I am not going to defend this as fine cuisine, but once in awhile you just gotta cut loose and have some fun in the kitchen. This is not only a playful dish you whip up in less than an hour, it also looks great and taste amazing so who says you can’t have it all. There is a process to this you need to follow in order to get the right balance of aromas and tastes but isn’t that always the case. One thing different about cooking the pasta is that you only soften it in boiling water and then saute.
Ingredients
- 1lb Baloney – diced or chiffonaded
- 2 cups Basil leaves – chiffonaded
- 12oz. Fettuccine – spinach pasta can look nice
- 8 cloves garlic – thinly sliced
- 3 pints Cherry tomatoes
- 1 Red chile – Holland or Fresno – seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 TBL Tomato paste
- 4 oz. Olive oil
- 2 oz White wine – dry
- 1Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2oz. finely grated Parmesan ~1 cup, plus more for serving
- Salt and pepper to taste
Process
- Mise en Place – measure and prepare ingredients prior to starting
- Heat large pot over medium and add olive oil, let warm then add garlic, stirring occasionally, until softened ~ 1 min. Add baloney, season with salt, and continue to cook, until protein is grilled, ~5–7 mins.
- Add wine and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until wine is evaporated and the fond is loosened, ~5 mins. Add tomato paste and cook until paste is slightly darkened, ~3 mins.
- Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add cherry tomatoes and chile to meat sauce and cook until tomatoes begin to burst, ~4 mins. Smash half to create a sauce. Continue to cooking until sauce is thickened ~5 mins.
- Once water starts boiling, add pasta and cook until softened (very al dente), ~2 mins less than package directions. Transfer pasta to sauce pot using tongs. Add butter, Parmesan, and 4 oz of pasta cooking liquid. Cook over medium heat, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and liquid is slightly thickened, ~2 mins.
- Remove from from heat and fold in basil until leaves are slightly wilted and fragrances are released.
- Transfer to a platter and top with more Parmesan.
