Your favorite picnic staple took a trip to Italy and was forever changed. Spicy sopressata, fiery chilies, sun dried tomatoes, blistered cherry tomatoes, and peppery olive oil, tossed with penne rigate add a little Calabrese to your life.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 as a meal, 6 - 8 as a side | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 20 minutes |
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Your favorite picnic staple took a trip to Italy and was forever changed. Spicy sopressata, fiery chilies, sun dried tomatoes, blistered cherry tomatoes, and peppery olive oil, tossed with penne rigate add a little Calabrese to your life.
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Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne rigate
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (regular), divided (Botticelli recommended)
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (Botticelli recommended)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 - 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 small red chili such as cayenne or fresno, minced (or 1 dried peperoncino chili, ground or minced)
- About 1 pound cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 ounce sundried tomatoes oil-packed, finely diced
- 6 ounces mozzarella perlini halved
- 1 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano finely grated
- 3 - 4 ounces sopressata pre-sliced, cut into 1/4" x 1/2" strips
- 1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
- About 12 leaves basil torn in half
- 1 t-spoon kosher salt plus A LOT more for the pasta water
- Small pinch sugar as needed depending on tomatoes
Servings: as a meal, 6 - 8 as a side
Instructions
- Bring a large, covered pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, heavily salt the water, and drop in the pasta and cook to the package instructions for being fully cooked—not al dente.
- Once it’s cooked, reserve some of the pasta water (about a cup, just in case) and drain the pasta. Against my cardinal rule of never doing this, rinse the pasta with cold water and shake off any excess. Set aside.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat until screaming hot. Toss about half of the regular olive oil with the halved cherry tomatoes and tumble them into the hot pan.
- Cook for just about 2 – 3 minutes, until they start to pop and blister a bit. Transfer it to a separate dish and set aside.
- Pull the pan off the heat and let it cool a bit and, once it has, stir in the remaining regular olive oil, sliced garlic, minced chili of choice and tomato paste. Put back over medium-low heat and cook until fragrant—about 3 – 5 minutes, making sure nothing burns or sticks.
- Once the garlic has begun to soften, turn up the heat for a minute and then pour in the vinegar, immediately followed by about 2/3 cup of the pasta water. Stir to combine, letting it come together in a thick, brick red sauce. Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil, shut off the heat, and set aside to cool completely.
- Once the “sauce” is cooled, fold in the pasta, blistered tomatoes, halved mozzarella, Parmigiano, sopressata, and parsley.
- You can either toss in the basil leaves and serve immediately, or stash in the fridge to serve later—just be sure to let the pasta salad come to room temperature for at least an hour before serving.
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