Spaghetti Ischitani

My dad was in Dallas for a short period in the late eighties and he used to always  lunch at  an Italian restaurant Tommaso. He loved the pasta there so much that he used to go every single day. Soon, he met the Chef, Mrs. Laura Orso, who would converse with him in her native Italian. Then, the business was sold and turned into a wholesale pasta operation and Laura Orso started giving lessons to the Dallasites in fresh pasta making. I attended one of her lessons and she amazed me with her speed and dexterity. I had never seen anyone produce ravioli in less than 10 minutes before!

The following recipe is from Chef Laura Orso. I will guarantee that you will love it. It takes less than 5 minutes to prepare, start to finish, uses fresh ingredients, and there is no cooking involved (other than the pasta). Wonderful! Chef Orso says it is a great pasta to beat the heat as it is very refreshing. In Dallas it is something we definitely appreciate!

INGREDIENTS: This quantity will feed 6 to 8 people

1 lb.  package of capellini (angel hair)

5 tomatoes (about 6 oz each), seeded and peeled (drop in boiling water for 15 seconds), preferably vine-tomatoes

1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

salt, pepper, to taste

2 cloves of garlic (I added 6)

2 oz fresh basil (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese (use parmesan if unavailable)

METHOD:

• Drop the basil, garlic cloves, olive oil, tomatoes and cheese into a food processor. Process for a few minutes; if you like the sauce chunky, stop quickly or pulse, otherwise, go all the way until it gets liquidized.
• Set the sauce aside. Boil the pasta for 2 minutes. Drain and then dress with the sauce.

Serve. I added some mozarella balls for fun but it is not necessary. Sahteyn!