Peak Summer: Heirloom Tomato Tripoline

Di Anoia’s Eatery director of kitchen operations Chef Tyler England offers up a recipe delicious in its simplicity.

Tomato season is something we look forward to all year at DiAnoia’s Eatery. Our Heirloom Tomato Tripoline pasta is a dish that we bring back year after year, and it continues to be one of our most popular seasonal dishes. Using the tomato’s natural pectin as a binder, the sauce is created with just tomatoes, butter, and basil. The sauce is both rich and refreshing, filling and light at the same time. Always source the freshest tomatoes possible. A farmers’ market is the best option, but grocery store tomatoes will work as well.

- Tyler England, director of kitchen operations, DiAnoia’s Eatery, dinoiaseatery.com

Heirloom Tomato Tripoline

Ingredients

½ lb of your favorite dry long pasta (tripoline if you can find it - if using fresh pasta use ¾ - 1 inch)

1 lb tomatoes, cored and quartered

1 bunch of basil, picked

¼ to ½ lb cold butter (the higher the quality, the better)

Instructions

Start by bringing a medium pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add all of your pasta at once, stirring occasionally.

In a separate sauté pan, use your hands to crush the tomatoes in the pan. Add the basil and ¼ pound cold butter and turn the heat to medium. As the tomatoes and butter heat up, stir them together, crushing the tomatoes even more as you go. The goal is to get the tomatoes to release as much of their natural liquid as possible.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and let it cook for around 5 minutes; you should notice the butter and the tomato water start to emulsify into the sauce. If the sauce seems too loose, you can add more butter. If the butter starts to separate from the sauce, add a little bit of pasta water at a time; this should re-emulsify the sauce.

Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water then drain the rest. Add your pasta to the sauce and coat the noodles.

Again, if you notice the sauce starting to separate, just add a little bit of the pasta water at a time, stirring constantly until you get a nice creamy sauce.

STORY BY MAGGIE WEAVER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE/ FOOD STYLING BY VEDA SANKARAN / PROP STYLING BY KEITH RECKER / RECIPE BY TYLER ENGLAND, DIANOIA’S EATERY / WALLPAPER: GUERMANTES BY MANUEL CANOVAS, COURTESY OF COWTAN & TOUT

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