spaghetti, tomatoes, garlic, basil, fresh fennel seed

heirloom_tomato_spaghetti

 

More than just a vehicle for some wonderful late-season tomatoes, this simple pasta dish paraded every one of its ingredients.

  • Setaro spaghetti from Buon Italia, mixed with a sauce of garlic, from John D. Madura Farm, heated in a large non-reactive pot with olive oil over medium heat until fragrant, about one quarter of a cup of roughly-torn Gotham Greens Brooklyn rooftop basil from Whole Foods added, the drained pasta introduced to the pan, along with a little over a pound of multi-colored heirloom and orange and red cherry tomatoes [also heirloom?] from Norwich Meadows Farm (diced as fairly large pieces), freshly-ground pepper, one small, crushed dry peperoncino, the mix stirred briefly over very low heat with some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid until it had emulsified, then blended with another quarter of a cup of basil and some fresh fennel seeds from Lani’s Farm, once the pot was removed from the range
  • the wine was an Italian (Sardinia) white, La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna 2013
  • the music was Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8, performed by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Alan Gilbert