Pasta with Arugula and Confit Cherry Tomato Pesto

La storia di questo piatto

Born where the Campanian sun scorches volcanic earth and salt winds carry the bite of wild herbs, this dish holds the untamed spirit of southern Italy — rucola that grew without asking permission, tomatoes that ripened slowly under a sky too blue to be believed.

Ingredienti

• 400 g Fresh pasta (tagliatelle or linguine)
• 150 g Wild arugula, fresh
• 500 g Cherry tomatoes
• 2 cloves Fresh garlic cloves
• 150 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 50 g Toasted pine nuts
• 80 g Grated Pecorino Romano DOP
• 1 piece Lemon juice
• 10 g Fine sea salt
• 3 g Freshly ground black pepper
• 5 g Sugar (for the tomatoes)

Preparazione

1. Prepare the confit cherry tomatoes with patience: halve the cherry tomatoes and arrange them in a baking dish, then drizzle with oil, add a crushed garlic clove, a generous pinch of salt, and sugar. Bake at 120°C and wait as they slowly lose moisture while remaining soft and caramelized at the edges — you'll notice the skin beginning to wrinkle and they'll release an intense sweetness.
2. While the tomatoes cook gently in the oven, prepare the pesto: trim the wild arugula removing the toughest stems, wash and dry it thoroughly — excess water would dilute everything. In a mortar (the grandmother's method is always better) first crush the raw garlic with salt, then add the pine nuts and grind until fine crumbs form, finally fold in the arugula with circular motions until you achieve a dense, velvety cream.
3. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and here's the trick: pour the extra virgin oil gradually, always stirring in the same direction with a wooden spoon, so it emulsifies and stays creamy and glossy. Taste and adjust salt if needed, then squeeze fresh lemon juice directly into the pesto — that touch of acidity will brighten all the flavors.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously — it should taste like the sea — and when it's rolling, add the fresh pasta and stir immediately to prevent sticking. Check after 5 minutes: fresh pasta cooks quickly and should offer resistance between your teeth, maintaining the grain's integrity, not become soft. When ready, drain in a colander but reserve at least a cup of cooking water.
5. In a large pan off the heat, add the pesto, then moisten it slightly with cooking water, stirring gently — the starch in the cooking water binds everything together. Now add the hot pasta and toss everything with light movements, incorporating also the fragrant oil from the confit tomatoes: every strand should be coated with glossy, velvety pesto.
6. Plate the pasta generously, letting the pesto show in the dish, then scatter the warm confit tomatoes on top — their heat awakens the aromas. Grate Pecorino Romano generously, but don't overdo it or you'll mask the delicate arugula flavor, then finish with a light drizzle of extra virgin oil and a generous grind of fresh black pepper applied just before serving.