Cold Pasta with Raw Cherry Tomato and Mint Sauce

La storia di questo piatto

This is a home kitchen's summer idea rather than an ancient recipe: short pasta dressed in a cold, raw sauce of tomatoes and mint, made from what a pantry and a pot of herbs on the windowsill already hold. Italy shows up in its simplest form here, with olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano and mentuccia, the gentle Roman mint.

Ingredienti

• 100 g Short pasta
• 13 pieces Fresh cherry tomatoes
• 0.5 medium Carrot
• 0.125 medium Shallot
• 20 g Parmigiano Reggiano
• 6 leaves Fresh Roman mint (mentuccia) leaves
• 15 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 g Fine salt for the sauce
• 8 g Coarse salt for the cooking water
• 1000 ml Water (for boiling the pasta)

Preparazione

1. Wash the 13 cherry tomatoes and cut them in half with a sharp knife, without hollowing them out: the pulp and seeds stay in the sauce.
2. Peel the half carrot with a vegetable peeler and cut it into pieces about 1 cm, so it blends evenly. Clean the shallot and cut off a piece of about 1/8 (the smallest possible portion, to avoid a sharp taste): alternatively, soften it for 2 minutes in a little warm water and drain it.
3. Grate the Parmigiano. In the blender put the tomatoes, the carrot, the shallot, the Parmigiano, 5 leaves of Roman mint (the mentuccia, with its delicate fragrance; keep the sixth for decoration), 1 g of fine salt (a scant pinch) and 15 ml of extra virgin olive oil (one tablespoon).
4. Blend for about 1 minute until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous cream. Taste and, if needed, adjust with a pinch of salt and blend for 10 seconds. If the sauce is too liquid, let it drain for 2-3 minutes in a fine sieve; then keep it in the refrigerator until it is time to dress the pasta.
5. Bring 1 litre of water to the boil in a large pot (about 8-10 minutes), add 8 g of coarse salt and pour in the pasta. Stir immediately and cook for the time indicated on the package (about 12 minutes for a short shape), tasting 1-2 minutes early to check it remains al dente.
6. Before draining, set aside a ladle of cooking water. Drain the pasta without rinsing it, spread it on a tray and let it cool slightly for 3-5 minutes, turning it occasionally with a drizzle of oil to prevent sticking.
7. Pour the cold sauce over the lukewarm pasta and mix well, lifting the pasta from the bottom. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with a spoonful of cooking water. Add, if you like, a drizzle of raw olive oil. Serve immediately, decorating with the mint leaf you kept, torn between your fingers.