9.01.2010

Pasta Caprese

We have tomatoes. Lots of them. And we're having a heat wave. Again. What to do, when you are craving pasta but it's so hot you don't want to eat? We created this light, refreshing dish, inspired by the salad insalata caprese. Like any good Italian dish, this one features simple, fresh ingredients and allows their flavors to pop. We think it's as good as the pastas we've eaten in any Italian trattoria. Mangia!

Ingredients:
6-8 fresh Roma tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 lb. penne pasta
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ball mozzarella di bufala, cut into small cubes(regular fresh mozzarella is fine too)
salt and pepper

Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water until the skin starts to come off. Remove the tomatoes from the water, allow to cool, and peel them. In the meantime, cook the pasta according to package directions. Run tomatoes through a food mill into a large skillet or saucepan. Season this tomato "sauce" with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the tomato paste and warm over medium-low heat. When pasta is done, drain and pour the hot pasta into the skillet with the tomato sauce. Turn off heat and add the basil, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. Stir until well mixed and serve with garlic bread.

3 comments:

Claudia said...

One of my all time favorite summer meals - love the tomatoes this year - and they're still coming and I will still do all things caprese!

Claudia said...

One of my all time favorite summer meals - love the tomatoes this year - and they're still coming and I will still do all things caprese!

Anonymous said...

Caprese salad plus pasta? Yum!!!