Way back in college, my friends and I used to hang out at a nice small coffee shop in Katipunan called Beanhoppers. There is one thing that we had there that my palette clearly remembers -- its a pasta they call Summer Tomato Pasta. I only had the chance to sample it through my friend coz I was a carbonara eater and it indeed brought so much pleasure to my taste buds making me remember its taste even until today. And recently, more than a decade after, I had the chance to sample again its taste through my colleague recently who shared her lunch with me at the office - who also by the way shared how she made the paste from scratch.
Now after learning the basics, let me post here my own spin of this sauce and I would like to call it DESERT SUMMER TOMATO PASTA. Though it sounds like the old name but I would like to note otherwise -- I called it such since I have learned how to make it here in the DESERT during SUMMER time ... so there its my own spin. Now enough with the name and here goes the recipe and how I cooked it:
1. Chicken Franks sliced to circles - fry in olive oil till cooked, set aside
2. Fresh ripe tomatoes, washed well and sliced.
3. Saute the tomatoes in olive oil and leave it to in low flame until pasty (is there such term such as "pasty" - whatever Im sure you get my drift). I then added up some salt and pepper to taste
You have to excuse my photo, the flash and the High ISO wasn't enough to capture a clear pic hehehe. More or less, this is what the consistency should look like
4. Add dried basil to the tomato sauce one thick or maybe from the beginning when you throw in the tomatoes in the pan. I add mine from the beginning. My friend does it towards the end ... your pick. Add a lot, add a little - your taste.
On the side while cooking up the tomato sauce, I boil pasta until al dente. Strain pasta and set aside. I prefer to use mini penne pasta for this over the fetuccini. My friend used spaghettini. But mini penne is my best bet.
5. Once the sauce is cooked, I added the chicken franks and parmesan cheese. I have added the parmesan cheese while cooking up the tomato sauce and sometimes I added it up at the end.
6. Fish sauce. Yes, I have added "patis" to salt it up a bit ... my own spin -- I have always done this to my spaghetti since I was young so why cant I now? Again, your taste - no need to really add it =)
7. Mix the sauce with the pasta, add some parmesan cheese --- walaaaaah! My DESERT SUMMER TOMATO PASTA
It usually takes me only 15-20 minutes to cook this up =)
Bon apetit!
