Obviously it was a good tomato year and we are still harvesting, the nights are cool but we have not had a killing frost yet! Most unusual. I have two dozen quarts of tomatoes preserved and tucked in the pantry and have been eating tons of tomatoes. Tomatoes in everything! But before it gets real crazy here, expecting over 20,000 tulip bulbs later today, I wanted to share my favorite fresh tomato dish. This pasta is so flavorful, it really celebrates the tomato and it comes together in a flash...and if your basil hasn't frozen it is TDF.
Unless you have a two pound tomato like the beauty above you will need four to six of your favorite tomatoes. You can mix varieties, heirloom, yellow, whatever you have that is fresh and vine ripened. Wash and core the tomatoes and cut them into a small dice, about 1/2 inch and put them into a large bowl with all their juice and seeds. You need approximately 2 cups of tomatoes--being a lazy cook I don't measure, after making this dish for years and using the same bowl I just know what looks right. Just don't worry too much, use what you have. A small adjustment with the olive oil will put it all right. No worries.
This dish is all about personal preference so taste as you go. Salt the tomatoes, start with 1/2 teaspoon, give it a good stir and let it rest while you prep the garlic. Now is also a good time to set a big pot of water on the stove to boil. The beauty of this dish is that you can prep the sauce early in the day, letting it marinate for hours, or whip it up in the time it takes to cook the pasta.
Peel and mince the garlic, because the garlic will not be cooked I use a garlic press. If you really love garlic then be bold and just mince it up and then revel in mouthfuls of tangy juicy tomato goodness accented perfectly with a bite a garlic. Wow!
Add the garlic, freshly ground pepper, red pepper flakes and some really good extra virgin olive oil. Stir this all together, taste it and adjust the seasoning. (Giovanna, my friend from Milano, added oregano to all of her fresh tomato dishes so I added a good pinch of dried oregano, rubbed between my palms--to crush and release the oils. Perfetto!)
As soon as the water is boiling add a tablespoon of salt, it is always important that pasta to be well seasoned but especially in simple dishes with a limited number of ingredients. If the pasta is a dud so is the dish, so add the salt, it will infuse the pasta with flavor and the excess will be drained away. For years I used a short pasta like farfalla, pene rigate or orecchiette because the it paired so well with the sauce. I did not have any of the above so I used cappellini (angel hair) and it was perfect, so be creative.
Cook the pasta according to the directions for "al dente". I consult the box and then set the timer a minute or two short of the recommendation and then check the pasta. Nothing sadder than perfect sauce and limpy whimpy pasta. As soon as the pasta is "al dente" drain it and add the steaming hot pasta to the tomato sauce and stir well to coat the pasta. The pasta should look juicy and shiny. If it seems a little dry add some olive oil. Garnish with ribbons of fresh basil and serve with freshly grated parmigiano cheese. A leafy green salad dressed lightly will complete this simple end of summer meal. Buon appetito!
Fresh Tomato Pasta with grilled ciabatta
Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
4-6 fresh tomatoes, about 2 lbs
1 large garlic clove
½ - 1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
¼ - ½ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ c EVOO
2 TB fresh basil, cut or torn into ribbons
1 lb pkg pasta (farfalla, shells, linguini)
Put a large cooking pot with water to boil on high. In the meantime wash and cut the
tomatoes into small dice, about ½ inch.
Put the tomatoes, with all of their juice and seeds into a large
bowl. Peel and mince the garlic
finely and add to the tomatoes. Pour
in the EVOO and add ½ tsp of salt, all the pepper and stir everything
together. Taste the sauce for salt
and then let mixture marinate.
As soon as the water is boiling add 1 TB of salt and the
pasta and cook according to directions for al dente. Stir and taste the tomato sauce and adjust the
seasoning. As soon as the pasta is
al dente drain it into a sieve and add it to the sauce. Stir and taste again for seasoning. The pasta should look glossy, with
every strand or piece enriched by oil and sauce, so another taste and adjust
seasoning and oil--it is okay to add more oil. (After just a few meals in Italy I realized that adding more
oil to pasta dishes not only made them taste more authentically Italian but truly
luxurious. This dish is just tomatoes,
garlic, basil and seasoning—so use a really good olive oil and be
generous. Per che no? (That’s Italian for why not!)
