10/21/11

Recipe: Last Days of Summer Pasta

While we're excited about Autumn and everything it brings - crisp air, tart apples, hardy squash, sweet dark greens, fires in the fireplace - it's hard to let go of summer market goodies. Luckily, there are still a few weeks left to pick up the remnants of late summer produce.

The other night we were sitting around, tired and hungry and - as we usually are on off-market days - without a dinner plan. (We're not great at planning ahead.) There wasn't much in the fridge or pantry with the exception of a few staples and the usual condiments. But we did have dried pasta, oil, butter, garlic, cheese and a mixed-variety pint of cherry tomatoes. After grabbing some basil from the terrace, we threw everything together in a pan and 10 minutes later we were sitting down to one of our last summer meals.

Pasta with Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes
+ ½ pound of pasta
+ 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
+ 8 garlic cloves, sliced thickly
+ a bunch of basil
+ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
+ 1 tablespoons butter
+ salt and pepper to taste
+ Pecorino

1. Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
2. Pour the olive oil in a medium-sized pan and put the pan on medium-high heat. When the oil starts to get hot and shimmery, throw in the garlic. After a few minutes - when the garlic is just starting to turn golden - throw in the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. At this point you'll want to put the pasta in the boiling water. 
3. When the tomatoes have started to burst and look wrinkly, toss in the butter and the basil. Remove from heat.
3. Drain the Pasta and combine the tomato mixture and pasta in a bowl. Grate Pecorino over top and serve.

Serves 2

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