pomodoro with fresh stracciatella and basil oil
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes plus optional rest time
SERVES: 2
Milk & Dairy
190 g mozzarella fresca*
1/4 cup whipping cream
Pantry
1/2 cup high quality olive oil
250 g spaghetti
1/4 tsp chili flakes
Produce
1 large bunch basil
2 cups cherry tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
Make your basil oil. Boil a small pot of water and prepare an ice bath. Drop basil in boiling water for 10 seconds and immediately place in ice bath. Squeeze dry and then pat dry with paper towel (get it as dry as you possibly can, water is the enemy here).
Add to a high speed food processor/blender with 1/3 cup olive oil. Blend until it's as smooth as you can get it (about 3 minutes). For best results set in fridge overnight to let the basil flavor absorb into the oil. If you don't have time to leave it overnight, skip straining it as the oil won't be infused enough for the flavor to pop. It may look a little chunky but that's ok, think of it more like a lighter pesto.
If you let it rest overnight, once rested, setup a piece of cheesecloth in a mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the oil in. Squeeze out as much of the oil as you can and discard remains.
Make your stracciatella. Pinch mozzarella into small balls and add to a bowl with 1/4 cup whipping cream and a pinch of salt. Mix well and set in fridge for at least 15 minutes > 4 days.
Make your pasta. Boil and heavily salt your pasta water and heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. To your frying pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 cups cherry tomatoes and a big pinch of salt and toss. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until tomatoes start to burst. At this point, start cooking your pasta.
Remove lid and squish tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Add in 3 cloves minced garlic and 1/4 tsp chili flakes. Once pasta is cooked, add to pan with a big splash of pasta water and mix well. Taste and add a 1/2 tsp sugar if needed (depending on how ripe your tomatoes are you may or may not need it).
Serve. Serve pasta topped with your stracciatella and basil oil.
You can skip the basil oil and sub in pesto or fresh basil.
Questions? Drop a comment below if you have any questions, and don’t forget to let me know if you make it!