People often ask me "What is your favorite food is to cook?" Of all the recipes I have made, some complicated, others not, pasta with simple tomato sauce is my absolute favorite, perhaps because it is also my favorite dish to eat. It’s my go-to dish for a late night dinner, when I am tired and hungry, mostly because it is so easy to make and I always have the ingredients on hand.
Much as I love my regular sauce using good canned tomatoes, this fresh tomato version is a close second. The inspiration came from the gorgeous cherry tomatoes I would find at the grocery store in Italy. Here in the States I favor Nature Sweet Cherub cherry tomatoes - they are consistently delicious, and as an added bonus non-GMO and fair trade certified - but any sweet ripe cherry tomato will do.
I would often make an oven roasted version of them as a side dish to grilled or roasted meats, and this cherry tomato sauce for pasta was a natural transition. The mode of cooking the tomatoes on the stovetop keeps their freshness and natural sweetness intact, as they slowly burst to create a lovely sauce. The additional ingredients work together to enhance the flavor of the tomatoes.
The technique of cooking at a high heat to release the juices, followed by a gentle simmer to thicken the sauce, provides the perfect balance between freshness and depth of flavor. It’s a dish that is gorgeous to behold and has a satisfying fresh summery taste, aided by the addition of fresh basil.
Spaghetti is the perfect pasta to serve with this sauce, as the sauce clings to the chewy strands, and the opposing textures compliment one another. It really lets the cherry tomato and basil flavors shine.
A word about pasta. One thing I learned in Italy is that bronze die pasta made from semolina flour is the best.
I once had the opportunity to see those bronze dies at work, as I gathered with friends at the Martelli pasta factory in Lari, Italy, close to Pisa. Family owned for generations, they welcome visitors and proudly demonstrate their craft. We marveled at the copious amounts of pasta spewing out through the die, and the quick change of dies as the skilled pastaio (pasta maker) switched from making spaghetti to linguine. He also revealed that the family uses a single source of semolina flour which comes from nearby Calenzano. You can read more about this family owned business here:https://www.famigliamartelli.it/en/the-martelli-family.php
…and when you do take that trip to Italy, please book a visit with them. It will change the way you look at pasta.
INGREDIENTS:
SAUCE:
2-10 0z. packs Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 cup Canned Chopped Tomatoes
4 tablespoons premium quality Torre di Gamberaia Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8-10 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon Rivesaline Tomate eschalate fluer de sel Salt (link below)
3 tablespoons Basil leaves, shredded
Pinch Dried hot pepper or thin slices of fresh hot pepper (optional)
PASTA:
2 tablespoons Rivesaline Sel Sac salt Available at Charles Spada
4 quarts boiling water
1 lb. spaghetti, preferably Italian bronze cut
Method:
Slice partway through cherry tomatoes. Warm garlic gently in two to three tablespoons of olive oil. Add tomatoes and 1 tsp. Rivesaline Tomato Escalate Salt. Cover and bring to a high simmer. Lower heat and maintain covered, stirring now and then and checking the liquid content. When most of the liquid has dissipated remove from heat, add the 1/4 cup of canned crushed tomatoes and cook another 10 minutes until hot. Add the basil cut into thin strips, cover turn off the heat from the stove.
Cook the pasta. Bring the water to a rolling boil and add the Rivesaline Sel Sac salt. Add the pasta to the pan, uncovered, making sure it is completely covered with the water. Bring to boil again. Check the pasta after 6 minutes. At this point you must continue checking the pasta. It should be al dente, and slightly chewy. Drain and mix with 1 TBS olive oil.
Add to the cherry tomato sauce or - what I prefer to do - plate and add sauce on top.
Add thin slices of basil as garnish.
Torre di Gamberaia Extra Virgin Olive Oil https://torredigamberaia.com
Rivesaline Pure Salt from Il de Re France https://charlesspada.com