Saturday, August 11, 2007

A perfect summer day

So, it doesn't get any better than this, to walk to the farmer's market on a summer Saturday and find that one beautiful basket of cherry tomatoes, all blushing reds and sunny golds. And then there was the bunch of fresh basil. Of course, it was time for a tricolore pasta.

But first, a trip to the charcuterie. I had tried chorizo just the other week so I wanted another flavor for this week's bounty from the market. Instead of the chorizo, I asked for one good, thick slice of the pancetta.

Sauteeing the chopped pancetta pieces in a little extra virgin olive oil yielded a crusty goldmine of flavor for the fond that would come when I tumbled the tomatoes into the pan.

Finally, I added al dente penne pasta to the pan, folding them into the tomatoes, pancetta and sauce, hitting it with a splash of the pasta water to make more sauce.

To the brilliant, redolent reds, add a chiffonade of fresh basil, and top it off with a generous shaving of parmesanio reggiano. Three colors, one perfect summer day.

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