Angel hair Pasta Alla Checca

From The Family Dinner

By Laurie David

With recipes by Kirstin Uhrenholdt

a gift from our Grammy

"Alla checca" is the simplest, most beautiful tomato sauce there is. Its few ingredients are just thrown together raw and left to taste how nature intended them to taste.  So the secret is to get the very tastiest ingredients you can.  Summer-ripe sweet tomatoes are best - and if you can get the colorful heirloom ones, even better."

~ from The Family Dinner

This weekend's trip to the Hudson farmer's market (a charming and quaint Ohio suburb) provided me with the perfect opportunity to get my hands on summer-ripe sweet tomatoes.   My love affair with farmer's markets has inspired my use of locally grown ingredients in many of our summer meals. No longer do I peruse their tented booths in search of the perfect danish to accompany my early morning coffee, alone.  

Now, for each scone or danish we purchase, a crisp cucumber or rounded tomato is purchased as well.

Ingredients:

3 cups ripe tomatoes, halved

2 cloves garlic, sliced or finely chopped

1/4 cup or so fresh basil, torn into small pieces, a few whole leaves saved for garnish

1/2 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil

1-2 balls of fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes, or 8 ounces of tiny bocconcini mozzarella balls

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound angel hair pasta (I used half a pound, and found the right balance of noodles to sauce.)

To make 4-6 servings

Combine all the ingredients (except the pasta) in a bowl to make the checca sauce.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for half an hour.  Boil the pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions, in water that tastes like the sea.  Toss with the checca sauce and garnish.  (A huge heaping of Parmesan cheese does not hurt, either.)

A perfect summer dish to enjoy with loved ones.