Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Ricotta

Sicilian lunch: menu + video

I have to admit that I’ve only recently fallen in love with sun-dried tomatoes. I think I overdosed on bad jarred versions of them in the 1980s when they first hit the American market. At that point, they were often served on their own as a sort of nibble to go with cocktails. After the first delicious bite, I can remember trying to digest the overwhelming taste of badly preserved garlic and mediocre oregano for hours. It was not until I started spending more time in Sicily over the last 10 years that I rekindled my romance with these little flavor bombs.

One thing I learned: Sun-dried tomatoes are almost never eaten on their own in Sicily. They are usually part of a recipe. Also, there are so many different versions of sun-dried tomatoes: preserved in oil or not, flavored with things like oregano and garlic or not, and different types of tomatoes, from small cherry tomatoes to plump sauce types.

Pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and ricotta was the main dish at a recent lunch at a Sicilian farm. We were there with our guests during our most recent tour in Sicily. At this olive farm just south of Palermo, the owner, Daniela, hosted us for this magical meal.