Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes

Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes is a simple and fresh dish, ideal for a summer meal or when you fancy something light and tasty. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 320 g of spaghetti
• 500 g of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Fresh basil to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste (optional)
• Fresh or flaked chili pepper (optional)
• Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (optional, to serve)

Preparation

1. In a large pan, heat a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil and add the peeled garlic. If you like, you can add chili pepper to give the dish a spicy touch.
2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half or leave them whole if they are small and add them to the pan as soon as the garlic turns golden. Remove the garlic if you prefer not to find it in the final dish.
3. Sauté the tomatoes in the pan for a few minutes, adjusting the salt and letting them cook until they start to release their juice.
4. In the meantime, bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the spaghetti, reserving some of the cooking water.
5. Transfer the spaghetti to the pan with the tomatoes and mix well, blending the flavors. If necessary, add a bit of the cooking water to make the sauce creamier.
6. Turn off the heat, add the hand-torn fresh basil, and, if you like, a sprinkle of black pepper.
7. Serve the hot spaghetti with a sprinkle of grated pecorino or parmesan cheese on top, if you like.

Trivia

This dish is a classic example of Italian cuisine which celebrates the simplicity and flavor of fresh ingredients. In Italy, it is often said that the fewer the ingredients, the greater the chef’s skill in bringing out the flavors, and spaghetti with cherry tomatoes is the perfect example of this philosophy.