The key to this recipe is the three fresh ingredients.

Fresh tomato (as mentioned above). With this recipe I prefer two different colors of either the grape or cherry variety.

Fresh basil with that subtle sweetness that takes any dish Italian or otherwise over the top and it makes it simply taste and feel fancier. Basil plants can easily be found at any farmer’s market, garden store or even the nearest grocery store. Fresh basil is everywhere and really inexpensive. I like having it around especially in the winter for it’s brightness in flavor and in color.

Fresh mozzarella. I never knew as a little kid in the suburbs in the 1980’s that there was something as magical as fresh mozzarella. I always thought mozzarella was only shredded (like the kind my mom bought when we would get to make our own pizzas on quiet movie nights in). That soft creamy texture is just divine. This dish just wouldn’t be the same without it.

The first thing I like to do when making this is mince the garlic. Finely dice, sprinkle with pink salt and smear the garlic onto the board with the face of your knife almost like frosting a cake but rougher. Do this a couple of times gathering back into a pile in between each pass. This way the garlic is super broken down so, even though it will be raw in this dish it won’t give heartburn.

Take salted minced garlic and place in the bottom of a large bowl. Lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Next, start your water for pasta in a large pot making sure to add lots of salt. The pasta needs room to move. If not, the pasta will get gummy and won’t hold it’s shape up.  Linguine is my recommendation. It really is solid.

Next the tomatoes. These guys are little, slippery and oh so delicate.

The trick is to use a serrated sharp knife. The knife in the photo below is one of my favorites. I use it all the time. It is made by a company called Royalton. They have been around for a very long time. This knife came with DB when he moved in and was immediately recognized by me as one of the set of knives commonly referred to in my youth as sharp-knives-we-weren’t-allowed-to-touch from my Mother’s kitchen growing up. She used it for everything, her mother used one for everything and now I use it for almost everything. Different actual knife but, great quality. It was made from stainless steel in Japan, is always super sharp and super easy to clean. For me it’s a real go to.

Take the first tomato and slice in half top to bottom.

While still holding it firmly turn a quarter turn then slice it again top to bottom. The key here is to keep it together as much as possible until you are done slicing it. More juices will be retained and so will the shape. Yum. The tomatoes will really pop in your mouth.

Once all the tomatoes are quartered drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and a small drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Small is key. Add a pinch of pink salt. Then give a gentle stir and let sit. This way the flavors will mix and make this dish even brighter.

Next dice the fresh mozzarella into 1/2 inch cubes. Make sure you hold it firmly but, still gently so we can save as much liquid as possible. After that take scissors and shred up about half a small handful of basil (little strips, they really add the the presentation).

Pick your serving dish and drain the pasta. Supper is pretty much ready at this point so make sure everything is ready.

Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of the post colander bowl.

Add super hot right out of the boiling water pasta. Drizzle with olive oil.

Add half the cubed mozzarella.

Stir with tongs. This is key because we want things to melt not get squished.

Next add the rest of the mozzarella to the bowl for the big mix. I know it looks like there is not a lot here but, it’s a big, big bowl.

Add pasta. Tong stir.

Pour the beautiful tomato mixture over the pasta.

Add the shredded basil

Drizzle liberally with balsamic vinegar. Tong stir then eat.

This is one of those things I could eat all day everyday.

Recipe

1 or 2 pints of cherry or grape tomatoes two colors (preference is one giant one but, two small pints work just fine)

1 big clove of garlic

Pink Salt for sprinkling

1 box of pasta of your choice (preferably long and wide shaped)

1 large ball of fresh mozzarella in 1/2 inch cubes

1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil (altogether for recipe)

very shy 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (altogether for recipe)

half a handful of fresh basil (scissor shredded)

Serve with a loaf of crusty bread for dipping. This recipe is easy peasy to make and the ingredients are inexpensive. A perfect weeknight supper. Enjoy.