Remember how at the beginning of July it was hot? And I had to go to the pool after work to cool off because the lab was a toasty 32° C? Ah, those were the days. Since then it's been nothing but rainy with some cold and extra-rainy thrown in. I tend to think of July as my favorite month - it's warm, the days are long, it has my birthday (it now also has the birthday of my new nephew (!)), all the good summer produce is starting to come in and it just feels like quintessential summer. This year however, not so much with the quintessential summer part. In that first mini-burst of heat I was able to make what is possibly my favorite summer meal ever, and it's a sign of how miserable it's been that I have only made this dish twice this summer, total. Normally while the heat lasts it makes an appearance about once a week. It's one of those dishes that requires good tomatoes and basil, which means you're not likely to be able to make it before July, but then you can savor it through the end of August and beginning of September, before the last of the tomatoes disappear.
It's a ridiculously easy dinner, fast to make and not much clean-up. Basically you chop some tomatoes and combine them (juices and seeds and all) with small cubes of mozerella, shredded basil, a wee bit of garlic, and then enough olive oil to let all the ingredients mix and mingle. While the mingling is happening, you heat the pasta water and then boil capellini until it's just barely cooked, and toss it with the sauce so the heat from the pasta melts the cheese. The oil and tomato juice become the sauce, the cheese gets a bit oozy, the shards of basil cut the richness of the oil and oh man I'd really like to eat some right now, despite the fact that it's 10:30 pm and I should really go to bed.
This recipe came to me via my mom, via my aunt and uncle, and I don't know where they first encountered it. It's one of my favorites though, and for me it tastes like summer. And despite being rather fickle so far, the weather is looking up a bit - last week was beautiful, it was sunny this past weekend, and today I don't think it rained at all! I may even need to go to the pool after work tomorrow. Perhaps August will be the month for warm days that demand tomatoes and basil for dinner. July, I forgive you - we'll try again next year.
Basil Spaghetti
In my family there were two methods for serving this dish, and each method had its faction: one in favor of mixing all the pasta with the sauce at once, for optimal cheese melting; the other in favor of letting each person mix their sauce and pasta separately, which was better for leftovers. (Bonus - snacking on leftover sauce on toasted bread the next day.) Though I grew up in the mix-your-own camp and was a steadfast devotee for years, I defected at some point to mixing it all together at once. It's true that it's not as good for leftovers, but I live with Zoli. Do you really think we have leftovers? But feel free to let each person mix their own, the cheese doesn't melt as well but it's still mighty tasty. Also, I generally peel the tomatoes, but I have made it many times without peeling them and it's fine if you're feeling lazy or it's just too hot. One last thing - fresh or normal packaged mozzerella are both fine. If you use fresh (it's all I can find here) cut the ball into slices and dry them off a bit with paper towels before cubing it, otherwise the sauce can get too watery.
Basil Spaghetti
Serves 2-3 (can be doubled, tripled, you name it)
3 ripe plum tomatoes
1 ball fresh mozzerella (or 5 oz regular mozzerella)
1 branch fresh basil (20-ish leaves)
1 small clove garlic, pressed through a garlic press
1/4-1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
3/4 lb capellini (De Cecco is my favorite) or other skinny long pasta
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Spear a tomato on a fork through it's stem end and submerge in the boiling water for 10-15 seconds. Using a paring knife, peel the tomato, take it off the fork and core it. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes. Chop the tomatoes into pieces between 1/2-1" and add to a large bowl big enough for tossing the pasta. Cube the mozzerella (1/2 " pieces or smaller for optimal melting) and add to the tomatoes. Tear the basil into the bowl (or use kitchen shears), and add the garlic. Mix it all around and add a glug or two of oil. Add the salt and pepper (be generous with both), add a little more oil and stir again. Basically you want there to be a bit of oil/tomato liquid in the bowl but the ingredients don't want to be swimming. Taste, adjust the seasonings and let sit while preparing the pasta. (I like to let it sit at least 20 minutes before tossing with the pasta.)
Heat a large pot of water for the pasta. When it boils, add salt, then the pasta and cook the pasta until just barely al dente (this will only take 2 or 3 minutes). Drain well, then dump into the bowl with the sauce, tossing immediately to distribute the sauce and melt the cheese. Serve.
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