Smoky Confit Tomato and Lemon Pasta

This looks fantastic, but I am a little confused: Should I add the whole lemon into the pan? Or just the strips?

In the recipe he says “Today’s recipe sticks to only that zest, because tomatoes normally have enough acidity in them to give my pasta a nice sharpness. But extra juice would definitely not hurt, particularly if your tomatoes are extra sweet.” So it sounds like just the zest.

Lemon or Zest: The following quote is from the NYT article that accompanied this recipe (July 18, 2024): “Today’s recipe sticks to only that zest, because tomatoes normally have enough acidity in them to give my pasta a nice sharpness. But extra juice would definitely not hurt, particularly if your tomatoes are extra sweet.” So, zest only. But the comments are right - the instructions in the recipe are unclear and the editor should revise the text regarding the lemon ingredient.

I made this last night, and the dish was very flavorful. However, it was also VERY oily. If I made it again, I would use perhaps half the amount of olive oil indicated.

I made this last night and it was excellent! So flavorful. Rather than turn on the oven on a hot day, I sauteed everything in the stove top. Once the pasta was done I mixed it in with the sauce until all the liquid was absorbed. Simple to make and amazing flavor! I'll definetely keep this in the rotation.

Cinnamon sticks and lemon… Ottolenghi’s Palestine-by-way-of-London touch is subtly distinct and tasty here, as usual.

Sean, Assuming no other dried chile is available, you’re trying to replicate the fruity/chocolaty mildly spicy flavor of the ancho chile. So maybe a roasted & peeled sweet red pepper, a bit of smoked paprika and a dash of powdered cayenne for spiciness.

I made this last night and will make it again. The main flavor was the lemon. Very nice. The oil seemed like a lot but after mixing in the pasta seemed fine. I might break the cinnamon sticks up a bit next time and go a bit easier on the chiles as it was kind of spicy for us. I made it with GF pasta (Bionaturae) which seemed to absorb the sauce nicely so no need for the pasta water. All in all a very tasty pasta dish worth trying again.

Make this dish a few hours before and reheat. You will be happy you waited. The tomatoes get jammier and the rest of the concoction melds perfectly! Great recipe. Serve with claret

Any kind of smoked chili or smoked chili powder (chipotle, mulatto etc.). You want the smokiness and the subtle heat. You can also try a spoonful of canned chipotle peppers if you can find them (these won't be dried....sort of like a paste). I don't think you reconstitute the chilies, otherwise they could break open and you don't want that

This was disgusting. Oily, not lemony, and not something I would make again. I really didn't get what this was supposed to be, I followed the recipe exactly. Chewing on lemon peels and giant cloves of garlic? Not appealing.

You probably didn't roast it for long enough. Garlic cloves cook down to a soft, sweet, sticky mush when cooked like this. I use a citrus zester tool https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-lemon-zester-stainless-steel1?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp={campaigned}&cq_net=x&cq_plt=gp&nbt=nb%3Aadwords%3Ax%3A21334087812%3A%3A&nb_adtype=pla_with_promotion&nb_mi=127414221&nb_pc=online&nb_pi=5782&nb_si={sourceid}&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4_K0BhBsEiwAfVVZ_z2bA3S6dsknbtnCG to zest lemons and limes.

This quote appears only in the article "The Most Important Seasoning After Salt and Pepper," which is linked in the paragraph describing the recipe. It's too bad it was left out on the recipe page itself, because it is key!

Step 2 of the recipe instructions state, “ Nestle the ancho chiles under the tomatoes, tearing in half if necessary to immerse them,” which means the chile will rehydrate during the roasting process.

You add just the strips, as I read it.