Oven-Roasted Heirloom Tomato Rigatoni

Chef Eric Martinez’s simple but elegant pasta dish is a celebration of seasonal tomatoes, concentrating the flavors with oven-roasting and simmering it down to a jam-like consistency with baby kale, thyme and garlic. Using Barilla Frozen Rigatoni ensures perfect al dente texture and a quick pickup to a room service guest or hungry patron at the lobby bar. 

2 lbs heirloom vine tomatoes
Sea salt and black pepper, as needed
4 ea garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 fresh bay leaves
5 fresh thyme sprigs
3 oz red wine vinegar
4 oz baby kale
24 oz Barilla Rigatoni, IQF
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
4 oz ricotta salata cheese
Instructions

Blanching method:

  1. Thaw/Slack pasta on sheet trays in a single layer for at least 1 hour
  2. Add pasta to boiling salted water and blanch for 45 seconds
  3. Drain pasta and combine with sauce

NOTE:

If cooking for immediate service add 30 seconds additional cook time

Sauce method (64oz sauce 64oz pasta):

  1. Thaw/Slack pasta on sheet trays in a single layer for at least 1 hour
  2. Bring your sauce to a simmer and add 1 cup of water for every 32oz of sauce
  3. Add the slacked pasta and cook for 2 minutes and 30 seconds in the simmering sauce

Impinger oven (set to 500°F):

7″ round aluminum tin

  1. Thaw/Slack pasta on sheet trays in a single layer for at least 1 hour
  2. Combine 4 oz pasta with 8 oz sauce
  3. Add the contents to a 7″ round aluminum tin

4. Cook covered for 9 min (1.5x through the oven)

9″ round aluminum tin

  1. Thaw/Slack pasta on sheet trays in a single layer for at least 1 hour
  2. Combine 6 oz pasta with 12 oz sauce
  3. Add the contents to a 7″ round aluminum tin
  4. Cook covered for 9 min (1.5x through the oven)

Steamer Method:

Full hotel pan (2 inch deep )

  1. Thaw/Slack pasta on sheet trays in a single layer for at least 1 hour
  2. Combine 40 oz of pasta and 80 of sauce in full hotel pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil
  3. Steam for 17 minutes on full steam

Half pan (2 inch deep)

  1. Thaw/Slack pasta on sheet trays in a single layer for at least 1 hour
  2. Combine 20 oz of pasta and 40 of sauce in a half hotel pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil
  3. Steam for 17 minutes on full steam

Microwave Method:

  1. Thaw/Slack the pasta on sheet trays in a single later for at least 1 hour
  2. Add 7 oz of pasta and 7 oz of sauce a long with 1/4 cup of water and mix.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 2 minutes
  4. Remove from microwave and carefully uncover, stir then cover again.
  5. Microwave on high for an additional 1 minute.
  6. Remove from microwave and transfer to serving dish or delivery packaging
  1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF and put the whole tomatoes on a large baking tray, and season with sea salt and black pepper. Scatter over the unpeeled garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves, then transfer to the oven and roast for 25 minutes, or until the tomato skins are burnished and split.
  2. Let the tomatoes cool for a minute or two, then pull them off the vines and place in a frying pan with the red wine vinegar, a pinch more salt and pepper, and the baby kale.
  3. Squeeze the garlic into the pan, discarding the skins. Squash with a spoon and simmer for 15 minutes, or until you have a thick, strawberry-red sauce with an almost creamy consistency. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and bay.
  4. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water.
  5. Toss the pasta into the sauce, loosening with a little reserved cooking water, if needed.
  6. Drizzle over a good lug of extra-virgin olive oil and finely grate over the ricotta.

Chef Notes:

This dish is meant to be versatile. Although it’s vegetarian, it can be whatever you make of it. Let your imagination run with this dish.