Pasta with Charred Tomatoes, Burrata and Rosemary Oil GUEST BLOG

Guest Blog from my sister-in-law Andrea --she raved about how good it was and went great with the rigatoni --can't wait to try it myself!

For the Rosemary Oil:

½ cup olive oil

6 rosemary sprigs

For the Charred Tomato Sauce:

¼ cup olive oil, divided

½ (6 ounces) yellow onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1½ tablespoons light brown sugar

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 pound heirloom tomatoes, diced

1½ pounds heirloom cherry tomatoes

For Assembly:

1 pound angel-hair pasta

Charred tomato sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

8 ounces burrata, sliced into 1-inch pieces

Rosemary oil, for drizzling

Fried rosemary leaves, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the rosemary oil: In a small saucepan, add the olive oil and rosemary, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the rosemary to steep as the oil cools to room temperature. Strain and reserve the oil. Save a few fried rosemary leaves for garnish.

2. Make the charred tomato sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat until translucent, 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, brown sugar and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook until the tomato paste starts to separate and caramelizes, 7 minutes. Add the diced heirloom tomatoes and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes begin to break down, 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large cast-iron skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook, rolling every 2 to 3 minutes, until completely charred, 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce to the skillet and stir to coat.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the angel-hair pasta until al dente, 4 to 5 minutes. Strain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Add the pastato the skillet of sauce with the reserved cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a platter. Scatter the burrata over top, then drizzle with rosemary oil, garnish with a few fried rosemary leaves and serve.