Sunday, July 2, 2017

Umami redux

I recently watched the fourth episode of the third season of Chef's Table, which is a fabulous Netflix food series. That episode featured Ivan Orkin, a Jewish guy from Long Island (most Long Island line: "I’m sort of a go fuck yourself kind of guy.") who improbably took the Japanese ramen world by storm for 10 years before closing his noodle shops in Tokyo and moving back to New York to serve ramen there. Orkin talks in the episode about how life isn't worth living without umami. One of his innovations was using new, nontraditional sources of umami, like roasted tomatoes, to boost the savory flavor of his ramen. 

Which reminded me of this recipe, which we haven't had in a while but was a staple in summers past, before Mom was gluten free. I've incorporated the perfect method for making "boiled" corn, which I covered in the last episode. 



Penne with Roasted Tomatoes and Corn

Adapted from Cooking for Mr. Latte (2003) by Amanda Hesser

Time: 45 minutes

One of Mom's child-sized pieces of gluten-free bread from Trader Joe's makes the perfect amount of homemade bread crumbs. You can grind the bread and the cheese at the same time to save yourself some trouble.

1½ pounds cherry tomatoes, halved
⅓ cup (70 grams) extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1–2 tablespoons for tossing
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
25 grams (⅓ cup) coarse bread crumbs, preferably ground fresh using a NutriBullet or a food processor (see note)
35 grams (~⅓ cup) freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving (see note)
1 or 2 ears corn, husked; or 1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
1 to 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
1 pound penne

    1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line an 18-by-13-inch baking sheet with foil. Put 4 quarts of water on to boil in a large, covered stockpot.
    2. In a medium bowl, toss the tomato halves with the ⅓ cup oil. Scrape the tomatoes and the oil onto the baking sheet. Arrange the tomato halves in a single layer, cut side up. Season the tomatoes with kosher salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the bread crumbs and cheese. Bake until the tomatoes are soft and starting to caramelize around the edges, and the bread crumbs are browned, about 25 minutes or more. Watch carefully. Remove from the oven and set aside.
    3a. If using fresh corn: When the water boils, turn off the flame under the stockpot, add the corn, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the corn from the water (kitchen tongs work well here) and set aside for a few minutes. When the corn has cooled enough to handle, use a sharp chef's knife to cut the kernels off the cobs, then scrape the cobs with the back of the knife to get every last bit of corn goodness into the now-empty medium bowl. While the corn is cooling, bring the water back to a boil, add the fine sea salt, and stir to dissolve. Add the penne, and cook until al dente. Reserve a mugful of the cooking water.
    3b. If using canned corn: When the tomatoes have about 10 minutes left to roast, add the fine sea salt to the boiling water in the stockpot and stir to dissolve. Add the penne, and cook until al dente. 
    4. Drain the pasta and add back to the pot. Scrape the tomatoes and any pan juices into the pot, along with the corn. Add a good glug of fresh olive oil and ½ cup of the pasta cooking water. Place the pot back over medium-low heat and fold the mixture together until, Hesser says, "it is melded like a well-composed salad." Taste for seasoning. Adjust the consistency with more pasta cooking water as needed. Serve promptly, with more grated cheese at the table. Serves 4. 

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