Tomato/Mozzarella

[The_Jazz]

1 lb cherry tomatoes (or 2 pints) - fresher is better
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Fresh ground pepper
12 leaves fresh basil (or 1 TSP dried)
2 TSP fresh oregono (or 1 TSP dried)
3/4 cup olive oil
1 package fresh mozzarella
1 package gemili pasta

Cut all tomatoes in half and put in large bowl.
Mince garlic and add all spices. If using dried basil & oregano, crush well before adding. If using fresh, mince leaves together. Add olive oil, stir well and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cut mozzarella into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Boil pasta.

While pasta is cooking, put tomatoe mixture into pan over low heat. Do not allow to boil. Stir occassionally. Remove from heat when evenly heated and stir in mozzarella (cheese should not melt). Toss with pasta and serve.

This is one our our favorite dishes, and I cook it at least once a week in the summer since it's so easy.

[maleficent]

next time you make it -try using grape tomatoes, they are a little sweeter, and have less squirting action in the mouth

sounds yummy though

[snowy]

Definitely cooking this when I get the chance. Looks like a great and easy recipe.

[The_Jazz]

One thing I should add - the measurements of the spices are an approximation and a compromise. I like mine a little spicier, but the wife doesn't.

And grape tomatoes are great in this, but fresh-off-the-vine cherry tomatoes just can't be beat.

[Willravel]

Originally Posted by The_Jazz

One thing I should add - the measurements of the spices are an approximation and a compromise. I like mine a little spicier, but the wife doesn't.

All my recipes are approximate. It's better that way so the taste is slightly varied every time. All you need to know is your limits, when too little or too much of something becomes detrimental to the food.

I like the spicier tomato based recipes, too. To that end, I might go with more garlic, some onion, red and black pepper, and maybe some balsamic vinegar.

Your recipe sounds delicious. I can't wait to try it.

[hunnychile]

Thank you for a yummy sounding recipe!

BTW- can we use other pastas, and if so, what do you recommend?

[The_Jazz]

Yes you can use other pastas, but the olive oil/tomatoe juice "sauce" seems to stick best to gemili. I've also used bowtie and fiori with fairly good results. Elbows was roundly viewed as an abject failure, as were spaghetti noodles.

Will, one thing to remember is that the garlic isn't going to really cook at all, so you're going to end up with a pretty powerful garlic taste as it is. You could definitely subsitute red pepper for the cayenne (or in addition to), but there's already black pepper in there. Since the tomatoes aren't really cooked, I don't know how the onion would turn out or even which to use (vidallia?), so let me know how it turns out for you. I'm very curious, and I can't really experiment with a pregnant wife around.

[Willravel]

Originally Posted by The_Jazz

Will, one thing to remember is that the garlic isn't going to really cook at all, so you're going to end up with a pretty powerful garlic taste as it is. You could definitely [substitute] red pepper for the cayenne (or in addition to), but there's already black pepper in there. Since the tomatoes aren't really cooked, I don't know how the onion would turn out or even which to use (vidallia?), so let me know how it turns out for you. I'm very curious, and I can't really experiment with a pregnant wife around.

I eat garlic raw. I love the stuff.

Vidalia onion would be fine, I'm sure. I might mince it and put it in the cheese first, or cover it in olive oil and use as a side-side dish. I like the combined taste of black and red pepper.


As for the pregnancy, CONGRATULATIONS!