For three weeks in a row, Friday night dinner has been some variation of Marcella Hazan’s “fish in crazy water.” If you are unfamiliar, fish in crazy water (or pesce all’acqua pazza in Italian), is fish poached in a seasoned “water,” in essence a vegetable broth made from sautéed aromatics, tomatoes, and water. Every time I taste this poaching liquid to test its seasoning before lowering in the fish, I am blown away by its flavor. How can so few ingredients create something so tasty? I wonder. And also: What else could I plunge into this super flavorful sauce? Pasta of course! This just might be the easiest of easy pasta sauce recipes you make. Years ago, I posted a similar cherry tomato pasta recipe, but the recipe relied on basil pesto, and the tomatoes cooked for only 30 seconds, so the dish was less saucy. This version is simpler, and I like it better. I like it so much, in fact, I have a hard time NOT returning to the skillet for thirds and fourths. The recipe (theoretically) feeds four people, but when I made it most recently, Ben and I polished off 90% of it. We finished the remainder standing over the skillet, while taking turns cleaning the kitchen. Friends, as always, I hope you find this super summery pasta as irresistible and satisfying as I. PS: Another favorite summer pasta: Gemelli with Roasted Eggplant & Caramelized Onions PPS: A favorite summer pasta salad: Kristina’s Simple Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomatoes Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients: Thinly slice 4 cloves of garlic and 1 shallot (or a small onion). Sweat the onions and garlic stovetop in olive oil. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Place a small skillet over low heat to toast some pine nuts. Halve a pound of cherry tomatoes. Add them to the skillet along with 1/2 a teaspoon or so of crushed red pepper flakes, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the tomatoes break down; then add a cup of water, and bring it to a gentle simmer. Thinly slice some basil. Add the pasta, toasted pine nuts, basil and 1/2 cup of parmesan to the skillet with the tomato sauce, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When everything tastes nicely seasoned, add 4 ounces of mozzarella. I like the pearl-sized balls but the slightly larger size (ciliegine) is nice as well. Stir to combine and serve immediately. Crack more pepper over each bowl to taste. Shave more parmesan over top as well, if you wish. 5 from 48 reviews If you are looking to bulk it up with some meat, a natural addition would be some browned, hot or sweet Italian sauce. Notes:
I love a short pasta for this recipe (as opposed to spaghetti or linguini), and I particularly like the Barilla orecchiette. Conveniently, the boxes are 12 ounces, which is what you need for this recipe. I have only ever made this with cherry tomatoes, but I imagine any ripe, juicy tomatoes you have on hand, will work just fine. I like the pearl-sized mozzarella balls, packed in brine. The slightly larger-sized balls, ciliegine, work fine, too, as would simply dicing up a large ball of mozzarella. If making for children, consider omitting the crushed red pepper flakes or using just a pinch.
