Taste & Create - Roasted Garlic & Grape Tomato Pasta with Basil & Arugula

For those of you who frequent my blog you know that I never miss the Taste & Create event which gets bigger and bigger each and every time. It is the brainchild of Nicole (aka Myamii) over at For the Love of Food . I love to visit her site for all the delicious recipes and tidbits of very helpful information. She even has an on-line store with wonderful kitchen gadgets and gourmet foods. If you haven't had the chance to visit this very busy woman please take the time...you will be glad you did.

The premise of the Taste & Create event is simple... we are paired with another blogger... we choose a recipe from their extensive posts...we prepare the dish and then... blog about it. I love this event because I am able to showcase someone else's blog, a favourite dish or just rave about a blogging friend. The blogosphere is filled with delicious recipes that are piling up waiting for me to try. It's time to get some of them out from the blogosphere and into my kitchen!!!! Taste & Create allows me to to do just that each and every month!!! What could be better!

This month I was paired with I don't know, what do YOU want to eat . This blog is put together by a talented group of bloggers BuffaloPaddy, MissCatCabana , LMoney , FigSister, Dr.Schmeckman ,Sweetpea ,Honeycrisp ,Cardamomma and Haroset Honey . With so many talented bloggers it was very hard to decide what to prepare for this months event.

I decided upon this pasta dish by Rachel Ray. My decision came about only after finding a combination of arugula and mustard greens at the local farmers market yesterday. This recipe was in keeping with what we have on hand at this time of year. I should have remembered to pierce the skins of the grape tomatoes because I heard many popping sounds coming from within the depths of the oven.

This pasta dish was simple to prepare with a depth and smoothness of flavour that only roasted tomatoes and garlic can provide. The arugula and mustard greens gave it a little added nip.

**Roasted Garlic and Grape Tomato Pasta with Basil and Arugula**

1 pound penne rigate
2 pints grape tomatoes
8 to 10 cloves garlic, cracked but left in skins
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus some, for drizzling
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a few generous handfuls
1 cup basil leaves, about 20, torn or shredded
2 cups coarsely chopped arugula

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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the grape tomatoes on a cookie sheet with the garlic. Coat the tomatoes and cracked garlic with 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and season with lots of salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes.

After you put the tomatoes and garlic in the oven, place a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil for the pasta. Salt water, add pasta and cook to just-shy of al dente, maybe 9-10 minutes. It needs to have a real bite left to it because it will sit in the sauce for 2 minutes later on and continue to cook. Heads up: you will need 2 ladles of starchy cooking water just before draining, about 1 -1/2 cups.

After 20 minutes, remove the roasted garlic from the skins and mash into a paste with the side of your knife. Transfer the garlic paste to the bottom of a pasta bowl. Using a fork, mix the garlic into 2 ladles of starchy pasta cooking water, about 1 -1/2 cups. Add the tomatoes to the bowl and mash them with a potato masher until a sauce forms and tomatoes are well combined with garlic broth. Add penne, grated cheese, arugula and basil and toss a minute or 2 to allow the pasta to soak up flavors.

Serve, drizzled with a little extra olive oil and/or more cheese.