Spring has sprung! There’s something so rejuvenating about the first few days of spring.
The skies stay lighter just a little later in the evenings. The trees thicken with fresh leaves. Flowers peek out from sidewalk cracks and carefully tended gardens. Things turn green, the skies turn blue, and the air smells crisp and damp and so wonderfully fresh.
To be fair, we’re only officially three days into spring, and two-and-a-half of those three days were grey and rainy, but still. It’s officially spring, and I can’t help but get excited for it.
It’s around this time of the year that I really start to look forward to the summer months. Summer here is brief but gorgeous, and I’m fully intend on taking advantage of it. Farmers markets. Fresh, local produce. Camping. Hiking. Barbecues. It may seem far away, but it’s really not… The BC camping website opened for reservations, and the site literally crashed because there were too many people trying to book their summer campsites!
With the lighter weather comes the light, fresh recipes. Cozy comfort food is my all-time favourite (see Finn’s recent mouthwatering gem here) (I frequent Burgoo too often in the winter), but it feels wonderful to eat a bit healthier when spring rolls around. When it’s grey and freezing out, shepherd’s pies and stick-to-your-ribs stews are mandatory, but those things can feel a bit heavy in spring.
I adore simple pastas. You only need a handful of ingredients to make a simple, fresh pasta dish, and often you don’t even need a “sauce”. Sure, making a big tomato-based bolognese is delicious, but there’s something to be said for chewy, al dente pasta tossed simply with some olive oil, herbs, and cheese.
Juicy cherry tomatoes aka little flavour pockets.
Sun-dried tomatoes for a bit of texture and tang.
Savoury basil. Garlic, oil, and creamy burrata cheese.
The burrata breaks down into a sort of creamy sauce, without weighing the pasta down. Add some salt and pepper, freshly grated Parmesan, and some al-dente noodles, and you have a quick and easy dish.
I recommend buying good quality pasta, if you can. There aren’t a ton of ingredients in this pasta, so a good pasta is a must for optimum taste.
If you’re really convinced you need a bit of meat in this pasta, toss in some shredded chicken, or even some diced ham.
When it comes to pasta – and as I was always told in design school…
K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) and you can’t go wrong!
| Tomato Linguine with Basil & Burrata | Print |
- 600 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 200 g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 375 g linguine
- ⅓ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 250 g burrata cheese, room temp
- In a large bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Let stand at room temperature for about an hour.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add linguine and cook according to package instructions. Drain well, then add to the bowl with the tomatoes. Stir in basil and Parmesan, and season with more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve in bowls with burrata and a drizzle of olive oil.
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