Garden Cherry Tomato Buccatini
September 15, 2020
I believe at the core, all of us are looking for an everyday life that provides the magic, the wonder, the beauty, and the joy we are looking for. I am no different. We follow our daily schedules driving to work, taking care of kids, cooking dinner, and struggle to not get lost in the monotony of it all. Some days it seems there is a disconnect between what our lives are and what we want them to be. But every once in a while I am reminded of where the disconnect truly lies. In this case I was reminded by a tomato. It all started in the midst of another blazing hot summer day after coming home from a nameless day at work, in the garden there was a sign of life. I admit that in the chaos of this year, I didn’t plant anything in the garden. I can’t say that I spent the time planting seeds, caring for them until they became sprouts, and then lovingly tending to them in the garden until they triumphantly became hardy enough to stand on their own. On this summer day, this little green plant had done this all on its own. After watching it grow out of infancy it became clear that it was a tomato. In a remarkable turn of events some seed from some tomato that was not harvested last year landed in the soil below and waited until the spring sun warmed its bones and then came back to life. I didn’t spend too much time caring for the plant but honestly it didn’t need it. It began to grow at an unimaginable rate and now its arms reach to the ends of the garden bed.
I waited in anticipation wondering if it would thrive and what it would yield. Then one day out of the tiny, unremarkable yellow flowers came the fruit it was to bear. Orange cherry tomatoes. Perfect little orbs of the brightest orange you can imagine. So tiny and fragile defying the harsh summer by soaking up the endless sun to make something sweet, savory, and perfect. First one then two and then dozens of slight orange cherry tomatoes from the tiny green plant that sprouted unexpectedly two months earlier. These little tomatoes came to life with no human intervention. It was as if life was making every effort to remind me that things are always in the midst of creation, that miracles happen every day, and sometimes they are ¾ in in diameter. It then begs the question is it life that isn’t full of beauty, or are we the ones missing it?
These simple tomatoes reminded me that we may be the ones who are disconnected. I think it’s worth reminding ourselves that it is really a remarkable gift to be able to walk to the garden, pick tomatoes that willed themselves into existence, and feed ourselves from the backyard with nothing but water and light. To ensure that these tomatoes were given the upmost respect, we treated them as humbly as can be. This recipe is basically perfect in its simplicity. It marries the cherry tomato with garlic, basil, salt, pepper, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. The tomatoes are cooked with the garlic until they just burst relaxing out of their raw state. Then combined with the other ingredients and swirled into al dente buccatini. The whole thing takes less than 10 minutes and it is truly a wonder to behold. It is worth serving anytime you need a reminder that everyday miracles are around us all the time, we just have to be connected enough to see it.
For the recipe you will need:
1 lb vine ripened cherry tomatoes
1 lb Buccatini
1 cup Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp olive oil
Red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup Basil (optional)
1 cup pasta water
Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add buccatini.
On another burner, start a high walled pan on medium low. Add olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) just until fragrant.
After about 1 minute, add halved tomatoes into the pan, turn heat to medium high. Lightly salt and pepper the tomato mixture.
Once pasta is al dente, meaning just about done, grab 1 cup of pasta water from pot.
Once tomatoes have released juices for about 5 minutes and pasta is al dente, grab tongs and drop pasta directly into tomato mixture allowing any excess pasta water to come along with it.
Toss vigorously with tongs so not to break long pasta shape and emulsify your sauce. Slowly add parmesan in increments and pasta water as needed.
Serve immediately. Optionally add black pepper, basil, parmesan cheese for serving.
