Sunday, November 16, 2008

She Loves Wine's Favorite Tomato & Olive Spaghettini

This recipe was on the cover of "Dazzling Delightful Delicious" - I tweaked the original and made this for Nick about the time he started at Ball State - as he says, "It's better than most restaurant dishes!"

Serves 6

18 oz good quality pasta, preferably spaghettini
1/4 cup extra virgin Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
9 oz black olives
Some shredded chicken from grocery store rotisserie chicken (Sam's best) – I added this
2 TBSP Olive tapenade ( I used this) OR 2 TNSP Pesto
1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, plus extra leaves to garnish
A few shakes of garlic salt
Fresh black pepper
Freshly grated parmesan, to serve

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the garlic and cook gently for about 1 minute or until fragrant.. Add the tomatoes and olives, then increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring for 1 -2 minutes until warmed through. Season to taste.

Drain the cooked pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Toss the pasta with the tomato mixture, adding some of the reserved water is the sauce is too dry. Add any of the optional ingredients and the parsley Check seasoning and adjust. To serve...... divide pasta among 6 bowls, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and extra parsley.