Fresh, Seasonal Tomato Basil Pasta
July 18, 2006 Other Contributors
About
Tomatoes and basil, when in season, are bursting with flavour so it’s time to taste them in their glory. This dish is fresh and yummy and so easy and simple we often forget about it. Choose your favorite pasta. . . mine is spiral kamut or kamut linguini. Mix up yellow and red tomatoes for flavour and colour.
A fresh green salad with cucumbers & miso dressing complements this dish nicely. To make a miso salad dressing, blend up some apple cider vinegar, miso, hemp seeds, olive oil, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, sea salt, a little water and fresh garlic. Enjoy!
Recipe by: Yesim Gumus
Ingredients
| Pasta, your favourite | about 1.5 cups per person | |
| Grape seed oil | as needed | |
| Tomatoes | about 1.5 per person | |
| Fresh basil | large bunch, to taste | |
| Olive oil | a couple of swigs | |
| Pepper, freshly ground (fine) | to taste | |
| Sea salt | to taste | |
| Cayenne | to taste | |
| Other fresh herbs such as cilantro, sage, oregano, etc. | to taste | |
| Maple syrup | small amount, to taste | |
| Goat or sheep feta, unpasteurized, crumbled (optional) | to taste | |
| Moroccan olives, pitted, chopped roughly (optional) | to taste |
Editor’s Notes
- Any time you make a recipe with most of the ingredients to taste, please be cautious of the seasonings. Use small amounts at first and add more if needed.
- This recipe is GF only if gluten-free pasta is used. If you are following a gluten-free diet look for pasta made from quinoa, rice, corn, and other gluten-free grains.
Directions
- Start to boil water for the pasta.
- Wash tomatoes. Dice them up chunky and place in a large bowl.
- Turn down the boiled water until you need it.
- Now, use a big bunch of basil. Cut off the ends and wash well in a big bowl full of water so all the soil falls to the bottom. Pick out any bad parts. Place basil in strainer. Using your hands, squeeze the bunch to get rid of excess water, or use a towel or spinner. Chop roughly (use tender stems too) and add to tomatoes. The mixture smells really good at this point!
- Next, pour in a couple of swigs of olive oil, fresh, finely ground pepper; sea salt and a little cayenne. Also add a few sprigs of other fresh herbs from your garden such as those suggested in the ingredients list. Add a small amount (about 1/2 tsp) of maple syrup.
- For extra protein add rennet-free unpasteurized goat or sheep feta. Also, a handful of de-pitted sun dried black Moroccan olives, chopped roughly, would just make this over-the-top delicious!
- Mix this whole fresh tomato mixture together, taste and adjust seasonings. It should be a little too salty so that when it is mixed with the pasta it will be perfect.
- Have all your plates ready, side dishes prepared and the table set because the pasta gets strained and put onto your plate!
- Bring the water back to a boil, and add pasta, a swig of grape seed oil and some salt and mix right away until the water takes over and the pasta is not sticking together. Then stay with it for about 10-15 minutes. Turn it down a little to avoid over boiling and check it to see how much longer it needs to be cooked. No multi-tasking at this point! Pasta needs to be tended to or it over cooks and gets mushy! Not good. You don’t want it falling apart when mixing. El dente is perfect as the Italians say.
- When your pasta is done to perfection, serve onto plates or bowls and top with fresh tomato mixture. Use nutritional yeast as parmesan if you wish, and enjoy!
“I wish to support myself through the application of my gifts, talents and interests. Love your work and you will never work a day in your life.”- Yesim Gumus
Healthy Whole Foods; Preparation & Guidance; Personal Catering; Intuitive cooking classes. For more information please visit her website.
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