasta'.

I'm going to share this with you but, you can modify it for your own taste and quantity.

You'll need;

Mushrooms (I prefer white mushrooms but, Chestnut mushrooms work if you'd like)

Baby Plum Tomatoes (any small tomato variety will work)

Peppers (Red and Green are essential but, Yellow adds extra colour)

Red Onion (the type onion is your choice)

Courgette

Garlic

Mozzarella cheese

Fresh Basil and Parsley

Dried Herbs: Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Chives.

Rock or Sea Salt

Pepper (Black or Mixed)

Pasta (I prefer Penne and my fiancée likes Fusilli)

Tomato Purée

Garlic Purée

Stock Cube (I use chicken)

Olive Oil

Parmegiano Reggiano (or other strong hard cheese)

What to do;

First, preheat your oven to around 200°C while you chop your veg. In a roasting dish, chuck in your tomatoes (as many as you like), and your mushrooms. Slice your mushrooms in half or into quarters depending on their size. Chop your onion into good sized chunks and add to the roasting dish. Finely chop some garlic (one or two cloves) and add to the rest of the veg. Chop your peppers into good sized chunks too and add them in. And now for your courgette, slice in half, right down the middle and then slice as thick as you like, baring in mind they are to cover all the other veg. Season with salt, pepper and the dried herbs, drizzle some olive oil then, pop in the oven for around 20 minutes, until the skin on the tomatoes cracks.

In a saucepan, pour in some water and the stock cube, a pinch of salt, pepper, dried herbs and pasta and a few drops of olive oil . Gently boil until the pasta is almost cooked, adding some tomato purée and garlic purée and finely chopped parsley half way through.

The veg is now ready for the fresh basil, simply cover the veg entirely with whole basil leaves, drizzle a little olive oil over it and return to the oven. Next, slice your mozzarella. Once mozzarella is sliced, get the roasting dish out of the oven and place the mozzarella over the top and add some grated hard cheese and return to oven (again) until the cheese starts to brown.