Spaghetti with Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

yikes, too bright.

Okay, the pictures for this recipe are kind of weird. The truth of the matter is that I have no idea how to take pictures. Everything I know about photography I learned by trial and error and a 2 minute, exasperated lesson once attempted by a friend who got fed up with my utter lack of basic photographic knowledge. Taking pictures of food is one of those skills I wish I could just be blessed with without having to put in the necessary grunt work of “learning” and “understanding.” I don’t learn well by reading. I get fidgety and antsy and the technical stuff makes my eyes glaze over. My solution has been to fly by the seat of my pants; point, shoot, look, adjust the aperture, point, shoot, hope for the best. Seriously. That is how I take every picture you see on this blog.

Sometimes, this works out okay for me. The secret to any of the halfway decent looking pictures on this site is my lens. The same frustrated would-be photo instructor advised me a while back that I needed a good macro lens. I got one and suddenly my creepy, congealed, shadowy risottos were looking steaming, colorful and bokeh-riffic. A lens can only take you so far though. I think it’s time for me to invest in a class or two with a real teacher who is used to teaching numbskulls like myself what all those weird looking buttons and knobs do. In the meantime, I will keep doing my best to show you the food I cook while attempting to keep the grease/cheese/cornstarch off my camera. It sounds easier than it is.

out of focus/too dark

This recipe is so quick and easy it’s a joke but it also happens to be spectacular and a great way to use up not-so-tasty cherry or grape tomatoes or those that are inching past their prime. Oven-roasting tomatoes brings out their fruitiness and sweetness while garlic, balsamic and goat cheese turn a handful of tomatoes into a rich, complex and creamy sauce. With only a few ingredients and a very minimal investment of time, you have a perfect summer supper.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 Tbsp garlic infused olive oil
- 1 small clove garlic, thinly sliced
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 tsp good balsamic vinegar
- 2-3 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese (I used Mitica Cana de Cabra, a tangy, slightly sour, super creamy spanish cheese that I am currently obsessed with)

- 8-10 oz dried spaghetti

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 F

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

flashy!

Toss halved tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and vinegar together in a bowl then spread evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Place the sheet in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.

While tomatoes are roasting, prepare your preferred spaghetti of choice (I’ll say it again, mine is Ancient Harvest Corn/Quinoa blend) according to the specifications on the package.

I don't even know...

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and immediately toss them with pasta and goat cheese until the cheese has melted and formed a sauce with the tomatoes and their juices.

jesus, this cheese looks menacing

Inhale. Rejoice.

at least it tastes good!