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Miss Windsor's Italian Inspired Cherry Tomato Pasta Recipe!

Miss Windsor’s Italian Inspired ​Cherry Tomato Pasta!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 6 delightful guests

Ingredients

  • 225ml (8 US fl oz.) of extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 or 4 large cloves of garlic
  • 1 large diced onion
  • large handful of Moroccan dry black olives (add a few more if you desire)
  • 500g (2 & 1/2 cups) cherry or any large tomatoes – chopped
  • 120g (1 & 1/2 cups) sliced mushrooms
  • 6 or 7 leaves of shredded cavolo nero cabbage (or savoy cabbage will do)
  • 6 basil leaves
  • 500g (approx. 4 1/2 to 5 cups) of any pasta such as penne.
  • salt and pepper

For decoration

  • basil leaves

Instructions

  1. Darlings, squeaky clean hands please – Ta very muchly!

  2. Okey dokey! Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan and set the hob to medium / high heat.

  3. Finely chop the garlic and roughly dice the onion, then add to the oil. Darlings, now turn down the heat to just below medium – so the oil gently simmers.

  4. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half (or chop large tomatoes into quarters) slice the mushrooms and prepare the Moroccan black olives by cutting in half and removing the pips. Transfer to the frying pan.

  5. Now, gently place 6 basil leaves on top of the ingredients – Much obliged!

  6. Darlings, for the next 20 to 25 minutes the ingredients will gently simmer and should start to thicken up a little.

  7. About half-way through cooking time, put a large saucepan of water onto boil – add a glug of olive oil and a dash of salt.

  8. Once the water begins to ‘gallop’: with a steady hand add the pasta and turn down the heat a tad.

  9. Darlings, by now the rich aroma of Italian cuisine will gleefully arouse your senses – Oh, I say! So, one mustn’t become too excited, or you may overcook the pasta!

  10. However, before you test the pasta take a small mug and fill with hot water from the pasta pan. Then pour this over the simmering ingredients – this will loosen the mixture and stop it from drying out.

  11. Add the shredded cavolo nero cabbage to your authentic Italian sauce and allow to steam a little. Then gently combine and simmer gently for a few minutes more.

  12. After 8 minutes or so, you may test the pasta! Darlings, the Italians, oh and Miss Windsor, prefer their pasta cooked ‘al dente’ which translates ‘to the tooth’. And to translate again, means ‘you need your teeth to chew the pasta’ – comprende?

  13. So, poke a fork into the water and emerge with a piece of pasta! If your gnashers sink in, yet not too easily - then it’s ready. If not, cook for a couple minutes more.

  14. Once perfectly al dente, remove from the heat and drain using a colander. Then immediately wash the pasta in hot water to remove the starch. Drain again.

  15. Pour the pasta back into the saucepan, add your authentic Italian sauce, some cracked black pepper, then thoroughly mix together.

  16. Darlings, serve in a pleasant looking vessel and enjoy with a splash of olive oil; a sprinkling of parmesan cheese; a smattering of cracked black pepper; and a decorative basil leaf- Voila!