Spinach Fettuccine

Make the spinach puree: Put 2 cups of water in a pot large enough to hold a steamer basket, put in the basket, and add the spinach. Make sure the spinach stays above the surface of the water. Steam the spinach until wilted, then blend until smooth.

Make the pasta: Combine the flour, eggs, and spinach purée in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on medium-low speed until fully combined, then wrap and rest the dough for an hour (or just cover it in the mixer bowl). Put the dough back in the machine and knead for 5 minutes. Put the dough on the counter, lightly floured, if need be, and knead for another minute or 2 until very smooth, supple, and pliable. If your dough is still wet and sticky, incorporate a bit of flour into it by flouring the counter and kneading the flour in with your hands. Repeat this until it’s smooth and pulls away from the work surface easily.

Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Cover 3 of them and run the other through the pasta roller at the widest setting, folding it in half widthwise and repeating the process at this setting a few times until the sheet is rectangular and very supple. Run the dough through increasingly narrower settings, stopping at about the 5th one. Cut the sheet in half if it’s too long to easily handle.

Let each sheet dry on a lightly floured surface for half an hour or so, flipping them around halfway, before feeding them through the fettucine cutter. Flour the cut noodles well and form one nest per serving.

Make the tomato sauce: While the pasta is drying, make your sauce. Heat the oven to 350˚F/180˚C. Spread your herbs out on a baking sheet. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise (leave cherry tomatoes whole) and arrange them cut side up on the sheet pan. Tuck the garlic cloves under the tomatoes. Drizzle about 2 Tbsp olive oil over the tomatoes, salt and pepper generously, and put in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the tomatoes are browning pretty hard around the edges and the garlic has taken on some color and is soft.

Remove from the oven and put the tomatoes in a blender or food processor with the garlic. Strip the herb leaves off their stems and add them to the bowl. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and set aside in a saucepan.