Chili & Tomato Egg Pasta with Squash Blossoms & Heirloom Tomatoes
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 10 min Serves: 2
A lot of times, the role of a Chef is to get out the way of the ingredients, and just let them shine on their own without too much alteration. Such is the case with this simple pasta dish. Squash blossoms are high on my list of favorite seasonal ingredients, and as such I try not to manipulate them too much. The heirlooms and egg pasta itself I sourced from Bishop's Orchards, a fantastic farm market in Guilford that was actually one of the first places I ever worked at. However for the ambitious home pasta maker never fear, for we will get to pasta making soon enough.
preparation:
Bring a lot pot of well salted water up to a boil on high heat. Once the water is boiling add pasta, cooking until al dente. Strain off the pasta and reserve 4 tbs of the blanching water. Pour olive oil into a medium sized saute pan and place over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, then add blossoms and tomatoes. Add the pasta and water, bring to a simmer. Add in butter and Parmesan, tossing lightly until sauce thickens and coats pasta thoroughly. Season to taste and garnish with chopped basil and drizzle of olive oil
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb dried chili tomato pasta
- 8 large squash blossoms
- 1 large heirloom tomato
- 1 tbs garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 tbs fresh basil (chopped)
- 2 tbs fresh grated Parmesan
- 4 tbs reserved pasta water
- 1 tbs butter
- 2 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste