Cool Recipes for a Hot Summer-Spaghetti di Gragnano con Pomodorino di Piennolo by Carmine Mazza

Tomatoes are everywhere lately.  Here is a recipe by Carmine Mazza, Il Poeta Vesuviano that uses piennolo tomatoes.

Ingredients for 4
400 g spaghetti (Gragnano)
250 g piennolo tomatoes
1 garlic clove
olive oil (from Cilento)
fresh basil

Cook the pasta in salted water to the al dente point. In the meantime, chop a clove of garlic and sauté it in a pan with oil. Add the tomatoes that you have washed and cut into quarters. You don’t want to cook the tomatoes too much, just sauté a little.Drain the pasta and toss in the pan with the tomatoes. Add chopped basil and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Serve garnished with basil sauce* and a sprig of fresh basil.

*For the basil sauce: Blend the basil with extra virgin olive oil and salt until creamy smooth and compact.