Kinda Sorta Italian

Over the past week, I've seen the movie 'Under the Tuscan Sun' one too many times. Probably at least five times. Thanks a lot, Oxygen Network. While the scenery is gorgeous, all I really cared about were the food scenes. I love Italian food, and not just the pastas. I love everything from pasta to pizza, polenta to tiramisu, and everything in between. I love all the dairy-based foods from the north, to the spicy tomato-based dishes in the south. No joke, one of my life goals is to make enough money, go to Italy, and eat my way through the country. I have to do that at least once in my lifetime.

In any case, after watching the movie that many times, it was time to make some Italian food. However, with Tipsy eating my door frames, I don't have the time to make a big pot of bolognese sauce. It was time to go kinda sorta Italian. When I'm craving Italian food but am short on time, this is my go-to recipe (if it even qualifies as one).

This is a simple and quick sauce. Minimal prep and cooking are required. The basic ingredients are as follows: garlic, tomatoes (any kind is fine - Roma, heirloom, cherry, etc.), baby portobello mushrooms, basil, olive oil, white wine vinegar, and salt and pepper. Before I even prep any of the ingredients, I put a pot of water on the stove and cook the pasta. This way, the sauce can marinate as the pasta cooks. All I do is crush and mince the garlic, chop up the tomatoes, slice the mushrooms, shred the basil, and toss with the olive oil and vinegar, and set it aside. The flavors will combine while the pasta cooks. 

Ingredients for the sauce

Tomato mixture hanging out while pasta cooks

Once the pasta is cooked, I dump the tomato mixture into the hot pasta, stir until it's evenly distributed, then put the pot back on the stove, with the lid on, for a few minutes. The tomatoes cook down a little, the garlic softens and sweetens, and all the flavors combine. Then, for a little decadence, I top the pasta with burrata cheese, because, why not? Burrata is amazing. For those not in the know, burrata cheese is a mixture of mozzarella cheese and cream inside a shell of solid mozzarella cheese. Whoever created this is an absolute genius.

Burrata makes everything better

This isn't 'authentic' Italian food by any means, but it satisfies my cravings and it is pretty dang tasty. I especially like this recipe because I can add anything I want to it. This is simply the foundation. Sometimes I add lemon zest and sun dried tomatoes, other times I add capers and olives. Anything is possible. If and when I have more time, I'll definitely try more complex foods. Until then, this is just fine. I'll just avoid watching that dang movie in the mean time.