This is hands down my favorite meal of all time. My mother made it when I was growing up, with tomatoes from her garden. You can use any perfectly ripe tomatoes. I like to use a combination of yellow and red tomatoes - cherries and/or beefsteak. The quantities listed are approximate and can be easily adjusted for taste. It takes a little tinkering to get it just perfect, but add ingredients little by little and you can't go wrong.
You want to make this sauce at least an hour before serving so the flavors can meld.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 6 large, perfectly ripe tomatoes or the equivalent in cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of good extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves chopped more for garnish
- 4-6 large garlic cloves
- 1-2 cups of diced Italian fontina cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 pound pasta (I prefer short pasta, like ziti, fusili or cavatapi)
Preparation:
Don't bother peeling the tomatoes - just core and dice them. Smash the garlic cloves with a large knife then peel them. You want to smash the cloves so that they stay whole and release their flavor, but you can easily take them out of the sauce before serving.
In a large bowl, mix tomatoes, oil, vinegar, smashed garlic, chopped basil, salt and pepper.
Adjust quantities to taste.
Let sit for at least an hour before serving.
Cook pasta until al dente.
While pasta is cooking, divide the diced fontina cheese between 4 large bowls.
Remove cloves of garlic from sauce.
When pasta is cooked, drain and quickly add to bowls on top of the cheese.
Toss pasta and cheese to combine.
Top with fresh tomato sauce.
Serve with grated parmesan.
