One of my favorite, quick pastas to throw together is Pasta Caprese. Normally I make this pasta sauce with fresh tomatoes, but it's not the season for that. Canned diced tomatoes can be just as flavorful in this pasta and perfect for the winter months when you are craving a bit of summer. This dish is light and healthy, but also filling with the bits of oozy fresh mozzarella and fresh egg pasta.
A couple tips and tricks about this recipe.
The key to cooking anything is to have your mise en place all ready to go. That's just a fancy French cooking term meaning, have everything in place. That is the first thing I teach my students. Get all your prep done before you start cooking. That way when you turn the pan on, you have everything at your fingertips, ready to be thrown in the pan. All you have to worry about is stirring, tasting and seasoning. It's such a simple thing but really is one of the biggest keys to successful cooking.
If you have a few tomatoes lying about, dice them up and throw them in the pan. You will want to cook them first with the olive oil and garlic for a couple minutes before you add the can of diced tomatoes. If it is the summer and you have in-season tomatoes, you will cook them all first in the olive oil with the garlic and won't add any canned tomatoes. This particular time around, I had a fresh Roma tomato, so I threw it in the pan for a bit before I added the canned tomatoes.
I like to build as much flavor as I can and if you want to get the diced tomatoes with seasoning already in them, great. I usually always have a can or two in my pantry, so if I am lucky and one is garlic and basil seasoned then all the more happiness in the pan.
Taste, taste, taste. Always taste your food. Tomatoes, especially canned ones can have a high acid content. I always add a bit of sugar to most of my homemade tomato sauces to cut the acid. Also, taste before you add any more salt once you have added the canned tomatoes. You are safe with fresh tomatoes, because you know that they don't have any added ingredients but some canned tomatoes have salt already added. The key is always to taste, then add just a little salt and sugar to start, then add a little more if you need it. If it gets too salty, throw a splash of your boiling pasta water in and continue tasting.
Don't add the cheese or the fresh basil to the pasta and sauce until you have put it in the serving bowl. The fresh basil will turn brown and lose some of it's punch if you cook it for too long.
Oh and fresh pasta in my opinion is key to this recipe. I also don't drain the cooked pasta...I just grab my tongs and pull out the cooked pasta straight from the water and put it right into the saucepan. That little bit of water that makes it into the pan feels like good luck to me. (Oh and you know...it's one less pan to clean and it breaks up the sauce a bit.)
Also, this sauce is great for bruchetta. Just grill up some bread. Take the cooked tomatoes off the heat, toss in the basil and mozzarella and top your grilled bread pieces.
Pasta Caprese
serves 3-4 (or just two...depending on that second person)
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (don't drain)
1 fresh Roma tomato diced (optional)
1 ball of fresh mozzarella cut up into cubes
3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
3 Tbsp of sliced fresh basil
1 Tbsp of olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sugar to taste
1 10 oz. package of fresh pasta cooked according to directions
Salt your water and put the pan on the heat to get your water boiling for your pasta.
While you are waiting for your water to boil. Heat a large saucepan with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Add the diced fresh tomato and cook on medium-high with salt and pepper for a couple minutes, until it begins to get soft. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring the entire time. Add the can of diced tomatoes, including the liquid. Add a bit of sugar, about 1/2 teaspoon, to cut the acid. Taste to determine if the sauce needs more salt, pepper or more sugar. By this time your pasta water should have been boiling. Put your pasta in the water. Cook the sauce for a few minutes while you are waiting for the pasta to be done. By then the sauce will have reduced a bit. Take the cooked pasta out of the water with tongs and add it directly to the saucepan.Stir the pasta until it is fully covered in the sauce and then move the pasta and sauce to a serving bowl. Stir in the fresh basil and diced mozzarella. Garnish with some parmesan and serve immediately.
