Ben's Summer Tomato Pasta

No dish makes tomatoes sing quite like this. Flavoured simply with herbs, chilli and garlic, this pasta is best when topped with gooey buffalo mozzarella.

📝 Ingredients

• 1000 g Tomato
• 4 Clove Garlic
• 2 Red Chilli
• 25 g Basil
• 25 g Chive
• 500 g Rigatoni
• 250 g Mozzarella
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Olive Oil

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Score a cross on the top of each tomato.
2. 2Place all your tomatoes in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave to sit for 10 mins, then drain and set aside to cool.
3. 3Once they're cool enough to handle, peel off the skin of each tomato. Cut the core out of each one.
4. 4Finely slice your garlic and chillies. Finely chop your chives.
5. 5Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add your garlic and cook gently for a minute.
6. 6Tip in your tomatoes and mash them up with a potato masher to purée them. Simmer for about 40 mins on a gentle heat until thick.
7. 7Add all but a handful of your sliced chilli, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. 8Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Pour in your rigatoni and cook until al dente.
9. 9Tear your basil leaves into the tomato sauce. Add your rigatoni, along with a splash of your pasta water, then mix to combine. Add more pasta water where necessary to make a glossy sauce.
10. 10Spoon your pasta into bowls and tear over that beautiful buffalo mozzarella. Sprinkle with your remaining chilli, some more torn basil, your chopped chives, and some olive oil. Serve up and enjoy.