Small Army

I love being part of big family. I grew up as one child in five, and moving to New Mexico has only made my family bigger. I cooked dinner at Grandma's house tonight-- there were 11 of us, total. That's a lot of people to feed; and a lot of relatively picky palates. Luckily, pasta is almost universally appealing, so long as I keep the sauce/toppings simple. I reverted to a non-vegan meal.... it's all a process. :)

Caprese Pasta for Eleven

1 1/2 lbs pasta (I used orecchiette, but any small pasta will do)
extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 pints yellow pear tomatoes
1/3 cup dry white wine (I used Sauvignon blanc-- just be careful your wine is not too rich or oaked here)
16 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into bite size pieces
2 ounces basil, torn into pieces

Boil pasta per package directions. Please do not forget to salt the water before adding pasta-- this is the only chance you will have to season the pasta itself.

While pasta cooks, heavily coat bottom of a large skillet with olive oil. (I probably used 1/4 cup of olive oil here.) Heat over medium heat; add minced garlic and sautee until fragrant (but not browned). Add all cherry tomatoes, coat well in olive oil and garlic. If needed, add more olive oil to coat well. Season well with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Cover skillet and let cook, stirring occasionally. When the tomatoes are beginning to burst open, add wine and let cook uncovered for a few minutes. You want the concentrated flavor of the wine, but not too much extra liquid.

Drain pasta, but reserve one cup of starchy cooking water-- set aside. Add pasta to skillet with tomatoes; remove from heat. Add mozzarella pieces and basil-- toss well to combine. If pasta is dry, add some of the starchy cooking water and taste again for seasoning.

Serve with a green salad and garlic bread. (Make the salad a little bigger than you think you might need-- especially if you're feeding a small army, as I was.) Enjoy!