My *favorite* summertime pasta sauce. You don't cook it, it takes just as long as boiling the pasta. If you family need meat, get DH to toss a couple of steaks or chicken breasts on the grill while you relax w/ a glass of cool wine! I only do this in the summertime when I can get good ingredients from the farmer's market. Oh, and the leftovers are fantastic cold for lunch.
Spaghettini with Checca Sauce (from Giada De Laurentis, FoodTV)
8 oz spaghittini or angle hair pasta
4 scallions (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed (I usually use 5, though)
1 (12 oz) container cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (1 oz) piece of parmesean, coarsely chopped
8-10 fresh basil leaves
Salt & freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces fresh mozarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (or just the little balls)
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, stirring often (the salt is really important in this dish).
Meanwhile, combine next 7 ingredients in a food processor. Pulse just until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped (don't puree).
Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Toss the pasta with the tomato mixture and fresh mozzarella in a large bowl. Add some of the reserved pasta water (about 1/4 cup) if the sauce looks dry. Serve immediately.
