Summer Golden Tomato Pasta

Paccheri, olive oil, sungolds, preserved lemon, aromatics, pistachio pesto, burrata, crispy shallots...need I say more?

Hi everyone! With tomato season in full swing, it would be an utter shame not to make the most of it! At the store this week, I saw some beautiful golden cherry tomatoes called ‘sungolds’, and what better way to enjoy a tomato than in a pasta?

If you are unfamiliar with sungolds, they are a sweet cherry tomato variety with a beautiful, distinctive, yellow flesh. Because these tomatoes have such a naturally high sugar content, by cooking them low and slow, we caramelize these sugars, creating an impossibly sweet sauce, perfect for this time of year. These tomatoes are in season for most of the Northern Hemisphere summer, so you still have a few months left to track down a punnet!

In addition to the star of the show, the sungolds, this sauce also features shallot, garlic, preserved lemon, and Calabrian chili. These ingredients hit all the basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, creating a fabulous, versatile sauce. I’ve chosen to purée this sauce for a creamy, smooth mouthfeel, but feel free to skip this step if a more rustic pasta is your style. I’ve paired this sauce with pistachio pesto and burrata for some herbaceous, creamy goodness. Lastly, I’ve topped the dish with some crispy shallots for texture.

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