Pasta Pomodoro – A Family Tradition

Our inspiration and motivation for starting this blogging project is our family –particularly our deep rooted Italian side of our mother’s family. Sarah and I grew up with frequent family gatherings centered on food. During regular Sunday dinners at our great grandmother’s house in Boomer, West Virginia, we had many assorted dishes to choose from, but the dishes we enjoyed the most were simple, Italian-inspired dishes with lots of flavor. Pasta Pomodoro is a favorite dish that we have enjoyed eating since we were young girls and we now enjoy making for our families.

With spring and summer vegetables and herbs starting to come to local farmers markets, especially fresh basil, this particular dish definitely serves as an easy and quick weekday meal. Combining our favorite Italian flavors: fresh basil, olive oil, sharp Parmesan cheese, vine-ripened tomatoes, onion, and of course plenty of garlic to make a comforting and flavorful dish for one or an entire family. As our mother tends to joke on a regular basis, as long as everyone has some garlic in their meal, no one will feel bad having “garlic breath,” since we all enjoyed the garlic.

Homemade pasta definitely heightens this dish, but dried, whole wheat or regular angel hair pasta pairs nicely with the fresh flavors. If you would like to add a protein option to this dish, Lemma suggests adding sautéed chicken or shrimp. We invite you and your family to connect with our family traditions with this simple dish.

Pasta Pomodoro

Reference:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/23847/pasta-pomodoro/ (allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces of angel hair pasta
• ½ white onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups diced Roma tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1 (10.75 ounce can) of low sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• Red pepper to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Prep time: 15-20 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ready In: 30-40 minutes

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente (cooked just enough to retain a somewhat firm texture, in Italian it means, “to the tooth”); drain the pasta with a colander.
2. Pour olive oil in a large deep skillet over high-heat. Sauté onions and garlic until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, vinegar and chicken broth; simmer for about 8 minutes.
3. Stir in red pepper, black pepper, basil and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce. Simmer for about 5 more minutes and serve topped with grated cheese.
4. Enjoy!