Green Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Basil
Colorful basil-flavored pasta is tossed with herbed tomato sauce, then served with more of the same sauce. Pasta, basil, and tomato — simple, and delicious together. It may seem strange that Masa was such an expert with pasta, but he spent time in Europe during his training, and loved classic dishes.
Ingredients
- Basil Puree
- Basil - 1 bunch, washed and stemmed
- Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
- Pasta
- Flour - 1 cup (70% semolina; 30% all-purpose, rice, or buckwheat)
- egg
- Egg - 1
- Salt - 1 teaspoon
- Freshly ground white pepper - 1 teaspoon
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Basil puree (above) - 2 tablespoons
- Sauce
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Mirepoix - 1/2 cup (onion, carrot, celery stalk, and leek, chopped very fine)
- Shallot Puree - 2 tablespoons
- Bay Leaves - 2
- Thyme - 1 teaspoon, minced
- Oregano - 1/2 teaspoon, chopped
- White peppercorns - 1 teaspoon, crushed
- Dry white wine - 1 cup
- Fresh chopped basil - 2 tablespoons
- Fresh Tomatoes - 3 whole, ripe, chopped
- Tomato Puree - 4 tablespoons
- Garlic puree - 1 teaspoon
- Chicken Stock - 2 cups
- Veal Stock - 2 cups
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Basil Puree - 1 tablespoon
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Chives - 1/2 cup, chopped
- Basil Sprigs - 4
Instructions
To prepare the basil puree: Puree the basil with the olive oil in a food processor, scraping down the sides as necessary. Store in a covered jar covered with a little olive oil; keeps 2 weeks.
To make the pasta: Place the flour on a work surface or in the bowl of a mixer. Add the egg, salt, and pepper. Mix well with your hands, then add the olive oil and basil puree. Mix well. Roll into a ball, then knead by hand until smooth. Gather into a ball again and sprinkle with flour. Roll through a pasta machine, down to the thinnest setting, and cut into noodles. Dust noodles with flour, mound them, and cover loosely with plastic.
To prepare the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the mirepoix, shallot puree, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and peppercorns. Reduce for 5 minutes to concentrate the flavors. Add the wine and cook briefly, about 30 seconds. Add the basil, tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic puree, and stocks. Cook for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Strain into another saucepan. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, then reduce over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Set aside; keep warm.
To finish: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook to al dente. Drain. In a saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon basil puree. Season with salt and pepper. Add the drained pasta to the saute pan and stir. Add a little tomato sauce to the pasta and stir to blend; heat through.
To serve: Ladle sauce onto each of four warmed serving plates. Swirl pasta in the center. Garnish each with chopped chives and a basil sprig.
