Il Sughetto per i Cappelletti Messicani
The goal here is to respect the flavors of really ripe tomatoes. Will this be just as good with canned or out of season tomatoes? No. In that case, dress your pasta differently. But if you can get your hands on really ripe tomatoes, this is a great way of thinking about a simple but genuine pasta sauce.
Ingredients
Rughetta (‘arugula’ or ‘rocket’) Really ripe, small tomatoes. Daterini here in Italy. Hardened ricotta, whatever you can find. We use cacioricotta but even other cheeses, such as parmigiano will work. Olive Oil Salt
Directions
Wash, and cut tomatoes into thumb knuckle-sized pieces and place in large-enough sauté pan. Heat though until they begin to soften, you want to think of them as a fruit compote, rather than a marmalade, keeping the integrity of the shape and structure. Turn them off.
Add the pasta to heavily salted water (as salty as the seas) add pasta and cook until the flour tastes cooked. Add cooked pasta to the tomato and bring back to the simmer together for a minute or two. Add the rughetta, wilting it right into the pasta and tomato sauce pan. Add the cheese and a good, healthy glug of extra virgin, the equivilant of a portion of wine for 4 or more people. Turn off heat. Serve.
Note: As in all cooking, the fewer the ingredients the better each will have to be. If you can’t find good ripe tomatoes- in season- good rughetta, or good cheese, dress with a different condiment.
Save this dish for late summer, as a showcase for those farmer’s market beauties.
Wine: follow the season but anything but a sweet wine will show very well with this dish, as it has so many flavours.
