From sacha@gardenweeds506.fsnet.co.uk Wed Jan 31 16:40:43 2007 Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 17:44:38 +0000 From: Sacha Newsgroups: uk.food+drink.misc Subject: Pasta di Domenica As it's Sunday and I am rarely able to contribute recipes to all these knowledgeable people, I thought I'd post one I found some time ago (forget where, I'm afraid) Pasta di Dominica con Aceto Balsamico Serves 6 to 8 as a first course; 4 to 6 as a main dish 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 10 to 12 large cloves of garlic, cut into 1/2-inch dice Freshly ground black pepper and salt 6 quarts boiling salted water 1 pound dried imported Italian tagliatelle or linguine 1/2 cup pasta water 3/4 cup (not tightly packed) fresh basil leaves, chopped 3 tablespoons mixed fresh leaves of marjoram, chives or scallion tops, and mint, chopped 7 medium sized, superbly flavored fresh tomatoes, diced to about 1/2 inch, or 4 cups drained canned tomatoes 8 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler 4 to 6 tablespoons good-quality commercial Balsamic vinegar Working Ahead: The garlic can be braised up to 8 hours ahead. Set it aside, covered, at room temperature. The dish is best finished and eaten right away. Braising the Garlic: In a 12-inch heavy saut pan, combine the oil and garlic and set over low heat. Cook about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, or until garlic is soft and barely blond. Take care not to cook garlic beyond pale gold as it can become bitter. If difficult to keep garlic from browning, add about 1/4 cup of water to pan. Cooking the Pasta and Finishing the Sauce: Have pasta serving bowl and soup dishes warming in a low oven. Make sure pasta water is boiling hard. Drop in the pasta and stir frequently. Keep at a high boil. As it cooks, scoop out 1/2 cup pasta water and add it to the garlic (fresh pasta cooks in about a minute or more, while dried takes between 7 and 10 minutes). Reheat garlic over medium-low as you stir in the fresh herbs. Pasta is done when tender yet somewhat firm to the bite. Drain immediately in a colander. Add to the garlic along with tomatoes (crushing canned tomatoes with your hands), and toss to combine, still over medium heat. Taste for seasoning. Toss in cheese, turn into heated pasta bowl, and sprinkle with balsamic. Serve immediately. A few spoonfuls of fresh tomato could be held back and used as topping. -- Sacha http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/ (remove weeds from address)