A summer holiday spent in Amalfi inspired replicating this dish at home. The joy in this dish is in its simplicity of ingredients and technique, and you find it on menus in fine dining restaurants and in small little cafes alike.
The addition of the lemon zest keeps this dish light-tasting, but also is meant to replicate the perfume of lemons that hangs in the air in Amalfi.
Photo by Michael Olson
ingredients
directions
Have ready a large pot of salted boiling water for the pasta, and a colander over the sink.
Place a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Stir the lemon zest into the oil and cook 1 minute (this draws out the flavour into the oil). Add the garlic and cook one minute more.
Add the tomatoes all at once to the pan and immediately after drop the pasta into the boiling water (it only takes 3 to 6 minutes to cook). Stir the tomatoes gently, so they soften but not turn mushy. Add a few ladlefuls of water from the pasta pot and increase the heat to high. Drain the pasta well and add this to the sauté pan, stirring to coat.
Stir the parsley and basil into the pasta and season to taste. Serve immediately topped with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.