A Snap Shot of Summer

This is summer. Fresh sweet basil not an hour out of the garden, pureed and mixed into semolina flour with farm-fresh eggs. In short order I rolled it, cut it, and flash cooked it. I sauced this amazingly fragrant pasta with equally fresh, candy-sweet heirloom tomatoes simply passed through a food mill, and then sauteed with a little garlic in a throat catching 645-PPM Phenol (antioxidant) Content UP Coratina Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The importance of this, is that it would be nothing short of sacrilegious to douse such freshness with an olive oil which was crushed months, let alone years ago. The organic, Ultra Premium extra virgin olive oil I chose to pair with this dish was crushed less than 45 days ago in the Southern Hemisphere. As a single-cultivar Coratina EVOO, it had notes of green fruit such as apple peel, fennel, and artichoke on the finish. The intense pungency and fleeting bitterness played nicely with the confectionery characteristics of my heirloom tomatoes. Fresh extra virgin olive oil, pasta, basil, and tomatoes on the same plate together is the very embodiment of summer. This synergistic trinity pays homage to my sun drenched summer kitchen garden. These flavors cannot truly be held captive, they must be appreciated in the moment that is now, at their peak.

Fresh Basil Pasta Dough 
1 1/2 cups fresh sweet basil leaves only, washed and dried
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 large eggs
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cups semolina flour
1 cup of all purpose flour + more for dusting

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, add the basil leaves. Processes the leaves in to a fine paste. Add the eggs and salt, lemon juice and process again.

Add the flour to the bowl of the processor and pulse until the dough comes together and forms a ball that moves around the bowl with the blade. Remove and knead by hand until a the dough is smooth. Form in to a ball and cover and allow to rest for one hour.

Alternatively, place the flour in a mound on the board and create a well in the center of the mound, like a volcano. Add the basil/egg mixture to the center and begin to incorporate the flour from the top and edges until fully incorporated. Knead by hand until the dough is smooth. Form in to a ball and cover and allow to rest for one hour.

Divide the dough in to six equal portions. Keep the portions covered and roll them out one at at time to desired thickness - I rolled my pasta sheets to no. 6 on my pasta machine. Use a little extra flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. After rolling the sheets, cut by hand or use a machine to cut the noodles.

Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling, well salted water for 1 1/2 minutes. Drain, sauce, and serve.

Makes one pound of pasta.