Capellini Pomodoro

A lot of my friends think that I’m weird.  This is a fair assumption.  I will admit that I’m strange; I have strange tastes and I’m picky.  Take, for example, my view on tomatoes.  I tell people I don’t like them, because it’s far easier than explaining the intricacies with my tomato infatuation.  I actually love tomatoes in most varieties: cooked, stewed, cured, soup, juice.  But I detest ketchup, and I won’t touch the goopy insides of a tomato unless I’m removing the seeds.  Bleh.

I do appreciate the tomato for all it offers.  It’s an excellent source of Vitamin C, and it is quite possibly one of the most versatile fruits with uses from breakfast to happy hour.  How can one not be somewhat enamored with it?

And with that, I offer my first recipe.  This is a fairly simple dish to try for your first gourmet meal.  Capellini Pomodoro, also known as tomato pasta, angel hair pasta with tomatoes, or even bruschetta pasta.  It pleases the pickiest of appetites – from my dad who was pretty frightened when we offered to cook him a  “Vegetarian Meal” for his birthday, to my (then 4 year old) niece who came up with this gem, “Just wrap it [the tomato] up and tell me it’s bacon.”  At a table with some of the pickiest eaters, everyone left stuffed and willing to eat leftovers.  Score!

All ingredients you need for this dish (aside from grated or shaved parmesan and cracked pepper to top) are in this picture.  It doesn’t get much more basic than this:

Tomatoes can be kind of expensive, so I recommend making this dish if they are on sale.  Thanks to Michelle over at http://www.iheartpublix.com, I was able to get some good deals on plum tomatoes this week.  If you are in an area that uses Publix, I highly recommend reviewing the deals on this site before you go shopping each week.

Prep time: 30 minutes (give yourself extra time the first time you make it – 45 minutes)

Cook time: about 5-7 minutes (seriously)

Ingredients

• 6-7 cloves of garlic (that’s the individual segments of the entire bulb that’s in the picture).  If you want to weigh them this is about 3/4 oz.
• 3 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Extra Virgin Olive Oil (we prefer the Filippo Berio brand)
• 2 lbs. tomatoes (recommend Roma/Plum tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine for best flavor)
• 2/3 oz. fresh basil
• 2 1/2 teaspoons (tsp) Salt (Table, Kosher or Sea Salt – you decide)
• 1/2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar (if you’re picky about additives, the Alessi brand is pretty straightforward)
• 1 lb. box Capellini (Angel Hair) Pasta
• Optional Suggestions for Topping: Shredded or Shaved Parmesean Cheese and Cracked Pepper

Tools

• Cutting Board
• Knife
• Sauté pan (skillet)
• Stock pot (large pot for boiling water/cooking pasta)
• Cooking spoon or spatula (no holes – we prefer wooden, but you pick what works for you)
• Colander (to drain pasta)

What to do

1. Fill stockpot with water for boiling the pasta.  Place on a burner and set at a medium heat.  Add salt to the water if desired.
2. Clean tomatoes and basil.  You can use a solution of 3 parts water: 1 part vinegar to clean vegetables.  Just make sure you rinse it well to remove the vinegar taste.  Blot the basil to dry and dry the tomatoes.  Set aside.
3. Remove the papery coating from your garlic.  Cut the tips off both ends and peel the paper off.  Your cloves should look like this:
4. Mince the garlic, by making small slices along the length of the garlic clove and then cutting crosswise.  Continue to cut until small pieces like this:
5. Place garlic in sauté pan and cover with olive oil.  Set aside.
6. Cut tomatoes in half, and remove stem/core (Carl calls this the tomato belly button) by making a small triangular cut (two diagonal cuts) and pulling off.  The tomatoes will look like this:
7. Remove the seeds from the tomato.  You can do this by running your thumb (pad) along fruit with the nail separating the seeds.  You may need to remove seeds from the middle of the fruit as well (you can cut a slit into the middle to remove the seeds, or just cut it with your thumb nail if it’s strong enough).  I usually keep a grocery bag nearby to put the seeds into for garbage (make sure there aren’t any holes in the bag first).  Your tomatoes should look like this:
8. Dice the tomatoes by cutting them lengthwise in thin strips, and then cutting parallel to this.  Be careful!  Tomatoes can be squirrelly and slip.  Take your time, and be safe.  No hospital trips, please.  This is the part of the recipe that takes the most time.  Be patient and do not rush.  When this is done, set the tomatoes to the side.
9. Remove basil from the stems.  You can do this by pinching off the leaf right at the stem.  See before and after:
10. Use a chiffonade cut on the basil.  This is a fancy term for small strips with a cross cut.  Don’t get overwhelmed with this.  The easiest way to do this is put all the leaves together in a stack and hold tightly.  Cut in small strips and work your fingers down the leaves as you cut more (keep that blade away your fingers!).  Do a crosscut (or two) by either turning the cutting board (easiest if you have the space) or the pile or basil (good for space saving).  Set aside.
11. Turn the heat up on the water to get it boiling.  The water should be preheated since it’s been sitting on medium heat for this entire time.
12. Place the sauté pan with the olive oil and garlic on a medium heat. When the oil starts to have tiny bubbles, add your pasta to the water (which should be boiling by now), and stir/toss the garlic with your cooking spoon.
13. Sauté the garlic for about 1 1/2 minutes and add tomatoes.  Toss in the olive oil and garlic. 
14. Stir the pasta briefly.
15. Add the balsamic vinegar to the tomatoes and toss the tomatoes and oil in the pan one more time.  Remove from heat.
16. Check your pasta to see if it’s done.  Angel hair takes about 5 minutes tops – test it to see if it’s done to your preference.  When the pasta is done, drain in a colander and do not rinse.  Starch is good!
17. Add the basil to the tomatoes and fold in.  You do this by taking a spoon of the tomatoes and slightly turning it over onto the basil.  Do this until thoroughly mixed.
18. Stir salt into tomato/basil/garlic mix.
19. Put the pasta back in the stockpot, and add the tomato/basil mixture.  
20. Toss to coat, and serve immediately.  Top with shredded or shaved parmesan cheese and cracked pepper (if you like).  
21. Add salt to taste.
22. Have your friends and family members tell you you are an amazing cook and either take all the credit or share this blog/recipe with them.

Enjoy!

I hope if you give this recipe a try you enjoy it as much as we do.  It is a staple in our house, and we actually ate the leftovers cold tonight (it can be really refreshing in the summer).  You can add/reduce the amount of oil/salt based on your dietary needs or taste preferences.  Without cheese, this is a vegan dish with no cholesterol, with the cheese it is still low on cholesterol and good for vitamin C, antioxidants and omega 3 oils.  Eating healthy can actually be quite delicious.