This is one of my all-time favorite dishes..especially when tomatoes are in season. When tomatoes are at the peak of the season, or fresh from your garden, there is really nothing better than this Putanesca sauce; It is so light, fresh and bursting with flavor. I like to pair this with grilled vegetables (broccolini, zucchini, portabella mushrooms & red bell peppers) and gluten free sour dough bread. If you live in the San Diego area, Grandview Bakers has the best homemade sough dough loaves that don’t taste like gluten free. These loaves are amazing.. I don’t know how he does it.
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds ripe heirloom or plum tomatoes
- ½ Cup Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
- 4 Tbsp. drained capers
- ½ Cup chopped Italian parsley
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp Himalayan pink salt
- ½ Cup best quality olive oil
- 1 package of fusilli pasta – I like to use gluten free brown rice
This sauce can be made a few hours ahead of time and left on the counter to marinate. Peeling and de-seeding the tomatoes is the fussy part of the prep but once you finish that part, the rest is super quick and you can make it ahead of time. Since the sauce is not cooked or heated, you just toss it into the hot pasta and it’s ready to eat. The flavors of this raw sauce make this a favorite among family and dinner guests!
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a light boil. Drop the tomatoes in the hot water and leave for about 1 minute to loosen the skin and make peeling easier. I usually do this in 2 batches – peeling the skin of the first patch before dropping the next batch in the hot water.
- Once all the tomatoes are peeled, I cut the tomatoes in half and gently poke the seed out. It’s a little messy so I put all the skin and seeds into a bowl for easy disposal. Then I cut the flesh of the tomato into ½ inch dices and put into a bowl.
- Combine the diced tomatoes, olives, capers, parsley, garlic, hot peppers, salt and olive oil in a bowl and stir gently to combine. Cover with a towel and let the sauce marinate at room temp for to at least 30 minutes. Can be left to marinate for up to 2 hours.
- Cook the pasta (I like Jovial or Tinkyada brands for gluten free, brown rice pasta). Drain and toss with the sauce in a shallow pasta bowl. Serve at once with some vegan parmesan cheese.