Great cooking doesn’t always have to be complex. A couple of raw ingredients and 30 minutes can create an incredible meal. Sicilians know how to cook simply, and this is one of the staples.
Spaghetti alla Carrettiera is a simple yet flavorful Sicilian pasta dish, traditionally made with pantry staples like garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, and Pecorino. Quick to prepare, it’s a perfect example of rustic Italian cooking at its finest!
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
1 1/2 – 2 pounds Ripe Fresh Whole Plum Tomatoes
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Cloves of Garlic
3/4 cup Fresh Basil
1 1/2 tsp. Coarse Salt
1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
1 pound Spaghetti
Preparation
30 Minutes
Bring a large pot of water to a boil
Place whole tomatoes into the boiling water for three minutes in order to blanch them for easy skin removal
Remove the tomatoes from the water and place under cool running water
While your water is coming to a boil, finely chop garlic and put into a bowl with olive oil. Set aside.
Chop basil. Set aside.
Once tomatoes are blanched and cooled, slice off stem side of tomato and peel skin
Cut the tomatoes in half and remove as much of the seeds as possible
Chop tomatoes very fine and place in a large bowl with all its juice
Stir in the olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes. You want this mixture to sit for at least 30 minutes before adding it to the cooked pasta.
Cook spaghetti al dente. Drain and return to pot.
Add tomatoes and mix together. If you wish you can leave some of the tomatoes to top each plate.
Top with chopped fresh basil and grated pecorino romano