Tomatoes and basil and stracciatella, oh my! In the summer, I love to grill meats, veggies, pizzas, fish, but eventually I get ‘grilled out’ right about now and start to crave the comfort foods of fall and winter (not the weather, just the food!). This summer pasta dish is an easy way to tap into that comfort food without the heavy sauces that winter pastas usually have. It’s so easy to make, and it comes together in about 15 minutes, plus it’s a great dish for a crowd. So step away from the grill just for a minute and get your summer pasta game on.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 12 ounces Pastaio Via Corta rigatoni pasta, or similar shape*

• 3 tablespoons olive oil*

• 3 pints grape tomatoes, halved

• 4 ears of corn, kernels removed from cob

• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced kosher salt & freshly ground pepper 

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 

• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

• 16 oz. of Wolf Meadow Farm Stracciatella*

• Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated*

• 1/2 cup chopped basil

*Items with an asterisk can be found at The Cheese Shop of Salem.

Directions

1.     In a large stock pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil.  Add a generous 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to the water, then the pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the recommended time. 

2.     While the pasta boils, sauté the tomatoes in olive oil over medium heat, until they are blistering and softened, about 5-7 minutes. Toss in the corn, garlic, oregano, and season to taste with salt, pepper and the crushed red pepper; sauté for about 1 minute.  

3.     When the pasta is just under al dente, add it into the sauté pan with the tomatoes, adding pasta water a little at a time to loosen the mixture to create a sauce.

4.     Spoon into bowls and top each with a healthy heap of stracciatella.  Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, grated Parmigiano, black pepper and the basil.