A classic Italian dish by Laura Santtini.
Ingredients
- 400 g spaghetti
- for the sauce:
- extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
- 900 g cherry tomatoes (halved lengthways)
- large handful of fresh basil leaves (roughly torn)
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large knob of butter
- 150 g ricotta cheese (crumbled)
- 1 tblsp black olive tapenade
- more fresh basil leaves
- other requirements :
- a pasta cooking pot (4-5 litres) ideally with a built in colander
- big while bowl to display finished dish in
Method
- Heat 5mm oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Toss in the garlic and cook, stirring, for a few minutes to flavour the oil.
- Just before the garlic begins to colour, add the tomatoes, basil, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook over a low heat for 8-10 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down but not totally lost their shape. Place the butter in the serving bowl, add the drained cooked pasta and toss with three-quarters of the basic sauce.
- Top with the remaining sauce and some crumbled ricotta.
- Drizzle with tapenade and scatter over some more basil leaves.
