Spaghetti With Tomatoes, Basil and Pecorino Romano
By: Giselle Cagli
Published: Tuesday, June 7, 2011 - 11:30am

Ingredients




1 cup date tomatoes (about 30)
200 grams of spaghetti (for this recipe I used De Cecco spaghettoni No. 412)
2 tablespoons of pecorino romano
6 basil leaves (set aside 2 or 4 small to garnish)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1/2 small onion
2 hot peppers (my secret ingredient!!!)
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1 Mince onions, dice garlic, and cut date tomatoes lengthwise. 2 Meanwhile bring a pot with water to a boil. When boiling, add coarse salt, and cook pasta following package instructions. Besides the quality of Pasta De Cecco, the main reason I am using this brand is because  time indications on the package are very precise. For example, according to the package, cooking time for this pasta format – spaghettoni- is 13 minutes, which in fact is exactly the real-time it took me to cook the pasta. 3 Heat a skillet with extra virgin olive oil (over medium high heat) and place diced garlic and hot peppers. Sautee for about 2-3 minutes to let flavors infuse into olive oil. Discard garlic and hot peppers. 4 On the same skillet, and keeping the same heat intensity, sautee onions for about two minutes. 5 Increase heat to high, add date tomatoes, and sautee for two minutes. Decrease heat to medium high and gently squeeze tomatoes to let the juices come out. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. 6 Drain pasta and transfer it to the skillet (over very low heat) with onions and tomatoes, add pecorino romano, and basil. 7 Since I want to get the most out of ingredients, I tear basil with my hands. An old Italian lady once told me to avoid cutting basil with a knife because it prevents essential oils from basil to let their aromas out (a.k.a Old Italian Wisdom!!!) 8 Blend all ingredients. 9 Plating the dish: To form a pasta nest, use a fork with long enough tines and hold it parallel over the skillet. Grab as much pasta as you can. Carefully transfer pasta to a soup ladle and twirl to form a nest. Gently place the nest on a plate. Finish by placing one o two basil leaf on top of the nest.