End-of-summer spaghetti with tomatoes

Name: End-of-summer spaghetti with tomatoes
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve; 450g cherry tomatoes; 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 8 black olives, unpitted; 3 anchovy fillets, drained oftheir oil; 40g salted capers, rinsed; 350g spaghetti; large handful mint, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve; sea salt and black pepper

Julia Busuttil Nishimura

March 17, 2023

Spaghetti with blistered cherry tomatoes.William Meppem

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

Growing up, my mum would make variations of this spaghetti all summer long. Sometimes with whole, blanched tomatoes, sometimes with incredibly ripe ones, roughly chopped and tossed through the warm pasta.

My favourite version was always at the end of summer, with the sweetest cherry tomatoes that were almost bursting from the sun’s warmth.

While basil might seem like an obvious herb to use here, being Maltese she’d always use mint or parsley and plenty of it. Feel free to use any of those herbs here; they will all be lovely.

Ingredients

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
450g cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
8 black olives, unpitted
3 anchovy fillets, drained of
their oil
40g salted capers, rinsed
350g spaghetti
large handful mint, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
sea salt and black pepper

Method

Step 1
Warm the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the tomatoes and garlic and a pinch of salt. Allow to cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, or until the tomatoes have released their juices and collapsed. Pit the olives and roughly tear them into the sauce. Add the anchovies and capers and cook for a further 3-4 minutes or until the sauce has begun to thicken and the anchovies dissolved. Keep warm.
Step 2
Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of salted, boiling water until just before al dente.
Step 3
Return the sauce to a medium heat and transfer the spaghetti directly from the pot into the sauce using tongs, along with a little pasta water to loosen the sauce, if necessary. Add the mint and check for seasoning. It might not need salt, so be cautious. Serve with a drizzle of oil and scattering of mint.