Cherry Tomato Pasta With Avocado Sauce Food

PASTA WITH BURST CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 15 seconds, then add the oil and heat until it thins out and easily coats the pan when swirled. Add pancetta and cook until it starts to render its fat, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and a large pinch of salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until they burst, turn golden at the edges and shrivel up slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add pasta to pan and toss with tomato-pancetta mixture; if the mixture looks dry add a little pasta cooking water a few tablespoons at a time. Cook over high heat until the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce. Add the butter and toss until it melts and coats everything.
• Divide pasta among warmed pasta bowls. Garnish with dollops of ricotta if desired, and top with a generous mound of fresh mint and scallions. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and more pepper before serving.

PASTA WITH 15-MINUTE BURST CHERRY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12" skillet or wide heavy saucepan over medium-high. Add garlic, then tomatoes, pepper, sugar, and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes burst and release their juices to form a sauce, 6-8 minutes.
• Toss pasta with tomato sauce and basil. Top with Parmesan.

ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH AVOCADO AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
• While pasta is cooking, heat oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat; add garlic. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until garlic is tender but not brown; remove from heat.
• Stir basil, avocado and tomatoes into garlic in sauce-pan. Toss vegetable mixture and pasta. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

CAPUNTI PASTA WITH GOLDEN CHERRY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• For the capunti: Dust a sheet pan with semolina and set aside.
• Combine the semolina flour and all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Create a well in the center of the flour and pour in 1/2 cup warm water. Mix the dough with a fork, mixing until smooth. If the dough seems dry, add more water to get a smooth, not wet, dough. Let rest for 15 minutes, if time allows.
• Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, roll it into pieces about the size of Ping-Pong balls. Roll each piece out to a rope about 12 inches long and 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut the ropes into 1-inch-long pieces. Using the edge of a knife, roll each piece towards you, putting pressure on the dough to create an indentation in the middle so it forms a canoe-like shape. Place the formed capunti on the prepared sheet pan; keep them covered with a damp kitchen towel until ready to cook. Continue until all the dough is used.
• Meanwhile, make the cherry tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once glistening, add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes and half of the basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook until the tomatoes burst and break down, about 10 minutes, lowering the heat as needed and stirring occasionally. Turn the heat off; discard the garlic cloves if you like.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot filled two-thirds full of water to a boil. Season with salt. Drop the capunti into the pot and boil until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta directly to the skillet with the tomato sauce and stir; the pasta will begin to absorb the sauce. If it is looking dry, add a ladle of the starchy reserved pasta water. Continue stirring, adding more water if needed, until you are happy with consistency. Spoon the warm pasta into bowls and top each serving with torn burrata, the remaining basil leaves and freshly grated Parmigiano.