BLUSHING ANGEL HAIR PASTA

Blushing Angel Hair Pasta image

Provided by Alex Guarnaschelli

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, grated
Kosher salt
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup heavy cream
10 ounces angel hair pasta
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino

Steps:

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons water. Simmer until the water cooks out and the garlic becomes tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste with 2 more tablespoons water and cook to "fry" the paste for a minute in the oil, stirring. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook over medium heat until they soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cream. Season with salt to taste. Keep warm.
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil. Add a generous handful of salt. Bring the water back up to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring with a slotted spoon to make sure it does not clump or stick to the bottom, until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid and drain the pasta in a large colander.
Add the hot pasta right from the colander to the skillet and toss to coat with the cream. Shut the heat off and allow the pasta to rest for 2 minutes. If too thin, gently warm and reduce over low heat for 1 to 2 additional minutes. If it becomes too thick, simply thin it out with some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid. Serve topped with the cheese.