Summer Pasta (in Memory of Ida)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Weekend Meals
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
  • 3 pints of organic heirloom cherry tomatoes (choose pints with lots of different colors and varieties)
  • 1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon basil-garlic flavored olive oil (just use extra-virgin olive oil if you can't find the basil-garlic flavored olive oil)
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 1¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¾ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Lots of freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 ears sweet corn in the husk (preferably non-GMO or organic)
  • Unsalted organic butter
  • 3 tablespoons basil leaves, torn into small pieces
  • 2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Italian (flat leaf) parsley, chopped
  • 2 Tofurky Spinach Pesto Sausages
  • 1 lb. box cavatappi
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 4 ounces lemon-basil chèvre (optional)
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)
Instructions
  1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil.
  2. Heat the gas grill for the corn while the oven is pre-heating to roast the tomatoes. Turn all the burners to high, cover the grill, and heat for about 15 minutes.
  3. Wash the cherry tomatoes and remove the stem, but leave them whole.
  4. In a large bowl combine the olive oil, basil-garlic olive oil, garlic, tomato paste, sea salt, sugar, pepper flakes, and black pepper in a large bowl. Add the washed cherry tomatoes and toss so that they are covered with the oil mixture.
  5. Put the tomatoes on the center of the prepared baking sheet. Scrape any remaining garlic or olive oil mixture from the bowl, and put on top of the tomatoes. Bake until the tomatoes are blistered and browned, about 20-25 minutes.
  6. While the tomatoes are baking, check the gas grill - it should be hot! Clean and oil the grate of the grill. Using a large piece of aluminum foil, fold it in half to create a rectangle that is big enough to hold your husked ear of corn. (Make sure to snip the silk protruding from the top of the ear because that will burn quickly!) Repeat with the other ear of corn. Place both rectangle boats on the grill. Cover and cook, checking the corn every 3-4 minutes and turning the ears until the husks have blackened. This will take about 12-15 minutes. When the corn looks done, take it off the grill, and turn the grill down to medium, because you're going to cook the sausages next.
  7. While you're waiting for the grill to cool to medium, put on a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Check the tomatoes (if you haven't already taken them out of the oven!)
  8. When the corn husks have cooled down a bit, work over the sink with a trash bag at the ready and carefully peel back the husks. You'll probably need a dish towel or a silicon potholder to do this, because the husks will still be pretty darn warm while you remove the husks and all the silk. Rinse the ears to make sure that all the silk is removed. Butter and lightly salt each ear of corn, and put it back over the grill to char it on each side. When the corn is cooked to your liking, get a large deep bowl, and cut the kernels off of the cob into the bowl. Add the roasted tomatoes and all their lovely juices to the bowl holding the corn kernels.
  9. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the boiling pasta water and cook the cavatappi, stirring frequently, until it is al dente. Reserve 1 cup of hot pasta water, and drain the pasta in a colander.
  10. While the pasta is cooking, grill the two Tofurky Spinach-Pesto Sausages for about 4-5 minutes. When they are cool, slice them into ¼" slices.
  11. Put the cooked pasta back into the hot pot, add the corn/roasted tomato mixture. Toss, and add the sliced sausages, and the basil, mint, and parsley. Add about half of the hot pasta water, and taste for seasoning. Stop here, if you want the recipe to be vegan.
  12. If you eat cheese, consider one of the following embellishments. If you have access to fresh chèvre (like I do with UAV), add about 4 ounces of crumbled chèvre to the hot pasta. (We used lemon-basil chèvre, and it was delicious). Lacking chèvre, you could sprinkle on some fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggianno. Or you could throw caution to the wind, and use both!
Notes
© 2019 Nancy Olah
All Rights Reserved.
Recipe by Fool a Carnivore at https://foolacarnivore.com/summer-pasta-in-memory-of-ida/