Thursday, August 26, 2010

Pomodoro Crudo

"Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti." Sophia Loren

Spaghetti does not look the same on me as it does on Sophia Loren.  Nevertheless, I wait all year to make Spaghetti Pomodoro Crudo. August in New Jersey is the perfect time to make this quick and delicious  summer pasta. It is pure and simple. The quality of the tomatoes is paramount, and now is the time to use those farm stand or garden-grown perfectly ripe tomatoes.


For dinner tonight I cut three tomatoes horizontally, seeded them, and then cut them into smallish chunks. To them I added one clove of garlic, pressed, and a handful of basil cut up (or torn, if you like), some fresh mozzarella, and a couple of grinds of pepper. I then poured about 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil over everything. Covered, this sat on the counter until dinner time. The mixture needs salt, but I waited until about thirty minutes before using it to add the salt so that it didn't become too watery.  The sauce can sit out at room temperature for up to four hours. It's best to let it marinate for at least thirty minutes to an hour.



This sauce takes well to improvisation. So feel free to add whatever you might like--capers, hot pepper flakes, anchovies, olives--you get the idea.

Some use spaghetti in this recipe, but I prefer a pasta that can hold the sauce, such as orecchiette or shells.When the orecchiette ( I used 6 ounces for two servings) was cooked and drained, it was immediately added to the sauce. The heat from the just-cooked pasta began to soften the mozzarella and barely heated the tomatoes. Heaven. Be sure to have some crusty bread on hand to sop up the extra juices.

Green salads have seemed lackluster to me lately, so I made a cucumber and red onion salad. And it proved to be a cool counterpoint to the pasta.

7 comments:

  1. That is a really funny quote- love it! The pictures make me hungry for dinner all over again!

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  2. My goodness, that looks good. That shot of it all marinating has my mouthwatering and you have made me smile with your comment about Sophia Loren.

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  3. Stacy G.--Maybe I'll research pasta recipes by Sophia Loren. Can't hurt, she seems to appear more lovely as she ages ; )

    Kath--Thanks. If only our tomatoes here would have a longer season.
    But I guess that's what eating seasonally is all about.

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  4. perfect use for bursting ripe summer tomatoes, and for some odd reason, I've not eaten them Yet in the crudo manner---
    your post of course is changing that.. like at lunch today! thanks-

    sophia could turn a phrase!

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  5. Spaghetti doesn't do for me what it does for Sophia Loren either and oh how I wish it did! This recipe sounds very tasty. I think I might try using sweet 100s in addition to the regular tomatoes because I have a ton of them and love how they pop in my mouth when they get warm. Can't wait to try!

    Have a great weekend!

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  6. Serendipitydiary--Thanks for stopping by. With your beautiful tomatoes,
    you're sure to like pomodoro crudo.

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