Photo: Steven Babish
This recipe is inspired by Sicily and is a classic combination of high spice and fresh, cooling mint. A long noodle such as spaghetti also works beautifully with this sauce.
| 250 g | orecchiette |
| 1½ c | quartered cherry tomatoes |
| 1 med | fresh chile, finely chopped (fresh finger chili or fresh cayenne pepper work well) |
| 2½ T | extra virgin olive oil |
| 2 cloves | garlic, thinly sliced |
| 10 leaves | fresh mint, roughly torn |
| 1/3 c | grated Pecorino Romano |
| ½ t | salt |
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette, cook until al dente (roughly 1 minute prior to package instructions).
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a wide pot or large deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and salt and sauté until just beginning to golden. Add the tomatoes and chiles, cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat until the orecchiette is cooked.
Using a spider, remove the orecchiette directly from the pasta cooking water directly to the pot of sauce. Return the pot to high heat, add 2 ounces of the pasta cooking water, stir constantly until the sauce is creamy and is coating the pasta (approximately 30 seconds) remove from the heat. Stir in the Pecorino and mint. Serve immediately topped with a little more Pecorino and fresh chiles.
Serves 2.