Company Pasta

Day 36

(modified recipe, originally by Ina Garten)

Here’s a really nice, lightly flavored pasta for those tomatoes that will be coming from the garden this summer. It’s perfect for a late dinner outside or a romantic date and movie night at home. 

I saw it on Ina Garten’s show and had to try it. Since she never disappoints, I wanted to share it here. I did modify the recipe slightly, as I prefer thin spaghetti over her original angel hair pasta choice, and I

also think that lemon juice adds the right finish to the dish. The link to the original is below if you prefer to try it, though. 

Personally, I much prefer sauces that allow each component to have a clear voice in a dish, and this pasta’s ingredients speak to your taste buds, loudly and clearly.

 

Buon appetito!

Copyright, Doug Kapustin Photography, 2013

Ingredients:
¾  cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced
10 cloves minced garlic 
4 pints grape tomatoes
18 large basil leaves, julienned
2 tablespoons chopped fresh curly parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
16 oz. thin spaghetti, cooked al dente
Juice of 2 large lemons
1½  cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt 

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic, tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften but don't break up.

Place the cooked pasta in a large serving bowl. Add the tomato-olive oil sauce and the Parmesan and toss well. Add some of the pasta water if the pasta seems too dry. Serve large bowls of pasta with extra basil sprinkled on top and a big bowl of extra Parmesan on the side.

Original recipe from Ina Garten, but modified. See link below for original:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/capellini-with-tomatoes-and-basil-recipe/index.html