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1
Set a rack in the middle of the oven, and heat to 375 .
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2
(If using a convection oven, which roasts the tomatoes well, set the thermostat to 350 .)
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Put the bread crumbs in a medium-sized bowl, and mix in the chopped capers, 1 tablespoon of chopped basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the peperoncino, oregano, and 1/3 cup of grated cheese.
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4
Drizzle 4 tablespoons of the olive oil over the crumbs, tossing to moisten and mix thoroughly.
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5
Rinse and dry the tomatoes, and slice them in half lengthwise.
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6
Oil the baking sheet lightly with a bit of the olive oil.
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Working over the bowl of bread crumbs, cover the cut side of each tomato half with a layer of the crumb mixturea tablespoon, more or less, depending on the size of the tomatoes.
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8
Compress the crumbs lightly so they stay on, and set the tomato (crumbs up) on the baking sheet.
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9
Use up all the crumbs, topping all the tomatoes equally.
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10
Separate the tomatoes as much as possible on the sheet, so all sides are exposed to the heat, drizzle a little more olive oil over each, and put the sheet in the oven.
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11
Now pour 4 more tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl, drop in the garlic slices, and let steepyoull use the infused oil for dressing the pasta.
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12
Roast the tomatoes for 30 minutes, or until the crumbs are nicely browned and the halves are slightly shriveled.
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13
Remove the sheet from the oven, and let the tomatoes cool for 15 minutes or so, then slice each one lengthwise, right through the crumbs, making two narrow wedges.
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14
If the tomatoes are fat, slice the roasted halves into three or four wedges that will be easy to toss with the pasta.
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15
With a wide spatula, loosen the cut tomatoes and slide them together on the sheet, so you can transfer them to the pasta bowl easily and quickly.
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16
Meanwhile, heat 6 quarts of water, with 1 tablespoon salt, to the boil in the large pot.
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17
Drop in the long fusilli, and cook until the strands are al dente, as you like to eat them.
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18
In this dish, the pasta does not cook longer with the dressing in a hot skillet: instead, the heat of the pasta cooks the dressing when theyre tossed in the bowl.
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19
Have the big bowl near the stove, and heat it with some boiling water from the pasta-cooking pot before the fusilli are done (remember to pour out the heating water).
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20
When the pasta is perfectly cooked, lift it out with tongs, drain off the moisture for a moment, and drop it into the warm bowl.
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21
Immediately scatter the garlic-infused olive oil (and the garlic slices) all over the pasta, and toss well.
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22
Slide all the wedges of roast tomato off the sheet and on top of the hot fusilli.
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23
Toss well to disperse the tomatoes and seasoned crumbs and dress all the pasta.
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24
Sprinkle the remaining chopped basil over it, and toss in.
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25
Finally, toss in the grated cheese and serve right away, in warm bowls.
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26
In Puglia, as in all the southern regions, a bowl of pasta is rarely served without a shower of local aged pecorino over the top.
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27
As a lover of sheeps-milk cheeses of almost every kind, I am especially happy when this shower falls from a block of Canestrato Pugliese, the regions most prized and flavorful pecorino.
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28
Produced in small quantity, Canestrato Pugliese is not as well known as Pecorino Romano genuine and Pecorino Toscano.
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29
But, like them, it is recognized as a culinary treasure of Italy, and has been granted the coveted status of Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC), which means its name, character, and quality are protected by law.
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30
Canestrato Pugliese is made only with milk from sheep grazing on Puglias lushest pastures, and hard-ripened to exacting specifications in reed baskets (canestri)which accounts both for the name and the distinctive pattern on the rind.
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31
Most important to me, it tastes marvelous, rich and complex, with nuances that somehow express the flavor of the land and the grasses from which it comes.
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32
In recent years, during which so many of Italys superb regional cheeses have become available in the States, Canestrato Pugliese has remained a treat to be enjoyed only when visiting Puglia.
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33
At last, though, I am happy to report, it is being imported on a regular basis.
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34
Thanks to the Internet (see Sources, page 340), you can now have a basket-patterned round of this rare and delightful cheese delivered to your door!
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35
For all the pastas in this chapterand wherever a hard, aged pecorino is listedCanestrato Pugliese will provide a truly special final flourish.
