May 14, 2020
Spring weather has finally arrived in Ohio. The last few days were filled with historic cold weather for the month of May. Temperatures have dipped for a few days before rising again today. With warmer weather finally here to stay, I’ve started preparing more and more light meals featuring a combination of fresh and pantry ingredients. This week, I noticed the rainbow cherry tomatoes I had on hand beginning to wrinkle again. This was my cue to toss together an easy pasta dish using up the cherry tomatoes. Most of the time, when the cherry tomatoes I have on hand begins to wrinkle, I like to pull together simple soups, pastas, and pizzas to use up the cherry tomatoes. My experiments have led to many iterations of my blistered tomato soup, simple focaccia, endless pizzas, and even more pastas. Preparing dinner this week using cherry tomatoes brought back memories of the trip I took with Kevin to Italy last year. Kevin and I went on our honeymoon to Italy last May and experienced some of the most amazing food we’ve ever had. We ate endless variations of pastas, pizzas, and desserts throughout each day of our trip. In between our meals, we snacked on gelato, unique snacks, and more carbs. Every time I came across an unfamiliar or new snack, I wanted to try it. Kevin had to stop me from snacking so I could fully enjoy dinner each day. The same went for dishes I saw on the restaurant menus we came across. The food I did end up sampling were ingrained in my mind to this day. I still think back to the different flavors and textures of the foods we ate on our travels for inspiration in the kitchen from time to time. This week, I decided to recreate some of the flavors Kevin and I had during our travels by tossing together a simple pasta dish. I combined my love for cacio e pepe and tomato basil pasta salad into a peppery cheesy tomato basil spaghetti using only ingredients I had on hand. My peppery cheesy tomato basil spaghetti is tangy, creamy, savory, and bright. A touch of red wine vinegar and chopped garlic yielded the most palate pleasing spaghetti I’ve made to date. We were able to put the basil plant we’ve been growing by our dining room window to good use in the dish. I served the spaghetti alongside a simple minty orange fruit salad and the easiest chocolate almond pudding topped with a sprinkle of coconut flakes. Once all of the elements of the meal were complete, I poured Kevin and I a glass of our favorite accompaniment (green tea) to help wash everything down. All of the bright flavors in the pasta and fruit salad along with the indulgent chocolate dessert brought back memories of the amazing food we had in Italy. We definitely hope to be able to return back to Italy in the near future.
For the peppery cheesy tomato basil pasta:
· 2 quarts of water
· 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
· ½ package (8 ounces) spaghetti
· 2 teaspoons olive oil
· 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
· 1-2 ounces of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· 10 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
· 2 sprigs basil, thinly sliced
Directions:
1) Bring two quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water begins to boil, add the 1¼ teaspoons of kosher salt. Pour in half a package, about 8 ounces, of spaghetti. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pasta package.
2) When the pasta is done cooking, reserve a quarter cup of pasta water. Drain the rest of the pasta water. Drizzle in the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Toss in the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle in the kosher salt and black pepper. Gently toss in the cherry tomatoes and sliced basil.
For the minty citrus salad:
· 1 navel orange, skins peeled and cut into small pieces
· 1 Cara Cara orange, skins peeled and cut into small pieces
· 1 raspberry (or blood) orange, skins peeled and cut into small pieces
· 2 sprigs mint, stems removed and thinly sliced
Directions:
1) Toss the cut-up oranges and thinly sliced mint leaves together. Serve immediately.
For the chocolate almond pudding:
Follow the recipe for my maple almond puddling cups, add in two tablespoons of cocoa powder, and top with chocolate chips and unsweetened coconut flakes.
Takeaways: The addition of red wine vinegar and chopped garlic added another layer of flavor and texture to the pasta dish. The pasta dish can be further enhanced with the addition of cooked and crumbled bacon (for meat lovers like Kevin). For some added heat, sprinkle in some red pepper flakes.