This dish takes inspiration from a recipe in “Simple” by Yotam Ottolenghi. But instead of conventional stovetop simmering, we pressure-cook cherry or grape tomatoes, which tend to be dependably good no matter the season, into a tangy-sweet sauce. The pasta cooks in the pot at the same time, so there's no need to boil a separate pot of water. Fresh sage, smoked paprika and pecorino Romano cheese ratchet up the flavors. We especially liked this dish made with bucatini pasta, which is a thick, tubular spaghetti; linguini is a good alternative, but reduce the pressure-cooking time to 4 minutes.
Notes
Don't forget to break the pasta in half so the strands lay flat in the pot. And when adding the pasta, make sure no pieces poke above the surface of the liquid. All of the pasta must be fully submerged to cook properly.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil - plus more to serve
- 4 medium garlic cloves - thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes - or grape, halved, 1 pound
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound bucatini pasta - broken in half
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage - divided
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pecorino Romano cheese - shaved or finely grated, to serve
Instructions
Prepare the sauce
- In a 6-quart Instant Pot (or larger), select More/High Sauté.
- Add the oil and heat until shimmering.
- Add the garlic, pepper flakes and bay leaf, then cook, stirring, until the garlic is light golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, 1 tablespoon Kosher salt and 3 cups water.
- Add the pasta, placing the strands horizontally so they lay flat, then press them into the liquid until submerged.
Pressure Cook
- Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing.
- Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 5 minutes.
- When pressure cooking is complete, quick-release the steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting.
- Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
Finish and serve
- Using tongs, toss and stir the mixture to separate the strands of pasta.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of sage and the paprika.
- Re-cover without locking the lid in place and let stand until the pasta is al dente, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove and discard the bay.
- Transfer to a serving dish and top with pecorino and the remaining 1 tablespoon sage.