Its date night on the farm!
Farm-fresh, lively, and simple, this pasta is a killer way to showcase the taste of summer in a quick, elegant meal for a group of your favorite friends.
We’ll supply the wine, you bring the stories… lets eat!
We love delicious organic tomatoes from our garden, so we’re turning them into an easy and impromptu date night on the farm.
The key to this recipe is really good olive oil, fresh and ripe sweet tomatoes, and plenty of fresh herbs.
The sweet acidity of the fresh heirloom tomatoes balances well with the nutty flavors of the toasted pine nuts and familiar taste of basil and herbs.
If you have something against vegetarians, some smoked bacon or pancetta is an amazing addition (it usually is).
Make it a date night! Call all your friends, light your finest mason jar candles and see where the night takes you!
MAKE IT:
Serves: 4-6
Adapted from: Ina Garten
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra
- 3/4 pound dried or fresh pasta – note cooking time differences below
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves – add more if you love garlic)
- 4 pints small heirloom sweet tomatoes (grape, cherry, or pear)
- 20 large basil leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Extra chopped basil for serving
- *Note: If you want to add meat, throw in some chopped bacon or pancetta and cook before adding garlic and tomatoes to sauté pan
Instructions
- In a stock pot, boil water with a few generous pinches of kosher salt and a little bit of olive oil
- If using dried pasta, add pasta to boiling water now and let cook while preparing to tomato and basil topping. Drain pasta from water once its al dente (after about 9 minutes), return pasta to stock pot, and add a splash of olive oil to coat noodles
- Toast pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat being careful to stir them occasionally so they don’t burn. Once toasted, set aside
- In a large sauté pan, heat ½ cup of olive oil over medium heat
- Add minced garlic to hot oil, and sauté for 30 seconds
- Add the fresh tomatoes, basil, parsley, oregano, and red pepper flakes to the sauté pan. Season with salt and pepper
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes stirring every once in a while until the tomatoes begin to soften
- If using fresh pasta, add pasta to boiling water after preparing tomato and basil topping and cook until al dente (2-3 minutes). Once finished, drain pasta from water, return pasta to stock pot, and add a splash of olive oil to coat noodles
- Add the cooked noodles to a serving plate of bowl, and toss with tomato and basil mixture. Grate fresh parmesan and toss fresh chopped basil and the toasted pine nuts over the top and serve!
DRINK IT:
Enjoy this fresh summer pasta with a bottle of Rosé of Pinot Noir, lighter Italian reds like Barbera or Dolcetto, or chilled whites like an off-dry Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc, or Grenache Blanc.