Author Notes
This is possibly one of the recipes with the highest return on investment that I know of. It takes literally 5 minutes of active time, and the results always amaze people who taste it for the first time.
If you don't like pecorino cheese, you may replace it with parmigiano, but it won't be as tasty. - tuscanfoodie —tuscanfoodie
Test Kitchen Notes
Yum! This pasta is a great example of using basic ingredients in clever ways to make an excellent dish. The tomatoes shine in this dish, breaking down just enough to release their juices and become warm bursts of deliciousness mixed throughout the pasta. I found a chile de arbol quite spicy, but feel free to use whatever chile you'd like. There is a nice amount of cheese in here to give it a little richness. The breadcrumbs make the sauce very thick and take the dish to the next level. - biffbourgeois —Stephanie Bourgeois
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Ingredients
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2 cups
cherry tomatoes (red)
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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1/2 cup
white wine (I prefer riesling)
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1/4 cup
bread crumbs (or more, if the sauce is too liquid)
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3 tablespoons
pecorino cheese, grated
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pecorino cheese to sprinkle on the plated pasta
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10-12 ounces
spaghetti (280-340grams, depending on how hungry you all are...)
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1 tablespoon
salt, for the boiling water
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1
peperoncino or chile de arbol, chopped finely
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salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
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In a skillet, heat up the oil on medium fire. When hot, add the chile de arbol (or the peperoncino, if you have it), stir and let it cook for one minute. Consider that the chile de arbol is hotter than peperoncino...
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Cut the cherry tomatoes in halves, and add them to the skillet. The oil will sputter, so be careful. Add salt and pepper, stir, let it cook for a couple of minutes.
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Add the white wine. Personally, I prefer Riesling, because I find its sweet flavor perfectly complements the cherry tomatoes. But any white wine will do the trick. Stir, and let it cook until the alcohol evaporates, 5 minutes.
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Reduce the heat, cover the skillet, and let it cook for 20 minutes. Stir once in a while. In the meantime, boil the water to cook your spaghetti, adding the salt when the water has started to boil.
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Cook the pasta as instructed on the package.
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While the pasta is cooking, remove the skillet with the sauce from the fire. The sauce will be very liquid, because the tomatoes will have released a lot of water. Add the pecorino cheese and the bread crumbs. Stir. The sauce will thicken almost immediately. If you like your sauce even thicker, add more breadcrumbs and/or continue to cook uncovered for a few minutes, so that the liquid can evaporate. DO NOT remove the sauce from the skillet.
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When the pasta is ready, drain it, then add it to the skillet with the sauce. Turn on the fire on medium high, and mix and cook for 1 minute. You may use two forks or a tong to mix the spaghetti with the sauce.
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Plate, add some more pecorino cheese on top of the plated pasta, and enjoy.
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