Strawberry Marinara Sauce with Herbed Ricotta

This is my kind of strawberries and cream: savory! Weird but good. Chili flakes and black pepper balances the sweetness of the berries perfectly.

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• 1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, drained

• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• Kosher salt

• 1 pound fresh (or frozen, thawed) strawberries, hulled, quartered

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 12 oz. spaghetti

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 8 oz ricotta cheese

• pinch of dried basil

PREPARATION

1. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and red pepper flakes, season with salt, and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until tomato juices have reduced slightly, about 3 minutes.

2. Add strawberries and sugar and cook, stirring often, until strawberries are soft and sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes; let cool slightly, then pulse in a food processor to a coarse purée.

3. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.

4. Mix ricotta with a sprinkle of salt, dried basil and black pepper.

5. Add pasta to tomato sauce along with ½ cup pasta cooking liquid and cook, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes.

6. Remove from heat, drizzle with more oil, and toss to combine. Serve with dollops of ricotta on top and freshly ground black pepper.

photo by Nicole Zumwalt at Strawberry Splash class May 30, 2019 at the NW Fred Meyer Workshop

Sauvie Island berry picking: a must in Oregon in June.