Mostaccioli with Fresh Basil and Mozzarella

Name: Mostaccioli with Fresh Basil and Mozzarella
Yield: makes 6 servings
Ingredients: Salt; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the finished pasta if you like; 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced; One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) with their liquid, seeded and crushed, or 3 cups peeled, seeded, and diced ripe plum tomatoes (see page 9); 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper; 1 pound mostaccioli or penne pasta; 1 pound bocconcini (bite-size fresh mozzarella), preferably mozzarella di bufala (see page 54), cut in half; 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; 1 cup shredded fresh basil leaves

December 9, 2011

Bocconcini, literally “little mouthfuls,” are small rounds of fresh mozzarella that are often sold wherever larger rounds of fresh mozzarella are made. (If you can find bocconcini made from water buffalo’s milk, they’re even better for this pasta.) Bocconcini can vary in size from store to store. If yours are larger than the type called ciliege (cherries), you may want to cut them into quarters, so they fit neatly on a spoon alongside the pasta. If you can’t find bocconcini of any type, cut larger pieces of fresh mozzarella into 1-inch cubes.

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