Pasta with Fresh Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6

Pasta alla checca, as this dish is called in Italy, is quick, light and fresh, making it perfect for the summer months, when tomatoes are in abundance and at their peak. Cookbook author and actor Stanley Tucci explains, “When I was working a lot in Los Angeles, it seemed that every restaurant had it on their menu – which is hardly surprising: they have access to terrific tomatoes year-round.” If you have a heat diffuser, use it when sautéing the garlic and onion; you want them to soften but not take on any colour before adding the tomatoes.

Ingredients

500 g dried long, thin pasta, such as capellini, linguine or spaghetti
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
500 g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Tbs. salt
1 cup (30 g) fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for serving
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, in a 30-cm sauté pan over low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not coloured. Add the tomatoes and increase the heat to high. Add the salt and toss everything together. Cook for a couple minutes but no longer, then add the basil to wilt it. The juice from the tomatoes should emulsify with the olive oil, creating a sauce.
Using tongs, remove the pasta from the water and transfer it directly to the sauce, tossing them together (you may need to divide both the sauce and the pasta and do this in two batches). Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Transfer to serving bowls and sprinkle with extra fresh basil. Serve with Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side. Serves 4 to 6.
Recipe adapted from The Tucci Table, by Stanley Tucci and Felicity Blunt, with Kay Plunkett-Hogge (Gallery Books, 2014, and Orion, 2015)

Pasta with Fresh Cherry Tomatoes and Basil