TOMATO****Pasta with Sun Gold Tomatoes

By Unblond1

Mario Batali
27/07/14 - I made this because I had yellow cherry tomatoes that were about to go bad. I quite liked the sauce itself but I added some crispy Serano ham to keep Dan happy and it wasn't necessary and didn't do it any favours. Ditto with the breadcrumbs in my opinion. I'd like this just for me with some fresh basil and a tiny bit of cheese.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 8 ounces Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• 4 ounces capellini, spaghetti, or bucatini
• 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan
• 8 medium fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces - Optional, for me only - could substitute fresh thyme or parsley (purely for colour)
• Toasted breadcrumbs (for garnish; optional)

Details

Servings 2
Adapted from epicurious.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes, season with salt, and cook, covered slightly and swirling pan often, until tomatoes blister and burst, 10-12 minutes. Press down on tomatoes to release their juices. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5 quart pot. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.

Transfer pasta to skillet with tomatoes; set over high heat. Add 1/2 cup pasta water. Cook, stirring and tossing often, until sauce thickens and begins to coat the pasta, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining oil, cheese, and half the basil and toss until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Add remaining basil, season with salt, and serve with breadcrumbs, if desired.