Serves 4-6 Cooking time: 30 minutes
Fuss-free and made in moments, Spaghetti alla Caprese (spaghetti from Capri) is a blissfully simple idea, yet looks stunningly sophisticated for a light lunch or quick midweek supper dish.
Ingredients
250g cherry tomatoes on the vine, ripe and flavourful, cut into quarters
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g spaghetti
125g buffalo mozzarella, torn into bite-sized pieces
A generous handful of fresh basil, torn
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
Method
1. Place the tomatoes in a large bowl with the garlic, oil, salt and pepper, and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling, salted water until al dente. This will very much depend on personal preference, so taste as you are cooking and stop when the pasta is cooked to your liking. Drain, reserving a cup of cooking water.
3. Add the mozzarella to the marinating tomatoes. Add the spaghetti to the bowl of tomatoes and mix through, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if needed. Sprinkle with basil and oregano. Serve straight away, sprinkled with Parmesan.
Extracted from Cucina di Amalfi by Ursula Ferrigno (Ryland Peters & Small, £20, with photography by Nassima Rothacker © Ryland Peters & Small).
