Blistered Tomato Pasta
INGREDIENTS:
2 pints cherry tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 lemon
1 shallot
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 slices of thick white bread
1 cup olive oil
16 oz spaghetti
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 oz of full-fat fresh mozzarella (size of mozzarella ball(s) doesn't matter)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
2 pre-cooked Italian pork sausages (alt: beyond or impossible sausage)
LET’S COOK:
1. Grab your largest saute pan and set it over medium heat.
2. Slice the sausage into 1/4 inch rounds and add to the pan, cook until lightly crispy and remove from pan.
3. Fill a large stockpot with water and bring the water to a boil. Add all the kosher salt to the pot.
4. Chop up the shallot and add the rest of the olive oil, all the tomatoes, garlic and shallot into the pan with a nice pinch of salt.
5. Lower the heat and simmer tomatoes for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, use a food processor or your hands to tear the white bread into bite-size pieces.
7. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a new pan and add the bread with a nice pinch of salt.
8. Toast until golden, around 4 minutes. Set aside.
9. Once the water comes to a boil cook the pasta until al dente, per the instructions on the box.
10. Once the pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and set aside.
11. Add the pasta, sausage, torn basil, mozzarella torn into bite-sized pieces, and butter into the pan.
12. Toss to coat and taste. Add salty pasta water, red pepper flakes, and extra basil to taste.
13. Top each portion with fresh bread crumbs and a squeeze of lemon juice.
