Mary Mary quite contrary how does your garden grow?

I would say; if asked that it is doing OK; just OK because somethings are doing way better than others. I would argue that it’s more the weathers fault than my own; how could you dispute it? July was the rainiest on record, August has been hazy hot and humid and still a bit damp. Later today we are supposed to get rain and wind from hurricane Henri. Even being an hour and a half from the coast we still feel some of the weather. Flooding is being talked upped quite a bit over the weekend around here. If you are on the coast please stay safe!

Back to the garden – our sunburst cherry tomatoes are popping. I picked all I could yesterday and will be making this recipe sometime for dinner this week. If you like simple recipes that pack a punch of flavor and you have an abundance of cherry tomatoes; this one is for you.
My daughter made this last weekend while we were away so I only had the leftovers for lunch. Even a couple of days later it was delicious. Super flavorful with just a little heat.

Spaghetti with lemon and summer cherry tomatoes

dclarkabal

a simple summer pasta with a punch of lemon and heat

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Ingredients

  

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic smashed and sliced
• 3 pints cherry tomatoes 1 pint halved
• 1 teaspoon habanero chile finely diced
• 2 lemons zested and juiced
• 1 pound dried bucatini or use thick spaghetti if you can't find it
• ⅓ cup Parmesan Reggiano grated or use pecorino, plus more for serving
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped, plus more for serving
• 1 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped, plus more for serving
• 2-3 links Italian sausage optional

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, do not walk away from the stove. Cook until it is light brown, about 2 minutes. Add all of the tomatoes and chile. Season generously with salt. Cook until the tomatoes begin to burst, 8-10 minutes. Stir in half the lemon zest and all of the lemon juice. Continue to cook until most of the tomatoes have burst and begun to break down, 3-5 minutes. Set them aside and cover to keep warm.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the bucatini and cook according to the package directions until al dente
• Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the tomato mixture, grated cheese, and ½ cup of the pasta water to the pot and toss to combine. Add additional pasta water, as needed, to make a light sauce. Stir in the fresh herbs and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve warm with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, more grated cheese and some lemon zest
• If using sausage, slice 1 to 1½ inch pieces and sauté in a pan until browned and cooked through. Add on top and around the pasta once plated