The perfect summer dinner

Written by Drew Hansen and Julie Cooper

Sunday, 30 August 2009 17:31

Like most people, we’re strapped for time when it comes to meal planning and preparation. This year, with a newborn, a toddler, and plenty of cherry tomatoes underfoot, we’ve found ourselves enjoying many variations on that old summer standby, fresh tomato pasta sauce. Everyone has their favorite version. Here’s ours, adapted from Guiliano Bugialli’s The Fine Art of Italian Cooking. The unusual feature of this recipe is that you chill the tomato mixture (if you’re really in a hurry you can stick it in the freezer for the time it takes to cook the pasta) and then toss with the pasta as soon as the pasta comes out of the water. As Bugialli says, “The contact of the very hot with the very cold releases an unforgettable flavor.” Yep.

Uncooked Tomato Pasta Sauce

Ingredients
1.5 lbs cherry tomatoes (more or less), rinsed and stemmed.
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled
25 large leaves fresh basil
½ cup best extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Generous amount of freshly ground pepper
1 lb penne pasta

Preparation
Cut cherry tomatoes in half and put in a large bowl. (Quarter tomatoes if extra large). Chop garlic coarsely and add to the bowl. Tear basil leaves into thirds and add to the bowl. Pour in oil, season with salt and pepper. Mix gently so that the tomatoes don’t split.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Cook pasta in boiling water that has been salted.

Drain pasta and pour cold tomatoes with their sauce over the noodles. Toss gently to distribute sauce.

(Bugialli writes: “Do not add grated cheese.” We concur.)

Yellow and Green Bean Salad

We’ve found this simple bean salad to be a wonderful (and easy) accompaniment to Bugialli’s fresh tomato pasta. The recipe is adapted from Peter Hoffman, the owner and chef of Savoy in New York City, who plans his daily menus around the offerings of the New York City greenmarket.

Ingredients
3 cups mixed-colored string beans, trimmed
2 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 sprig mint, chopped
1 TB extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook beans until cooked through but firm, about 7 minutes; rinse with cold water. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl; add beans and toss. Serve.

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