As a Dad the best thing about summer is hanging out at the beach with my family, especially since Preston is a big fan of the O-sha (or ocean) these days. But, as a chef - the best thing about summer is tomatoes, in particular the amazing tomatoes we have access to here in California’s Central Valley. Many dishes come to mind when pondering what to do with sweet, delicious summer tomatoes, but making a sauce with fresh, raw tomatoes and tossing it with hot pasta is possibly at the top of the list.

Crudo.

Crudo. It is one of my favorite Italian words, possibly because for me it is most reminiscent of raw seafood preparations. But crudo, in fact, simply means “raw.” And Italians love things that are raw because they are insane about quality - and if the quality of anything is good you should probably enjoy it in it’s most simple form. In other words - don’t F with it.

Crudo + Tomatoes.

You could easily grab some amazing summer tomatoes and make a super delicious cooked tomato sauce - but that’s for another day. Full disclosure: the sauce in this recipe starts raw, but then becomes slightly cooked and emulsified once you toss it with the hot noodles for a few minutes - it’s a beautiful thing.

Garlic and Basil of course….but Capers?

I love briny stuff. And capers are briny stuff. In my opinion capers bring this thing together. If you’re not a fan of briny stuff you may omit the capers……OR you could double down and add a teaspoon of chopped anchovies, in which case you might be on to something special. #Umami.

A Final Word about Olive Oil.

If you’ve read this far and you’re fantasizing about digging into this amazing pasta dish that you’ve created allow me to leave you with this. DON’T skimp on the olive oil. This dish is only composed of only a few ingredients and if you find a good 100% real deal extra virgin olive oil it will do most of the work for you. Not to mention it will add deliciousness to whatever else you find yourself making next time.

-Jimmy

Print Recipe

Angel Hair Pasta with Summer Tomatoes (Pasta al Pomodoro Crudo) Yum

"Pomodoro Crudo" means raw tomato in Italian. This pasta dish with it's raw tomato sauce is perfect for bringing out the best of tomatoes when they are at the peak of their season.

Course

Pasta + Noodles

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

2 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb angel hair pasta
• 1 pint mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
• 5 leaves basil, torn + more for garnish
• 1 1/2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small chunk Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for grating at the end
• salt to taste

Course Pasta + Noodles Cuisine Italian Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 2 minutes Servings people Ingredients 1/2 lb angel hair pasta 1 pint mixed cherry tomatoes, halved 5 leaves basil, torn + more for garnish 1 1/2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil 1 small chunk Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for grating at the end salt to taste

Instructions

1. Make the raw tomato sauce 30 minutes before you cook the pasta so that the flavors have time to come together. In a large bowl mix the tomatoes, olive oil, capers, basil, garlic, and season aggressively with salt to taste. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Season with salt - it should taste like a really well seasoned soup. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and add it to the tomato mixture. Reserve some pasta water. Toss aggressively for 2-3 minutes. Use tongs to mix the pasta and sauce together. Add a splash of pasta water if it seems dry. Mix in a few drizzles of olive oil. Transfer to plates or bowls and garnish with fresh basil and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.