Caprese in Love
One of my favorite parts about summer (besides all of it) is fresh tomatoes. Because my dad grows his own, I am exquisitely spoiled when it comes to all things tomato-related. Don't even try to pass off that discolored, pink mush on me; I will not have hothouse tomatoes spoiling my sandwich/salad/etc. I will pick them off and pointedly leave them on the side of my plate.
One place where the use of subpar tomatoes is especially egregious is in caprese salad. That exquisitely simple combination of fresh tomatoes, rich mozzarella cheese, raw basil and a healthy splash of excellent olive oil and balsamic.
There is arguably no better salad in existence. Therefore, I am personally offended when I see sins against caprese. I won't order it in restaurants anymore because there's just no point when I can walk out our kitchen door and let a bursting-ripe yellow tomato fall into my hand.
Now while caprese salad is amazing in its original form, it's also ridiculously delicious when chopped up and mixed with perfectly al dente angel hair pasta (plus some onion and garlic for good measure). This is the ultimate summer pasta and the more tomatoes and basil you use, the better. I like to keep the sauce relatively chunky and the tomatoes just barely cooked so that they retain more of their flavor but that is up to you. Also, I typically use cherry and grape tomatoes but if you only have regular tomatoes that's fine too -- just core and give them a rough chop.
This pasta doesn't need any other toppings besides a drizzle of excellent olive oil, salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. This is a recipe where you're going to want to use really good olive oil because the flavor is a big part of it. Ditto mozzarella. If you want to use burratta (an outer shell of mozzarella with an inner pocket of fresh cream aka holy wow), that's fine too but it'll be a slightly different flavor.
Enjoy al fresco with a glass of Prosecco.
Ingredients:
1 lb. angel hair pasta
3/4 lb. assorted cherry or pear tomatoes, halved
1/4 c. onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. basil, sliced into ribbons, 3 tbs. reserved
10 oz. fresh mozzarella, chopped into half-inch cubes
2 tbs. EVOO plus more for drizzling
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Sautee the onions and garlic in a large, nonstick pan in the 2 tbs. of olive oil until translucent. Add cherry tomatoes, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the angel hair pasta according to the directions on the box. Remove to colander immediately and drain.
3. Add the basil to the tomato mixture and cook briefly, stirring often to combine. Add the pasta and the mozzarella. Stir to coat the pasta and melt the mozzarella slightly.
4. Serve with a sprinkle of the reserved, raw basil, EVOO and salt and pepper to taste.
