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Monday, September 17, 2012

Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta




There is nothing like getting a new cookbook to rekindle your cooking excitement. Thanks to Amazon Prime I can have a new cookbook soon. I do love instant gratification, I don't wait really well. So I guess the cookbook I purchased was just right for me it is Giuliano Hazan's Thirty Minute Pasta--100 quick and easy recipes.
My good friend Kayte has been singing praises for this cook book for ages now. She and a few friend make a new recipe each week and post on the same day. It is pretty casual but it is always fun to see what they post. So I purchased the cookbook and there really are recipe after recipe of very simple pasta meals.
My first recipe had to be one that utilized my garden fresh tomatoes and fresh basil. These two items won't last much longer. The recipe was easy and delicious. Kayte said she cooks extra pasta and keeps it in the fridge. Getting dinner on the table becomes that much quicker.
I will give the recipe as I made it--just a few variations that didn't change the outcome.

Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Tomato, Olive Oil and Basil
2 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (scant)
10 fresh basil leaves
8 ounces cooked pasta
Drop the tomatoes in boiling water, leave for 60 seconds. Remove and run under cold water, skins will slip right off. Dice tomatoes in 1/2 inch dice
Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Put the garlic, 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and red pepper flakes in a 12 inch skillet. Place over high heat. The moment the garlic begins to sizzle add the tomatoes and season generously with salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated. Coarsely shred the basil and add to the sauce. Continue cooking until all the liquid is evaporated.
Add the sauce to pasta that has been cooked in salted water until al dente. If you are using pasta that has been cooked earlier in the day or week either submerge in hot water for a moment or microwave till hot. Serve sauce with pasta. Drizzle individual serving with olive oil, we also added pepper. We added a sprinkle of fresh grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. It was delicious. I served it with crisp bakery toast. It was a very filling meal.
This amount of sauce made 4 adult servings. But the recipe called for 16 ounces of pasta for 4 servings. 8 ounces was plenty of pasta for us.
Will I make it again--yes! You just can't go wrong with fresh tomatoes and basil.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

So beautiful and delicious and very timely for me as I STILL have a ton of tomatoes to get through!!
Mary x

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

YUM! I love a simple tomato basil sauce...and it must taste incredible with tomatoes from your garden! Lucky you.

Fingers crossed you get back into the SRC...miss you in Group C!

Nedra said...

oh, I can almost smell the garlic from here.

Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girl said...

I love a simple pasta with fresh ingredients. Your pictures look great! They are making me hungry. ;)

Kayte said...

Oh, you are so sweet. Thanks for the shout-out. I love this book. So simple, so fresh, so fast! Your photos are gorgeous...truly beautiful, they could go into the book itself!! I'm hope you will make lots of the recipes from this book and enjoy them all. They are all a good place to start, I add this sometimes or take away that or sub this or that, but his game plan for it all is always right on. I wish I had a dish of yours right now.

LuAnne said...

Looks so yummy! Glad I found you thru the blog hop! New follower :)

Amber @ DessertNowDinnerLater.com said...

Great way to use those garden herbs & veggies! Thanks for sharing at Sweet & Savory Saturdays #22!

~Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later!
http://www.dessertnowdinnerlater.com