In Puglia, September is the month of the last sweet tomatoes. It is the perfect moment for one of the simplest dishes in the region: orecchiette with rocket and tomato. Few ingredients, so every ingredient counts. And the olive oil does not stay in the background here: it brings the dish together.
In Puglia, the rocket is often cooked along with the pasta. This makes it soft and slightly peppery, and it soaks up the sauce beautifully. The tomatoes go into the dish raw, first briefly marinated in extra virgin olive oil. That keeps the flavour fresh and summery. Choose the ripest tomatoes you can find: they provide the juice that, together with the oil, forms the sauce.
Preparation time: 20 minutes (including 15 minutes marinating)
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 400 g orecchiette (dried or fresh)
- 400 g ripe cherry tomatoes
- 80 g rocket
- 1 clove of garlic
- 6 tbsp Uliveto di Mede Essenziale extra virgin olive oil (+ extra to finish)
- 80 g cacioricotta (alternative: ricotta salata or young pecorino)
- a few leaves of fresh basil
- a pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Marinate the tomatoes. Quarter the cherry tomatoes and put them in a large bowl. Peel the garlic clove and crush it lightly with the flat side of a knife. Add the garlic with 4 tbsp Essenziale, a pinch of salt, some pepper and the chilli flakes if using. Tear the basil over the top and mix. Leave to stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, so the tomatoes release their juice.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and salt it generously. Cook the orecchiette according to the packet instructions, until they still have a slight bite. Fresh orecchiette cook faster than dried.
- Add the rocket. Roughly chop the rocket if you like. Add it to the pasta in the pan for the last minute of cooking, so that it just wilts.
- Drain. Set aside a cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and rocket.
- Mix everything. Remove the garlic from the tomatoes. Add the warm pasta and rocket to the bowl and mix well. If it is too dry, add a splash of cooking water until a light, glossy sauce forms. Stir in another 2 tbsp Essenziale.
- Finish. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Divide between shallow bowls and grate cacioricotta generously over the top.
Serving tip
Finish each plate with a thin drizzle of Essenziale just before serving. Adding the oil raw brings out the green, fruity aromas and the gentle pepperiness at their best. Serve with a crisp glass of white wine from Puglia or a chilled rosé, and a piece of crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
This dish is also delicious lukewarm or at room temperature, which makes it handy for a late-summer dinner in the garden.
Cooking this dish with our Essenziale from Sicarico? Order your bottle at uliveto.be and taste the difference of one grove and one harvest.
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