Tagliatelle alla checca

Method

1. Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10mins or according to packet instructions until 'al dente'.
2. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes in a large bowl and cover with boiling water from the kettle, leave for 1 min. Drain, then peel off the skins. Quarter, then scoop out the seeds and discard. Roughly chop the tomato flesh and place in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Drain the pasta in a colander, then return to the pan; immediately add the sauce and toss to mix. Serve straight away in bowls with a drizzle of olive oil if preferred.

Chef's tip

You can add some diced mozzarella and caciotta romana to the sauce, to make it even more traditional. If you want it to be a cold pasta (e.g. to serve in a buffet or for a rather hot day) you may want to choose a short pasta, like penne or rigatoni.

Serving suggestion

As this dish is perfection, just serve it with some salad and maybe a piece of pecorino cheese (to go with the wine).

Wine selection

Calasole Vermentino Maremma Toscana DOC; Malvasia from Lazio or Colli Albani, served cold.

Family tip

When it comes to a good extra virgin olive oil, the more unadulterated it stays, the better it is. In fact, all kind of oils deteriorate when exposed to heat. Although extra virgin olive oil shows a good heat resistance (smoking point: 190°C), in order to take advantage of its excellent organoleptic properties you may want to use it as pristine as possible.

Dish history

Tagliatelle alla Checca is a typical dish from the Lazio region, but over time it has become popular all over the country. Obviously, every family makes it its own way, by slightly modifying the recipe, adding some ingredients (e.g. mozzarella or caciotta romana) and/or leaving out others. Even though it is considered a spring dish, often served cold, it can be eaten at any time of the year and can be served hot or simply warm.