Pappardella Pasta with Garlic,Cherry Tomatoes and Feta Cheese

(An Easy to Make Olive Oil Based Light Pasta Sauce)

Tonight I felt like something filling and hot, but I didn't feel like fussing, so I looked in the refrigerator and this is what I found: some garlic, a handful of cherry tomatoes, a half bottle of white wine, feta cheese and some Kalamata olives. I knew I had some fresh Basil growing outside and then I remembered I had a couple of handfuls of Pappardelle* in the cabinet, here is what I did:

[Preparation time: 20 min = cooking and cutting time]{It took me longer to write this blog}

Servings: makes about 2 medium-sized portions – easily doubled or tripled

Ingredients:

Two (2) servings of Pappardelle Pasta (they come in portions)

The Pappardelle Pasta (*an Italian flat pasta, usually cut into a broad ribbon shape; curled into handful size portions, it’s width is between Lasagna and Tagliatelle), should be cooking while you are preparing the sauce. Cook until El Dente, save about 3 Tablespoons of the pasta water.

Ingredients for the Sauce:

·       5 Tablespoons of good quality olive oil

·       4 cloves of garlic – sliced the long way

·       5 cherry tomatoes cut into quarters the long way

·       ¼ cup white wine

·       4 or 5 fresh basil leaves, sliced

·       Some Feta Cheese – sheep feta – about 3 slices cubed

·       A pinch of sugar

·       ¼ teaspoon of dry oregano

·       3 Tablespoons of Pasta Water

·       Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Fresh ground pepper, sliced garlic and cherry tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes cut in quarters lengthwise

Preparation:

·        In a medium frying pan, heat 5 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

·      Add the garlic slices and simmer until the garlic begins to soften*

·       Add the cut up cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper

Cherry tomatoes and garlic simmering in olive oil

·        Continue cooking until the cherry tomatoes they begin to soften 

·        Add the white wine, the pan will sizzle, let the liquid thicken a bit

·        Add the pinch of sugar

·        Add the dry oregano

·        Mix and let simmer for another minute or two

·        Add the pasta to the sauce

·        Add the 3 tablespoons of the pasta water

Pappardelle added to the Sauce

·        Mix well – give it a minute or two for the sauce to cook into the pasta

·        Salt and pepper to taste

·        Place on serving dish

·        Sprinkle with the Feta Cheese

·        Add the Kalamata Olives

Quick Light Pasta Sauce with Feta Cheese and Kalamata Olives

You might want to add a few grains of kosher salt to enhance the flavors without making this dish too salty. If I were feeling ambitious, I would have made myself a simple green salad and garlic bread. But I didn’t J

*Garlic - be careful not to overcook garlic - it gets bitter