One of my tried and true pasta recipes - Farfalle with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil. A summer dish with fresh picked, quality, ripe tomatoes and fresh picked basil. The only cooking you do is to make the pasta. You're going to love it!
*See Kitchen Notes for more information and related links.
Cook the pasta according to the directions and al dente.
Since it takes about 30 minutes to make the pasta, I usually start the water for the pasta after the tomato mixture has rested for 30 minutes.
Basil – There is no replacement for fresh basil. Dried basil does not work!
Tomatoes – Always use firm, ripe tomatoes. If the tomatoes are mushy or overripe, find another use for them, but don’t use them for this dish. As far as the type of tomato goes, whatever type you have, except for Roma or cherry tomatoes. There isn’t enough jelly in Romas to help create a “no cook sauce” and cherry tomatoes have too little meat and too much skin. Large heirlooms are the best! However, I’ve used all sorts of tomatoes for this dish and they all work wonderfully, just as long as they are GOOD medium to large, meaty tomatoes.
Farfalle – For years, I made this with linguine but once I tried it with farfelle (bowtie), I've never gone back. With the farfelle it is easier to grab a little of everything in one bite; therefore, I would highly recommend using it over linguine. I would not recommend Penne which is too thick for this sauce nor angel hair (Capellini) which is too thin.
Olives – We’ve made this with green olives, black olives and both, but our favorite are the pimento stuffed green olives, and since I buy them in the huge jars, I always have them in the refrigerator. However, most any type of olive works. I haven’t found one that didn’t.
Cheese – Our favorite is Monterey Jack, but most any type of young white cheese works. You want a young cheese with a low melting point. That way, the cheese will soften and even melt a little bit when you add the hot pasta.
Garlic – Because this recipe uses raw garlic, a medium sized clove yields a relatively strong garlic flavor after an hour of resting in the sauce. If you’re not a garlic fan, just leave the garlic out or use a really small piece. I’ve used roasted garlic in this dish, but to be honest – I prefer the raw garlic.
Variations
For a spicy version, add ¼ to ½ tsp. red chile flakes.
For a gluten-free version, use rice instead of pasta.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen