May 10-11 Pasta with Checca Sauce


May 10    Pasta with Checca Sauce
May 11    BBQ steak

I had a pint and a half of super ripe little grape tomatoes that were going to go bad if we didn't eat them soon. I had no choice but to make some pasta again. Honestly.

I found this Checca sauce in Giada's Everyday Italian and it is very similar to something I make all the time but different enough that it counts as a new recipe. When I make my version of this I just chop up super ripe tomatoes into a pretty fine dice, toss with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper, sometimes fresh basil, sometimes not and a whack of fresh boccaccini and let it sit all afternoon before tossing hot pasta into the room temperature tomato mixture. In this version, you process the tomatoes with some scallion, garlic and parmesan until you have a nice, coarse sauce. She doesn't say to do it ahead but I let it sit at room temperature for a couple of hours to let the flavours really mingle and get to know one another.


Since there was very little in the way of protein in this dish, I roasted a can of chick peas to toss into a salad to go with it. Both the crispy chickpeas and the pasta dish were a big hit all around. I think I still prefer my old standbye method of just chopping the tomatoes with the olive oil, salt and basil. I found the scallion and raw garlic a little overpowering but the boys liked it very much and didn't agree. They did both tell me that they like it better when I leave the chunks of boccaccini bigger. It's always something.



Checca Sauce with Cavatappi (serves 4)
Everyday Italian

1 1/2 pints grape tomatoes
3 green onions, coarsely chopped (i didn't use the dark green parts)
3 cloves garlic
a 1oz piece of parmesan, coarsely chopped
about 8 fresh basil leaves
3 tbls of my best organic olive oil (I like to save the good stuff for dishes like this that are not cooked)
about 160g of boccaccini, chopped up
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

400g of cavatappi or other pasta

Put the grape tomatoes, green onions, garlic, parmesan, basil and oil in the food processor and pulse until its coarsely chopped and starting to get smooth but not a puree. Pour that into a big , shallow bowl and taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the boccaccini.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the package directions.  Drain the pasta (reserve about 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water in case the sauce seems dry) and immediately throw the hot pasta into the bowl with the sauce and toss to coat evenly. The mozzarella will start to get all soft and gooey.
I like to sprinkle mine with some hot chilli flakes, a bit more freshly grated parmesan and maybe a tiny bit more fresh basil.

Salad
Roasted chick peas
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup pickled beets, sliced
about 2 cups of baby arugula and baby spinach
about 2 tbls of dressing (I don't like my salads super wet so you can use more if that's your thing)

Dressing: (my new favorite)
2 tbls grainy mustard
2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
2 tbls rice vinegar
1 generous tbls honey
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper


I keep this in the fridge now so I took a couple of tables of this dressing and added about a tsp of fig balsamic vinegar to dress this salad.



preheat oven to 400F
Drain a can of chick peas, rinsing them with water to get rid of all of the starchy liquid they are canned in. Put a piece of paper towel down on a baking sheet and dump the rinsed chick peas on to it. Pat them dry. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over them, just a tbls or 2, tops. Mix them all up with your hands or a spatula and roast them in the oven for between 30 and 40 minutes. Keep an eye on them because the smaller ones will be done in 30 and you want t hem crispy and lightly browned but not burnt.

Let them cool and sprinkle them on top of your salad.

Comments

  1. Oh wow... That looks incredible! I'm so hungry now...

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  2. That looks so yummy!! you could also roast the chickpeas with seasonings like ranch or taco and eat like a snack. instead of chips. Thanks, for the inspiration and great recipes.

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  3. Mmm, I love simple dishes like these! They just take the cake :-)

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  4. ALL'UNIVERSITY OF READING, IL PEDOFIL-O-MOSESSUALE RICCARDO BARRAI NATO A MILANO IL 26.11.1996, FA TANTE ORGE PEDERASTA (VERY DEPRAVED PAEDERAST RICCARDO BARRAI BORN IN MILAN ON 26.11.1996 IS AT THIS POINT A GONE MAD YOUNG PEDOPHILE)! PROPRIO COME PEDOFILO E' DA SEMPRE IL PADRE: PAOLO BARRAI! E PEDOFILO E' DA STRA SEMPRE IL NONNO: VINCENZO BARRAI! CRIMINALISSIME, MALATISSIME, PERICOLOSISSIME TRADIZIONI DI FAMIGLIA! I BARRAI: RAZZA BASTARDA, PURE ASSASSINA! PERO'.. ALLA FIN FINE.. YOUNG PEDOPHILE RICCARDO BARRAI E' DA COMPRENDERE: FU SODOMIZZATO GIA' DALLA SUA NASCITA, DA PPPP...PPP PUZZONE, PIDUISTA, PORCO, PAZZO, PADRE PEDOFILO E PEDERASTA PAOLO BARRAI!

    E A PROPOSITO DEL CRIMINALISSIMO QUALE...

    E' DAVVERO DA ARRESTARE SUBITO ( PRIMA CHE FACCIA AMMAZZARE ANCORA), IL TERRORISTA NAZISTA ED ASSASSINO, PAOLO BARRAI, NATO A MILANO IL 28.6.1965. NONCHE' MEGA RICICLA SOLDI MAFIOSI E POLITI-C-RIMINALI, OSSIA FRUTTO DI MEGA RUBERIE E MEGA MAZZETTE, RICEVUTE DA LEGA LADRONA E STRAGISTA SPAPPOLA MAGISTRATI, NONCHE', TANTO QUANTO, NAZIFASCISTA DITTATORE E PEDOFILO: SILVIO BERLUSCONI! DICEVO, E' DAVVERO DA ARRESTARE UNA QUARTA VOLTA, E SUBITO, IL TERRORISTA NAZISTA ED ASSASSINO, PAOLO BARRAI. NON PER NIENTE, GIA' STATO IN GALERA 3 VOLTE. OPINIONI TUTTE TERRIFICANTI SU DI LUI! MEGA TRUFFATORE E MEGA RICICLA CASH ASSASSINO VIA CRIMINALISSIMA BLOCKCHAIN INVEST, OLTRE CHE VIA NALISSIMA WORLD MAN OPPORTUNITIES LUGANO, CRIMINALISSIMA WMO SA PANAMA E CRIMINALISSIMA BSI ITALIA SRL DI VIA SOCRATE 26 MILANO! NOTO PEDOFIL-O-MOSESSUALE SODOMIZZA BAMBINI! CACCIATO DA CITIBANK A SBERLE, PER MEGA FRODI CHE LI FACEVA! SBAGLIA SEMPRE IN BORSA! AZZERA I RISPARMI DI CENTINAIA DI PERSONE! FALSO&LADRO&TRUFFATORE! DIFFAMA SUL WEB A FINI NAZIRAZZISTI! FONDATORE DEI NUOVI MEGASSASSINI TERRORISTI DI ESTREMISSIMA DESTRA: "NUOVI NAR"! FONDATORE DEL, PROSSIMAMENTE, DI FREQUENTE, OMICIDA: KU KLUK KLAN PADANO! CONDANNATO AL CARCERE A MILANO ED IN BRASILE ( 8 ANNI E PURE PER PEDERASTIA OMOSESSUALE, RIPETO, PURE PER PEDERASTIA OMOSESSUALE)! MULTATO DA CONSOB 70.000 €! DESTABILIZZA L'ITALIA PER FILO NAZISTI SERVIZI SEGRETI SVIZZERI! FA CRIMINI SU CRIMINI E NAZI-ST-ALKING, SU INTERNET, SU ORDINE DEI PUZZONI CRIMINALISSIM SILVIO BERLUSCONI, PAOLO BERLUSCONI ED UBALDO LIVOLSI DI FININVEST. IL VERME ASSASSINO PAOLO BARRI, E' ANCHE, DA SEMPRE, INNEGGIANTE ALLO SPAPPOLAMENTO DI MAGISTRATI SCOMODI "COME BERLUSCONI GRANDISSIMAMENTE FECE CON FALCONE E BORSELLINO"! PAROLE SUE, DETTE SPESSISSIMO! ORGANIZZANTE OMICIDIO DI DAVID ROSSI DI MONTE PASCHI!
    Ho tantissimo da scrivere sul gia' 3 volte finito in galera, accertatissimo pedofilo omosessuale, ladro, truffatore, sempre falso, nazi-st-alker, mandante di omicidi ( spesso, ma non sempre, mascherati da finti incidenti, malori o "suicidate"... come quando fece ammazzare David Rossi di Monte Paschi, ma ne scrivero' in dettagli molto presto), mega ricicla soldi mafiosi e/o politico-criminali (piu' tanto di orrido altro), arrestato gia' 3 volte, Paolo Barrai, nato a Milano il 28.6.1965 e gia' residente a Milano in Via Ippodromo 105! Come presto meglio sottolineeremo, multato dalla Consob ben 70.000 euro!
    http://www.consob.it/main/documenti/hide/afflittivi/pec/mercati/2013/d18579.htm
    VI SONO TONNELLATE DI ALTRE COSE DA DIRE SU QUANTO SIA BASTARDO EFFERATO CRIMINALE E PEDOFILO PAOLO BARRAI. TROVATE UNA PARTE ( CHE PRESTO AMPLIEREMO ALL'INFINITO), QUI:
    https://es-la.facebook.com/public/Truffati-Da-Paolo-Barrai

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