Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Alice Waters' Pesto Pasta with Bottom Layer of Heirloom Tomatoes


Lately, along with Mark Bittman's article in the NY Times, 100 Simple Salads for the Season, and Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food, our weeknight fare has been getting the shake up it's been waiting for.

No Julia or Julia, I cheer Waters' fundamental tips and suggestions for getting jazzy with the basics. Last night's pesto pasta was divine.

Fundamental: Skip the food processor and pound pesto ingredients with mortar and pestle.

Basic: Add 1/2 cup of pasta water to pasta and pesto.

Sublime variation: Plate a layer of sliced heirloom tomatoes. Pile pasta on top of the heirlooms, letting them peak out for a meaty surprise.

3 comments:

madame v said...

May I just mention how impressed I am that you have a mortar and pestle?

That looks good, esp. because we have some tomatoes we just harvested from the garden. Yum. Now, if I didn't want to do pasta, what would you suggest?

Sherry Pierce Thurner said...

Lord, I love pesto. I think one of my favorite things about summer is that I get to grow basil and smell it whenver I want.

Nuree said...

oooh~ i've never made my own pesto. mortar and pestle sound hardcore though. i, like vanessa, am impressed you have them.