I enjoy my kitchen garden so much! Right outside my kitchen door I have a space that is dedicated to herbs and summer vegetables. Many of my herbs grow year round and I especially enjoy heading to the garden to harvest what is needed for family meals.
Tomato Basil Pasta happens to be one of my husband and son’s favorite recipes so it is especially fun to pick with the two of them in mind.
I’ll need plenty of cherry tomatoes. I grow sweet 100’s every year. They are my pick because the tomatoes are sweet and the vines prolific.
Start by heating olive oil with a few cloves of garlic and some crushed red pepper. I am using this incredible olive oil I bought while in Provence in the spring. It is so full of flavor and has a very spicy bite! I will be taking my Provence group to this precious Olive Farm to see how olive oil is produced and lots of tasting of course!
Next add tomatoes and cooked penne pasta to the hot oil. Add Fresh Basil cut in a chiffonade. I like to roll leaves like a cigar and cut with my kitchen shears.
Add chunks of mozzarella cheese or better yet, fresh mozzarella and dust with parmesan cheese and your Kitchen Garden Dinner is served!
The fall schedule for cooking classes is UP!
Au revoir for now!
Lorie
Tomato Basil Pasta
1 16 ounce package of penne pasta
1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
2-3 cloves garlic
One package of fresh basil or 5-6 sprigs from your garden
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese cut into cubes
2 tablespoon parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil
Cook pasta in salted water to the al dente stage. Heat olive oil and whole garlic cloves in a large chef’s pan fo r2-3 minutes. Add crushed red pepper and continue to cook for another minute. Add cherry tomatoes and cook until heated through. Add fresh basil. Remove garlic cloves and add pasta to the pan. Toss pasta to coat with light sauce. Salt to taste. Add fresh mozzarella, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
