Menu Idea

Preheat the oven to 220°C or 200°C for fan / convection ovens.

First, prepare the tomatoes. Slice them in half lengthways and place them on a baking tray, cut side up. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 25-40 minutes. The cook time will depend on the size of your tomatoes so check in at the 25 minute mark and go from there. Meanwhile you will toast your pine nuts and make your cream sauce.

Toast your pine nuts. Heat a frying pan on a low heat (no oil needed), and add the pine nuts for a few minutes, turning a couple of times, until they start to lightly brown. Pay close attention – they can go from perfectly toasted to burned in a matter of seconds!

Start making the cream sauce. In a deep saute pan or shallow casserole dish, saute the garlic in a little olive oil or butter until soft. Add the white wine to the pan and let it bubble for a few minutes until it starts to reduce.

Add the cream, cheese and nutmeg. Turn the heat down to a very low setting and gently mix the sauce until the cheese is melted through. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside.

Once the tomatoes are charred and reduced to your liking, remove from the oven and let them sit and cool down while you cook the pasta.

Boil the pasta.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the pan with the sauce. Add the basil at this time too. Toss to combine. It may seem like you have too much sauce but the pasta will soon drink it up!

Add the tomatoes to the top of the pasta, drizzle the pesto and scatter the nuts on top, and serve immediately.