Smoky Confit Tomato and Lemon Pasta

Name: Smoky Confit Tomato and Lemon Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 2½ pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1½-inch pieces (or left whole, if bite-size); 1 1/4 cups olive oil; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 lemons, zest peeled into strips, avoiding the white pith (save the juice for another use); 2 cinnamon sticks; 2 small dried ancho chiles; 1 head garlic, top 1/2 inch of the bulbs removed; 10 fresh oregano sprigs, plus 1 sprig extra to serve; Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 pound rigatoni pasta (or another similar shape)

By Yotam Ottolenghi

Updated Aug. 1, 2024

Smoky Confit Tomato and Lemon Pasta — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggerio. Prop Stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas.

Total Time: About 1 hour
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4(237)
Comments: Read comments

This tomato pasta is a testament to simplicity: Just toss all the sauce ingredients into a roasting pan and let the oven — and pool of olive oil — gently simmer and “confit” the rest while you prepare your pasta. The stars of this dish are the ancho chile, slowly releasing a subtle smoky spice as it softens in the oil, and the strips of lemon peel, which sweeten as they cook. Heirloom tomatoes add wonderful fragrance and variety, as some break down into the sauce while others remain firm, adding textural contrast. This recipe is incredibly versatile: Swap the ancho chile for a long red chile and a teaspoon of smoked paprika, for example, or use other types of tomatoes if they are easier to come by. Foolproof in method and bursting with flavor, this dish is a perfect addition to any midweek repertoire.

Featured in: The Most Important Seasoning After Salt and Pepper

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

2½ pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1½-inch pieces (or left whole, if bite-size)
1¼cups olive oil
2tablespoons tomato paste
2lemons, zest peeled into strips, avoiding the white pith (save the juice for another use)
2cinnamon sticks
2small dried ancho chiles
1head garlic, top ½ inch of the bulbs removed
10fresh oregano sprigs, plus 1 sprig extra to serve
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1pound rigatoni pasta (or another similar shape)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Step 2
In a large (about 11-by-15-inch) roasting pan, add all the ingredients except for the pasta, and season with 1½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spread into an even layer, with the head of garlic facing cut-side down. Nestle the ancho chiles under the tomatoes, tearing in half if necessary to immerse them, then roast the mixture for 35 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender and lightly charred. Use tongs to squeeze the garlic cloves into the pan, discarding the papery skins. Remove and finely chop the ancho chiles, then return to the pan, discarding the stems.
Step 3
While the tomato confit roasts, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta a few minutes before the tomatoes have finished cooking, and cook as per packet instructions. Reserve ⅓ cup of the pasta water, then strain the pasta. Add the pasta to the roasting pan and gently stir to combine until the pasta has absorbed any cooking liquid from the pan. Add some pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the sauce clings nicely to the pasta.
Step 4
Discard the cinnamon sticks and serve straight from the pan, with the extra oregano sprinkled on top.

Ratings

4 out of 5

237 user ratings

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Comments

Gianni11 months ago

This looks fantastic, but I am a little confused: Should I add the whole lemon into the pan? Or just the strips?

erg11 months ago

Lemon or Zest: The following quote is from the NYT article that accompanied this recipe (July 18, 2024): “Today’s recipe sticks to only that zest, because tomatoes normally have enough acidity in them to give my pasta a nice sharpness. But extra juice would definitely not hurt, particularly if your tomatoes are extra sweet.” So, zest only. But the comments are right - the instructions in the recipe are unclear and the editor should revise the text regarding the lemon ingredient.

Glenn11 months ago

I made this last night, and the dish was very flavorful. However, it was also VERY oily. If I made it again, I would use perhaps half the amount of olive oil indicated.

Dusty Freund1 week ago

I like the sauce but for me it was soupy. Next time I’ll try halving the oil and replacing the remainder liquid with water, bringing it to a boil on the stove top and cooking it in a 300 degree oven for longer. I don’t know. We’ll see.

Caroline1 month ago

To answer the lemon question, I peeled strips of zest off the entire lemon, then cut the actual fruit in half and placed one half cut-side down in the center of the baking dish. Having no ancho chiles, I doubled the tomato paste and used chili powder! Oregano? Dried from a bottle. Ditto with a sprinkling of cinnamon powder because I couldn’t find the sticks I swear I have somewhere. Instead of olive oil, I chopped up a good 10 ounces of raw bacon and sprinkled it over the tomatoes. Did it work? Yes! Delicious. Very forgiving recipe. You can wing it. Oh—and I didn’t save enough pasta water, so I used half-and-half to loosen the sauce. I know, I know—it’s hardly the original recipe, but it was great. I love recipes that are so forgiving with substitutions.

Stephen Hall1 month ago

This was very tasty, and I would make it again. I omitted the chilli and added some smoked paprika, used half the oil and doubled the garlic.

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