Pasta al Pomodoro Crudo Replay And Pinot Grigio Taste Test

Since returning from Italy, we have been having Bruschetta regularly for happy hour and during a recent trip to the Mennonite Market, I bought a bag of Roma tomatoes to use for the tomato mixture so it wouldn’t be as watery – I removed the seeds from the Roma's.  I had six Roma's left and was thinking about another use for them when Bev reminded me of the pasta with fresh tomatoes we had made in the past.  So I did a blog search and found the recipe for Pasta al Pomodoro Crudo and recalled that I had a half box of small shells pasta in the pantry so a meal was born.  I’m posting this dish again to document the recipe using the Roma tomatoes.

Pasta al Pomodoro Crudo

The Ingredients:

6 plum tomatoes

1/3 cup basil infused extra-virgin olive oil or plain EVOO

1 tbsp. finely minced garlic

15 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Kosher salt

10 oz. fresh shaped pasta (I used 8 oz. dried pasta)

Fresh Pecorino (added by Beverly)

The Directions:

1. Core and cut the tomatoes in half and scrape out the seeds.

2. Cut the tomatoes into ½”- ¾” pieces – I ended up with 16oz.

3. Put the garlic on a cutting board with a little Kosher salt and use the flat side of a chefs knife to mash it into a paste.

4. In a large mixing bowl, stir together tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and basil.

5. Season with ½ teaspoon salt, stir to combine, and let stand for at least 15-30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in a pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente or your desired doneness.

7. Drain pasta using a colander or fine-mesh strainer, making sure to reserve at least 1 cup (240ml) pasta cooking water and return to the pan.

8. Add tomatoes to the pasta and stir well to dress pasta with tomato mixture.

9. Serve topped the lightly aged Pecorino cheese shavings. 

The Verdict:

Just as previously, it was delicious and a great summertime pasta dish.

Pinot Grigio Taste Test

While I know that red wine is better for you, I prefer the refreshing taste of white wine especially in the warmer weather.  So I decided to have a little taste test to see what I preferred and the four wines were:

Santa Margherita, a DOC from Italy ($19)

Kendall Jackson from California ($16)

Elena Walch, DOC from Italy ($21)

Yellow Tail from Australia ($7)

After tasting, I knew the top three were the better wines, but I actually preferred the Yellow Tail as is was a little lighter and more refreshing so I’ll keep some of it for everyday and some Kendall Jackson for when I want a better wine and for company.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/23/25 event date