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1
For the oven-dried tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Slice the tomatoes lengthwise and place cut side up on baking sheets. Combine the salt and sugar and sprinkle about 1/2 tsp over each tomato. Place in the oven and cook slowly for 10 hours (you can always put them in before you go to bed!). Allow to cool, then refrigerate.
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2
For the basic tomato sauce: In a 3 quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrots. Cook until the carrot is quite soft, about 5 minutes.
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3
Add the canned tomatoes, with their juice, and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer until as thick as hot cereal, about 30 minutes. Season with salt.
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4
For the pasta: Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot with 1 tblsp of salt. Set up an ice bath next to the stove. Blanch 1 cup of spinach in the water for 45 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge immediately into the ice bath. Leave in bath for two minutes. Remove and squeeze out the liquid as much as possible with your hand. Drain it more in a kitchen towel, removing as much moisture as possible. Chop it very finely. Combine with eggs in a small bowl and stir until as smooth as possible.
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5
Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden board. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the egg mixture. Then begin to incorporate the flour into the eggs starting with the rim. As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape (even if messy). When half of the flour is incorporated, the dough will begin to come together. Start kneading the dough with the palm of your hands. Once the dough is a cohesive mass, set it aside and scrape up and discard any dried bits of dough. Then lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 10 minutes. 10 minutes is absolutely necessary although it seems like a long time. The dough will seem too dry, but keep kneading and eventually it will be elastic and sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
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6
The Main Dish-- finally!: Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tblsp. salt. Meanwhile divide the pasta dough into 4 pieces. Roll each one out through the thinnest setting on your pasta maker. Lay pieces on a floured work surface. Cut them into similar sized irregularly shaped 3-4 inch pieces. Cover with slightly dampened kitchen towels.
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7
Put 1 & 1/2 cups of the basic tomato sauce in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a 10-12 inch saute pan and bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and set aside. Dice 1/2 cup of the oven-dried tomatoes and add them to the tomato sauce.
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8
In a food processor, blend the mascarpone and black pepper until well mixed and smooth. Set aside.
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9
Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender. 1-2 minutes. Drain. Ad the pasta to the pan with the tomato mixture, return to medium heat and toss until hot, about 1 minute. Add the basil and toss again. Divide among warm serving dishes and dollop the tops with 1 tblsp of mascarpone.
