Bucatini with Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Garlic, Chiles and Bottarga

Serves 4

You cannot get any closer to a southern Italian summer than cooking up this simple pasta. Drying tomatoes in salt concentrates their flavors, but you could also do this dish with a handful of fresh cherry tomatoes for a sweeter effect.

ingredients

Kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes
2 cups oven-dried tomatoes (page 86), each tomato cut into thirds
12 ounces bucatini
1-ounce piece bottarga (page 74) for grating

directions

1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
2
Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and chile flakes and sweat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until the garlic has softened. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes have plumped up. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed, keeping in mind that the tomatoes are seasoned and the bottarga is salty, so you need to proceed cautiously.
3
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for about 1 minute less than specified on the package. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water, and return the pasta to the large pot over medium heat. Add the sauce to the pasta along with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and toss well, adding some of the reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. If the sauce is too loose, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook down the sauce with the pasta. It should be loose enough to barely pool at the bottom of the pot, but not too watery. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed.
4
Serve the pasta in a warmed large bowl, family style. Grate the bottarga over the top to finish and serve immediately.