Tomato Basil Conchiglie

This pasta dish has a very light and fresh taste. Do not boil the tomato sauce – this will keep the basil as green and as flavourful as possible.
Serves: 4
Preparation: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 350g pasta shells (Conchiglie)
- 4 plum tomatoes, skinned (see Tip)
- 25g fresh basil, leaves removed from the stalks
- 4 tbsp good olive oil, plus extra to serve
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- tiny fresh basil leaves
- shaved vegetarian Italian hard cheese
Method
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the conchiglie according to the packet instructions until just al dente.
- Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes, saving all the juices, and put in a bowl.
- Lightly shred the basil leaves and add to the tomatoes with the oil. Season.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain well, reserving 150ml of the cooking liquid.
- Return the liquid to the saucepan, add the tomato mixture, and reheat without boiling.
- Add the drained pasta, check the seasoning and quickly stir to mix.
- Divide between four pasta dishes and serve garnished with the basil, shaved cheese, a grinding of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Tip
To skin the tomatoes, put them in a bowl, pour over boiling water, leave for 1 minute and then drain off the water. You will now be able to remove the skins easily. Use a sharp-pointed knife to remove the core where the stalk was attached.
This recipe is from Traditional Favourites published by Simon & Schuster.