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Hand-Rolled Pasta
Recipe
50 min

Pasta with Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce and Fried Caper Crumbs

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Pasta with Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce and Fried Caper Crumbs
Author: Steve Dunn

Recipe By Steve Dunn

Published on November 7, 2024

Your best bet for pasta sauce on the fly? The small but mighty cherry tomato.

Time

50 min

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Why This Recipe Works

Cherry tomatoes are the perfect choice for a quick fresh tomato sauce. You can toss them directly into the pan without any prep, and they don't need lengthy cooking to concentrate their flavor or thicken into a sauce. That's because they're naturally more flavorful than the bigger varieties conventionally used in sauce, and they're full of soluble pectin that breaks down readily to a silky, saucy consistency. To ensure that some of the cherry tomatoes remained intact and would pop in the mouth with their characteristic flood of juices, we cooked them for 10 minutes in a covered saucepan, where only the layer of tomatoes in direct contact with the bottom of the saucepan burst and those on top steamed more gently in the released juices. To keep the sauce bright and tomato-focused, we sautéed the tomatoes with slivered garlic, red pepper flakes, and a touch of sugar, along with anchovies that melded into the mix without announcing their fishiness. Butter tossed with the pasta and the sauce brought a light, creamy richness to the dish. We finished it with a sprinkle of fresh basil and a gremolata-inspired topping of fried bread crumbs and capers.

Ingredients

Topping

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup capers, rinsed and patted dry
1 anchovy fillet, rinsed, patted dry, and minced
½ cup panko bread crumbs
⅛ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Pasta

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced
2 pounds cherry tomatoes
1 ½ teaspoons table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
¼ teaspoon sugar
⅛ - ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 ounces dried or up to 18 ounces fresh orecchiette or other short pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces and chilled
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image

    TOPPING

  1. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add capers and anchovy and cook, stirring frequently, until capers have darkened and shrunk, 3 to 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer caper mixture to paper towel–lined plate; set aside. Leave oil in skillet and return skillet to medium heat. Add panko, salt, and pepper to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until panko is golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer panko to medium bowl. Stir in parsley, lemon zest, and reserved caper mixture.

    2. PASTA

  2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. While water is coming to boil, heat oil, garlic, and anchovies in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until anchovies break down and garlic is lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, sugar, and pepper flakes to saucepan and stir to combine. Cover and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes.
    Recipe Tip
    Be sure to use cherry tomatoes; grape tomatoes won't break down as much and will produce a drier sauce.
  3. Meanwhile, add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water. Cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Off heat, add butter and tomato mixture to pasta and stir gently until oil, butter, and tomato juices combine to form light sauce, about 15 seconds. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed, adding 2 tablespoons at a time. Stir in basil and season with salt to taste. Serve, passing topping separately.
    Recipe Tip
    Our topping contributes crunch and depth, but you can substitute 1 cup (2 ounces) of grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Recipe25 min

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Pasta with Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce and Fried Caper Crumbs

Recipe By Steve Dunn

Published on November 7, 2024

Time

50 min

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Pasta with Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce and Fried Caper Crumbs

Ingredients

Topping

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil¼ cup capers, rinsed and patted dry1 anchovy fillet, rinsed, patted dry, and minced½ cup panko bread crumbs⅛ teaspoon table salt⅛ teaspoon pepper¼ cup minced fresh parsley1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Pasta

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil2 garlic cloves, sliced thin2 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced2 pounds cherry tomatoes1 ½ teaspoons table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta¼ teaspoon sugar⅛ - ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes12 ounces dried or up to 18 ounces fresh orecchiette or other short pasta2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces and chilled1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large

Instructions

    TOPPING

  1. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add capers and anchovy and cook, stirring frequently, until capers have darkened and shrunk, 3 to 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer caper mixture to paper towel–lined plate; set aside. Leave oil in skillet and return skillet to medium heat. Add panko, salt, and pepper to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until panko is golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer panko to medium bowl. Stir in parsley, lemon zest, and reserved caper mixture.

    2. PASTA

  2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. While water is coming to boil, heat oil, garlic, and anchovies in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until anchovies break down and garlic is lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, sugar, and pepper flakes to saucepan and stir to combine. Cover and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes.
    Recipe Tip
    Be sure to use cherry tomatoes; grape tomatoes won't break down as much and will produce a drier sauce.
  3. Meanwhile, add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water. Cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Off heat, add butter and tomato mixture to pasta and stir gently until oil, butter, and tomato juices combine to form light sauce, about 15 seconds. Adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed, adding 2 tablespoons at a time. Stir in basil and season with salt to taste. Serve, passing topping separately.
    Recipe Tip
    Our topping contributes crunch and depth, but you can substitute 1 cup (2 ounces) of grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
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