Pasta alla Checca is a typical first course of Roman cuisine. Do not ask me how it came by this name because I searched in the kitchen texts and this mystery has not yet been solved.
It is a simple preparation and its summer ingredients make it ideal for warmer seasons.
Originally created with a poor and Mediterranean dressing: tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and raw extra virgin olive oil. Now, it is revisited in every way imaginable and with different seasonings.
It is a simple dish and can be prepared in a very short amount of time, allowing you to have an excellent pasta salad ready for lunch, for dinner on the terrace or, why not, to take to the office.
Pasta alla Checca
- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- Ingredients for 4 servings
- Difficulty: Easy recipe
- Ingredients
- 320 gr or 12 oz of short pasta (e.g., maccheroni)
- 400 gr or 1 lb of mozzarella cheese
- 6 ripe tomatoes
- Basil leaves to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Instructions
- Boil the pasta water in a saucepan.
- Wash the tomatoes and cut them into cubes.
- Dice the mozzarella.
- Place them in a serving bowl and season them with oil. Season with salt and pepper and add the basil leaves.
- Salt the boiling water with coarse salt and toss the pasta.
- Drain the pasta al dente and let it cool seasoned with a tablespoon of oil.
- Place the pasta in the bowl with the tomato and the fiordilatte, stirring well.
- Put the bowl in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours.
- Serve cold.
Tips to ensure the success of the dish:
- The pasta should be drained al dente and tossed with a tablespoon of olive oil to prevent it from becoming sticky.
- Tomatoes must be good, tasty, and ripe.
- To cook pasta ideally, consider 1 liter or 1 US quart of water for every serving.
