Mama Chef - Spaghetti Caprice

Are you missing the fresh tastes of summer already?  I put together this easy meal for my family this week using a garlic trick I learned from Rachel Ray.  I thought it turned out well and the flavors reminded me of the flavors of one of my favorite summer foods - caprice salad, except in a more cold-weather appropriate style.  So, I decided to call it spaghetti caprice.  It is so very simple and healthy.  Here is what to do:

WHAT YOU NEED:
a package of spaghetti (I used whole wheat for the health benefit, but the recipe might actually work better with regular, and I think you could use any kind of pasta really)
one large can of diced tomatoes
one bulb of garlic (or about ten cloves) - roasted (if you aren't a huge garlic fan, don't worry, roasting the garlic makes it mild and sweet)
salt
1 large lemon wedge
fresh basil, chopped
fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes

WHAT TO DO:

• either roast the garlic yourself in the oven or on the stove top if you know how, or buy it already roasted at the grocery store if you can
• salt your cooking water very well and bring to a boil
• use the flat side surface of a large knife on a cutting board to mash the garlic, back and forth, working it into a paste, then put the paste into the bottom of a large bowl
• add your pasta to the water and cook until just BEFORE al dente, in other words, under cook it just a little
• shortly before your pasta is ready, use a large mug to scoop out some of the hot cooking water and pour it over the garlic, mix it all together until it creates a kind of "garlic tea." 
• Drain the tomatoes and add them to the garlic tea, mash it all together a little bit
• Drain the pasta and add hot to the garlic/tomato mixture, mix and try to get all the pasta down in the mixture as much as possible.  Cover with tinfoil or something and let it sit for a few minutes, maybe five.  It will continue to keep cooking and should soak up a lot of the juices in the bowl.
• stir the pasta, squeeze in the juice from the lemon wedge, and stir in the basil and fresh mozzarella.  Serve with black pepper if you like. 

Comments

[Michelle]

YUM!!

I cannot wait to make this. This recipe just screams summer...oooh...and what about adding maybe some grilled chicken?! Hmmm.

Tricia, you rock!