Tasting Notes

The rich, luscious, pasta, notes of sweetness, a bit briny from the capers, pairs well with the crunchy baguette, the salad crunchy and earthy, all adds up to a wonderful meal.

What You Need

1 garlic clove peeled.

1/2 of a baguette.

Linguini for two.

One cup unsalted butter.

1/2 cup of capers.

Four large pieces of sun-dried tomatoes.

Ten cherry tomatoes.

10 snap peas – often they are not readily available so substitute 1 1/2 cups of frozen peas.

Two cups of Edamame beans.

Enough sliced iceberg lettuce for two.

Two tablespoons Japanese sushi rice vinegar – it’s sweet and not acidic at all. If you don’t have it – use white wine vinegar but add a good pinch of white sugar to it.

Four tablespoons of olive oil.

Salt and pepper.

Equipment

1 pastry brush.

1 medium bowl.

1 large pot.

1 small bowl.

1 small cast iron frying pan.

Prepare Ahead

Cut your baguette in half, using your pastry brush, dip it into the olive and brush the inside of the half of the baguette. Set aside.

Take your snap peas by cutting off the ends, removing thread of fibre that runs along one side by using a sharp, small, knife – grab with the knife at one end of the fibre and peel away.

Take your cherry tomatoes, place in the frying pan, drizzle a bit of olive oil over them, plus salt and pepper. On a stove top – medium heat – fry the tomatoes till they burst. Once done place in a small bowl, set aside.

Now take your snap peas and do the same thing as you did with the cherry tomatoes. Once they are cooked – al dente, two to three minutes – add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes.

Add your capers to the bowl with the tomatoes.

Chop up your sundried tomatoes into little chunks and then add to the snap, peas, cherry tomatoes, mixture.

Take your frozen Edamame beans out of the freezer place them in a small bowl. Set aside till fully unthawed.

Cut up your iceberg lettuce, add to the medium bowl along with Edamame beans. Add your vinegar, olive oil, add salt and pepper, mix well. Set aside.

Fill your big pot with water, add a good amount of salt. Set aside.

Method

Take your half baguette add to your oven, set on broil and your baguette is ready once it has browned nicely. Make sure you watch as the broiling of the bread happens quickly and you want to avoid a baguette that is burned. Once done take your garlic clove and rub all over the bread.

Bring your water to a boil, then add your linguine and on a low boil cook for eight to 10 minutes. Once they are al dente, drain with a colander but be sure to save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Now return the pasta to the big pot, followed by the butter, and some of the pasta water. Once the the pasta starts to thicken, add the mixture of the tomatoes, etc., to it and swirl around.

You are now ready to plate – once plated drizzle a bit of olive oil on top.

Delicioso