Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Fusilli alla Caprese

Pasta. Tomatoes. Mozzarella. Basil.


Need I say more?
A FABULOUS Giada dish. Simple, fast, and delicious. It's a great summer recipe, and it's definitely a keeper.
(Not the most eloquent blog entry ever, but sometimes there's just nothing to say besides YUM.)
(Oh - and the little *pop* sound from squashing the tomatoes? Very weirdly satisfying.)
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound fusilli pasta
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 pints)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. As the tomatoes cook and soften, smash them with a fork. Continue to cook until the tomatoes make a chunky style sauce, about 4 minutes. Transfer the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the pasta is moist. Serve.

6 comments:

  1. those ingredients together will always make a great dish! i love how simple most of giada's dishes are

    ReplyDelete
  2. That looks so good! I'll have to give that a try.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I saw the show where she made this and it looked so fresh and easy. Yum. Your pic looks so good!

    ReplyDelete
  4. YUM indeed. I love those ingredients together. We made something like this from a Martha Stewart recipe ... very easy and VERY good. Now, if only we could find nice tasty tomatoes. Ours are still not quite in season.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That sounds so fresh and tasty. It will be perfect in the summer, when I want to cook but don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails