CAPRESE PASTA
When the temperature rises, my eating habits change dramatically. Good-bye, my much-loved stews, pot roasts, and biscuits. Hello, fresh fresh fresh vegetables, piles of fruit, and chilled pastas. Felicity’s “Caprese Pasta” is excellent when served warm and drippy…but she told me that it would be even better the next day cold and eaten straight from the refrigerator, and she was right. I inhaled the rest around 9:30AM (sorry, sweetie-who-may-have-been-anticipating-leftovers).
What you need:
A small box of spaghetti
Three or four ripe tomatoes
Big handful of basil
Extra-virgin olive oil – the greener and thicker, the better (or basil-infused olive oil, if you can find it)
At least half a pound of best-quality bufala mozzarella
Salt and freshly ground pepper
What you do:
1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
2. While spaghetti is cooking, dice up the tomatoes and chop up the basil. Either chop up the mozzarella or pull it into strips – whichever you prefer. Put it all into a large serving bowl with about 1/4 cup olive oil and a ton of salt and pepper.
3. Drain pasta and add to bowl; toss to coat. Season a bit more, if necessary.
(Served with garlic bread.)
