Springtime Herb Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes

Springtime Herb Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes

 This pasta dish is inspired by an episode of “The Chew” that featured a New York restaurant called Rosemary’s Restaurant.  This is a light, absolutely delicious dish that comes together in minutes; the pasta cooking is what takes the most amount of time.  My only request?  Please don’t try to substitute dry ingredients for fresh here!  Fresh herbs boost memory, fight cancer, are a natural anti-inflamatory and they taste great!

Serves 4

1 375 g box of whole wheat pasta (I used spaghetti)

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, cut into chunks

3 Cloves garlic, crushed

½ Cup white wine

A large handful of fresh basil

A large handful of fresh parsley

8 – 10 Sprigs of fresh thyme

A small bunch of fresh dill (about a tablespoon, once chopped)

Salt

Pepper

1 Cup starchy cooking water, reserved

–  Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta, season liberally with salt; cook two minutes less than box directions.

–  After you add the pasta to the boiling water:

–  Take a large frying pan and heat the oil over high heat.  When it is hot (it will ripple) add the tomatoes; season with salt and pepper.

–  After the tomatoes have started to break down (about 3 minutes) add the garlic (don’t let it burn) and sautee it for about 30 minutes.

–  Add the wine and let the alcohol cook out for about a minutes.  Scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to release any flavours that may be stuck (deglazing).

–  Add 2/3 of the herbs to the pan; season with salt and pepper.

–  The pasta should be ready to be strained at this point; add the cup of starchy water to the frying pan.  If the pasta is not ready yet, drop the the heat on the pan to the low and then bring it back up to high heat when the pasta is done.

–  Add the pasta to the pan

–  Let the pasta boil in the liquid for 2-3 minutes, until most of the liquid has absorbed.

–  Taste the pasta to make sure it’s cooked; if it’s still too aldente for you then just drop the heat to low and let the pasta rest in the liquid for a few minutes.

–  When the pasta is cooked to your preference, turn the heat off the pan.

–  Add the remaining herbs; mix well.

–  Taste and adjust seasoning and then serve immediately.

Notes:

1. You will have about a cup of fresh herbs, chopped.
2. Don’t omit the dill, it is incredible here.
3. Use any herbs you have on hand, this is a very versatile recipe.
4. If you don’t have white wine you can use stock or more starchy water in it’s place.