Pasta with Tomatoes, Orange, and Olives

 

Ingredients

· 1 pound linguine or spaghetti

· Kosher salt and ground black pepper

· 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

· 1/2 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced

· 6 medium garlic cloves, minced

· 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, plus 1/2 cup orange juice

· 1 teaspoon dried oregano

· 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

· 2 pints grape tomatoes

· 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn into small pieces

· 1/2 cup pitted oil-cured black olives or green olives, finely chopped

· 2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

 

Steps

1) In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Stir in the pasta and 2 tablespoons salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and set aside.

2) Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until simmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, orange zest, oregano and pepper flakes, then cook, stirring until fragrant. About 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and orange juice, cover and cook until the tomatoes begin to burst, about 4 minutes.

3) Reduce to medium, then press on any whole tomatoes with the back of a spoon so they burst. If the pasta is not yet done, remove the skillet from the heat, cover and set aside.

4) To the skillet, add the drained pasta and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Bring to a simmer over medium and cook, tossing with tongs, until the pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes. Taste and salt with black pepper.

5) Off heat, add the basil, olives and half the cheese, then toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water if needed so the sauce coats the noodles. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and drizzle with additional oil.

 

From: Milk Street: Tuesday Nights Mediterranean

By: Christopher Kimball