When Amy comes to visit, we make some delicious foods,and sometimes we even take requests for any family favorites she has(and let's be honest, we have)been craving. This visit the requests were at the mercy of the ingredients we had on hand: fresh peaches, bing cherries, heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil. There was also a little roll of mom's homemade galette crust in the fridge. She'd made it a few days earlier and decided it was too hot to take a stab at baking, and risk turning the whole house into an oven. It's hard to turn down the opportunity to cook with so much fresh produce on hand, and no one was complaining at the prospect of the meal we could prepare with these ingredients, so we got to work! And here is what we created...Pasta alla Checca (a fresh and light family favorite, perfect for warm summer evenings). This is one of the first meals I learned to make myself, a recipe my mom learned while assisting chef Giuliano Hazan when he came to Seattle on his book tour for the Classic Pasta Cookbook. Over the years, the recipe has undergone many adaptations from its original form which included thyme, marjoram, and oregano,in addition to basil. A point of contention in the Massar Pfleiger household...Amy and I bet on this over dinner. We changed the recipe so long ago that I had absolutely no recognition of the dish ever including more than just the lone basil herb. She won the bet. But we all won dinner with happy bellies filled with tasty pastas.
PASTA ALLA CHECCA
1 lb. spaghetti or linguini
1/2 lb - 1 lb. heirloom or roma tomoatoes, cut into 1/4 inch pieces or cubes (we used mini heirlooms from Trader Joe's this time - fantastic!)
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch pieces or cubes
1 cup basil leaves, sliced into thin strands
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
3-4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
Salt pasta water liberally and bring to a boil. While that's heating up, prepare tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. Pieces should be no larger than a dime, in order to be easily incorporated with the noodles. Mix chopped tomatoes, basil and mozzarella in a large bowl and set aside. Heat olive oil in a small skillet, adding garlic and the red pepper flakes. Once the garlic has started to sizzle and bubble around the sides, remove from heat and set aside for a minute or two. The garlic will continue to cook and the heat from the red pepper will continue to develop. Pour the heated oil, garlic and red pepper mixture over the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella, and toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook noodles al dente, drain and pour over other ingredients, toss again and cover with a lid, plate or cookie sheet to help the cheese melt before serving. If you'd like, serve with freshly grated parmesan at the table.
