After an underwhelming an overpriced anniversary dinner at Minetta Tavern last year, I decided not to take any chances this year and booked us a table at Del Posto, the feather in the Bastianich-Batali-Bastianich cap. And it was sensational.
On Saturday night, we headed down to the corner of 16th Street and Tenth Avenue to meet our friends Manny and Deana for an over-the-top dinner courtesy of Del Posto's celebrated executive chef, Mark Ladner. We spent four hours savoring their five-course tasting menu along with some excellent 2008 Bastianich "super white" wine. The menu was a mix of both traditional Italian-American favorites (e.g., a small cup of stracciatella soup, garganelli with veal ragu, marinated clams with fried artichokes, grilled pork) and more contemporary offerings (e.g., a spicy shellfish stew with diver scallop carpaccio, super-creamy parmesan cheese risotto drizzled with 25 year-old balsamic vinegar, stuffed pig's trotter with lentils). And even more incredible than the food was the service -- I felt like a princess as soon as they gave me and Deana a special little footstool for our purses. Our dinner at Del Posto was one of the best meals of my life -- and certainly one of the most expensive! - but it was worth every penny.
Last night (our actual anniversary), I decided to keep with the Bastianich theme and tried a recipe that I'd seen Lidia Bastianich make on her terrific public television show, Lidia's Italy, a few weeks ago: pasta with baked cherry tomatoes (pasta con pomodori al forno).
It was really delicious and very easy to make. Here's the recipe:
3 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus one tablespoon
1/3 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb penne (or rigatoni, or spaghetti)
10 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
~20 basil leaves, torn, chopped or shredded
1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
4 ounces ricotta cheese (optional)
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toss the tomato halves in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, bread crumbs, pepper flakes, and salt. Pour the tomatoes onto a cookie sheet and spread them apart in a single layer. Bake until the tomatoes are shriveled and lightly caramelized (but not dried out), about 25-35 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, fill a large pot with salted water and heat to a rolling boil. When the tomatoes are nearly done, drop the pasta into the boiling water, stir, and return the water to a boil.
4. As soon as the pasta is cooking, pour the remaining olive oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet, set it over medium-high heat, and scatter the sliced garlic. Cook for a minute or two, until the garlic is sizzling and lightly colored, then ladle in about 2 cups of the pasta cooking water, and bring to a vigorous boil, stirring up the garlic. Let half the water evaporate, then lower the heat and keep the sauce barely simmering.
5. Remove the tomatoes from the oven when done.
6. When the pasta is al dente (about 2 minutes before the suggested cooking time on the box), lift it from the water, drain it for a moment, and drop it into the skillet with the garlic. Toss pasta with the sauce, cooking for an additional minute - 90 seconds.
7. Turn off the heat, slide in the baked tomato halves, and shredded basil leaves. Stir will until the pasta is evenly dressed and the tomatoes are well-distributed. Sprinkle on the grated cheese and toss once more.
8. Serve immediately with a dollop of ricotta cheese.
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