Recipe: Cherry Tomato Sauce with Mint

Cherry Tomato Sauce with Mint

You can actually choose any type of tomato—cherry, plum, or salad, and any kind of mint to make this cheery sauce. I grow several mint varieties in my herb garden, including apple, pineapple, chocolate, lemon, orange, Persian, English, lavender, ginger, peppermint, and spearmint. Each has its own unique aroma and refreshing taste, and each flavors the sauce in its own special way. You may also add a sprinkling of feta cheese (about 1/2 cup crumbled and at room temperature).

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 pound cherry tomatoes, seeded and coarsely diced
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Grated zest of 1 medium lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped, plus whole leaves for garnish
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine garlic, tomatoes, butter, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in pasta serving bowl. Set aside to warm to room temperature or, preferably, place the bowl over the pasta pot (be sure it's heatproof) to warm the ingredients and melt the butter while heating the water. Once the water comes to a boil, remove bowl and set aside.

2. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain pasta well and immediately add to sauce in bowl. Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup chopped mint (the amount depends on the type of mint—some are stronger flavored than others) and Parmesan cheese and toss. Garnish with whole mint leaves. Serve at once.

Serves 2 to 4.

Recommended pasta: 8 ounces penne rigate or linguine

Recipe from:
Joie Warner's No Cook Pasta Sauces
by Joie Warner
Photography by Drew Warner
Chronicle Books
1998, Softcover, US $17.95
ISBN: 0-8118-1766-0
Full-color photographs throughout Information provided by the publisher