Roasted Tomato and Garlic Crouton Spaghetti

It has been nearly three weeks now since Hassan graced our lives and changed our family dynamics forever. We have been busy getting to know one another and I haven't spent as much time in the kitchen as I would have liked to. Instead, I have been busy eating whoesome meals prepared by my Mom and Mother in law.

Yesterday was the first time I prepared a three course meal to celebrate shaving his hair. It is customary to shave the birth hair on the seventh day of a baby's life but since he was still in hospital recovering from jaundice, we decided to do so yesterday. I was quite sad to see his beautiful locks disappear and Maryam was quite alarmed to see his 'curlies chopped off.'

To celebrate the occassion, we ate together with close family and shared a simple meal. My Mom prepared a fragrant cumin scented pilaf with a spiced version of this mung soup. And for dessert- we had a cardamom infused carrot pudding. Lots of butter, lots of pistachios and lots of love. A complete meal with loved ones.

It felt good to be back in the kitchen and even better to be sharing it with my Mom. The best part was getting back to photographing. Doing what I love and enjoy the most- creating and eating good food and photographing it.

Today though, I want to share with you a simple pasta dish I created a few weeks ago for the third issue of House of Fifty. I've been making this version of spaghetti for about two years now, since Maryam started eating pasta actually.

It has evolved as Maryam's palate has become more sophisticated. What started off as mere spaghetti tossed in olive oil has now seen the addition herbs, roasted tomatoes and garlic croutons. When Maryam is going through her picky phases, this is one meal I know she'll relish. Who knows what it will transform into as she gets older.

Head over to House of Fifty for more images as well as a recipe for focaccia. Also, I would like to thank all of you for the lovely comments and messages you left on my last post. Me and Akber really enjoyed reading through each and every single one of them. Thank you!

Click above for printable recipe card

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Crouton Spaghetti

Ingredients:

2 bunches tomatoes on the vine (approx. 15)

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp chili flakes

1/2 tsp pepper

few sprigs thyme

salt to taste

5 slices French baguette

3 tbs olive oil

3 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tbs parsley, finely chopped

salt to taste

2 cups cooked spaghetti

4 tbs olive oil

1 tsp chili flakes

salt to taste

chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade. Place tomatoes in a baking tray. In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, chili flakes, pepper, thyme and salt. Drizzle over tomatoes and bake for 15 minutes.

To make the croutons, mix together olive oil, pressed garlic, parsley and salt. Spread this paste over each slice of the baguette. Bake the baguettes in the oven until crispy. Let it cool slightly before chopping into 1cm croutons.

Toss the cooked spaghetti in olive oil, chili flakes and season with salt. Sprinkle with croutons and extra parsley. Serve with roasted tomatoes.