Spaghetti Checca
(A “how-simple-can-it-get?” pasta dish of three main ingredients, courtesy of La Vecchia’s chef/owner Alberto Gazzola. Serves 4)
1 pound spaghetti (De Cecco or Barilla brands suggested)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons to finish
½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved (5 to 6 tomatoes per person)
2 8-ounce balls whole-milk mozzarella
Basil, for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cut one and a half mozzarella balls into small cubes. (Use remaining half for a pizza or panini.) Set aside.
Start pasta water, adding salt generously. Cook pasta to al dente (five to seven minutes, depending on brand).
While pasta is cooking, warm three tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in large pan over medium heat until hot, but not smoking (extra-virgin olive oil has low flash/smoke point, so watch it carefully). Moving pan from fire, add halved cherry tomatoes. (If pan is on heat, hot oil may catch fire, giving your sauce an unpleasant metallic flavor.) Once bubbling has subsided, return pan to stove. Let tomatoes simmer for a few minutes, enough for them to soften without breaking open. Cook until sauce is slightly reduced. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper.
Add cooked spaghetti to pan and toss with cubed mozzarella and fresh basil, adding one to two more tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and fresh ground black pepper.
