Tomato Pasta with Cheesy Bread
Making Roman-style Tomato Pasta and Cheesy Bread
I recreated the classic taste of an old favorite restaurant, ‘Little Crazy Pizza’ in Gubanpo Station, with my own spin on their Roman-style spaghetti and cheesy bread! ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Personally, I think my version of the spaghetti tastes even better, but my cheesy bread didn’t quite turn out as stretchy as I hoped, so it was a bit of a failure ㅠ__ㅠ. Nevertheless, it tasted great, so I’m sharing the recipe! 🙂
Cheesy Bread Ingredients- 170ml warm water (lukewarm to the touch)
- 3g active dry yeast
- 5g sugar
- 250g bread flour (high-gluten flour)
- 5g salt
- 15g olive oil
- 150g mozzarella cheese (shredded or roughly chopped)
Tomato Pasta Ingredients- 3 ripe tomatoes
- Olive oil (for sautéing)
- 1/2 onion (finely chopped)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 tsp sugar (to balance tomato acidity)
- 1 tsp dried basil (or fresh basil)
- 110g spaghetti
- 40g mozzarella cheese (for topping, optional)
- 3 ripe tomatoes
- Olive oil (for sautéing)
- 1/2 onion (finely chopped)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 tsp sugar (to balance tomato acidity)
- 1 tsp dried basil (or fresh basil)
- 110g spaghetti
- 40g mozzarella cheese (for topping, optional)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, in a bowl, combine the warm water (it should feel lukewarm on your fingertips) with the active dry yeast and sugar. Stir gently and let it sit for about 5 minutes. You should see foamy bubbles forming on the surface, indicating the yeast is active. If no bubbles appear, your yeast might be old, or the conditions aren’t right for activation, so you may need to use fresh yeast.
Step 2
In a separate, larger bowl, add the bread flour, salt, and olive oil. Give it a quick mix to combine the dry ingredients.
Step 3
Once you see the yeast mixture has frothed up, pour it into the bowl with the flour. You can rinse the yeast container with a little more water and add that to the bowl as well to make sure all the yeast is incorporated.
Step 4
Using a spatula or dough scraper, mix everything together until a shaggy dough forms and there’s no dry flour visible. Don’t worry if it seems a bit sticky at this stage; just bring it together into a cohesive ball.
Step 5
You can bake the dough immediately, but for a softer, chewier texture, I recommend letting it rise. I let my dough proof for about an hour while I was making the pasta sauce. Placing it in a warm spot will help it rise more effectively.
Step 6
After an hour, you’ll notice the dough has significantly puffed up! It looks so airy and fluffy, doesn’t it? 😮
Step 7
To deflate the dough, gently press down on it. Fold the edges of the dough towards the center and press lightly to release the gas. Then, take a portion of dough about the size of your fist and gently stretch and shape it. You don’t need to knead it vigorously at this point.
Step 8
Place a generous amount of mozzarella cheese in the center of the stretched dough. Carefully bring the edges of the dough up and around the cheese to enclose it completely. Sealing it well is key to prevent the cheese from leaking out during baking.
Step 9
Pinch the seams of the dough together to ensure the cheese is fully contained. I found that my sealing wasn’t perfect, or perhaps I used too much cheese, because some of it leaked out while baking. 😅 Try to seal yours a bit more neatly!
Step 10
Place the cheesy bread onto a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 230°C (450°F) for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. The aroma of freshly baked bread is wonderful!
Step 11
Now, let’s make the tomato pasta! Score the bottom of each fresh tomato with a cross shape using a sharp knife. This scoring will make peeling them much easier later.
Step 12
Blanch the scored tomatoes in boiling water for about 1 minute. Be careful not to overcook them, as they can become mushy. Immediately transfer them to an ice bath or rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Step 13
Carefully peel the skin off the blanched tomatoes. The score marks should allow the skin to slip off easily.
Step 14
Quarter the peeled tomatoes and remove the tough core at the top. Your tomatoes are now ready for the sauce!
Step 15
Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté until softened and translucent. Sautéing the onions slowly until they are slightly caramelized will bring out their natural sweetness.
Step 16
Once the onions turn a light golden brown, add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it can become bitter.
Step 17
When the garlic is fragrant, add all the quartered tomatoes to the pan. Lower the heat slightly.
Step 18
Gently press down on the tomatoes with your spatula to break them apart as they cook, forming a sauce. They will naturally break down and create a delicious, chunky tomato sauce. Let it simmer gently.
Step 19
Add the salt to season the sauce. Start with 1 teaspoon and adjust to your preference.
Step 20
Add the sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. This will give the sauce a richer, slightly sweeter flavor.
Step 21
Stir in the dried basil to add that classic Italian herb flavor. If you have fresh basil, you can chop it finely and add it towards the end for a brighter aroma.
Step 22
Continue to simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened slightly. If it becomes too thick, you can add a little water to reach your desired consistency.
Step 23
Now it’s time to cook the spaghetti! I often say I season my pasta water like ‘seawater’ because I believe properly salting the pasta water is crucial for flavoring the pasta itself from the inside out. It makes a big difference in the final taste! 😉
Step 24
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the spaghetti (110g per person) and cook for exactly 7 minutes. Since the pasta will cook further in the sauce, you want to drain it when it’s still slightly firm to the bite, known as ‘al dente’.
Step 25
Just before the pasta is done, reheat the tomato sauce over medium heat. Drain the spaghetti (reserving about a cup of the pasta water) and add it directly to the sauce. Add about 1 ladleful of the reserved pasta water to help emulsify the sauce and coat the pasta beautifully. (I used about 3 small ladles of pasta water.)
Step 26
Toss the spaghetti with the sauce, allowing it to absorb the flavors. If desired, add a handful of mozzarella cheese and gently mix until it melts and coats the pasta. This makes it extra delicious and creamy.
Step 27
Transfer the finished pasta to a serving plate. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley for a touch of color and freshness. Enjoy your delicious homemade meal! 🍝
