Soapsmith's Blog: Garden Tomato and Pancetta Pasta

Hello Friends,

Today I want to share my favorite summer pasta with garden tomatoes, basil, oregano and pancetta. So delicious!

My container gardens produce lots of delicious home grown tomatoes. There is nothing like the sun kissed, sweet and tangy goodness of fresh off the vine tomatoes.

I patiently wait these summer delights every year. There is no comparison to those awful supermarket so called tomatoes. Toasted Tomato Sandwiches, Caprese Salad, Bruschetta, Tomato and Cucumber Salads, Stuffed Peppers, Vegetable Soup and Golumpki (stuffed cabbage) all benefit from top quality tomatoes and nothing beats home grown.

My Traditional Golumpki Recipe and Instructions

Soapsmith's Fresh Garden Tomato and Pancetta Pasta

This recipe is very forgiving so you can easily substitute items to your tastes. See the notes below the recipe for suggestions.

One pound pasta

8 ounces of Pancetta

4 cups of peeled fresh garden tomatoes

1/2 to 1 cup of fresh good quality Parmesan or Romano cheese

1/2 to 1 cup liquid to deglaze the pan - white wine, pasta water or stock

Fresh herbs - basil and oregano

Garlic, Shallots or Onion

Olive Oil

Balsamic or red wine vinegar

Red Pepper Flakes

Sea Salt

Pepper

Cook chopped pancetta until nice and crispy, remove from the pan and drain. Reserve a few tablespoons of the drippings to sauté the garlic and shallots/onions.

Peel the tomatoes (immerse in boiling water for 15 seconds then shock with ice water to easily remove the peel without cooking) Finely dice the fresh tomatoes removing any excess seeds.

Add some good flavorful sea salt, fresh grind of black pepper and a few splashes of vinegar and olive oil to season the tomatoes and allow to marinade while you prepare the pasta. Season lightly, the highlight of the dish is the flavorful tomatoes and you don't want to overwhelm them.

Chop the garlic, shallots or onion to your taste. I use a few tablespoons total for a nice subtle seasoning so you don't overwhelm the fresh tomatoes. Using the pan from the pancetta, gently sauté the shallots/onions/garlic with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes in the drippings. If needed, you can add a little olive oil. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid. White wine, pasta water, vegetable or chicken stock are all good options.

Chiffonade a few tablespoons of the basil with a nice thin chop. I like to use fresh basil and oregano from my herb garden.

Cook the pasta al dente as per the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta in case you need to add moisture to the finished dish. Drain, do not rinse. Add the hot pasta to the fresh tomatoes, add the pancetta, grated cheese and sautéed veggies with liquid and toss until nicely distributed. If it seems dry you can add a little pasta water to loosen it up as needed.

Garnish with the fresh herbs and shavings of parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Options:

Use your favorite pasta: Campanelle, Orecchiette or Fettuccini for a nice sturdy pasta, Angel Hair for delicate, Linguine or Spaghetti - regular or whole wheat.

You can use pancetta, bacon or prosciutto. I also make it without any meat. You can vary the cheeses. Clean out the fridge - leftover shredded chicken, pepperoni, veggies - whatever you like. I like the tomatoes to be the star of the dish.

Herbs - basil and oregano is the classic but you can sub parsley, sage, rosemary, dill.

Liquids - white wine, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, lemon juice even a little heavy cream if you prefer.

What ever you use, be sure to splurge on the best quality. A dish is only as good as its individual ingredients and it really makes a difference.