Garden fresh tortellini
I can’t take credit for this recipe, but it’s too good not to share. I think it’s morphed from a friend’s go-to meal while she lived in the Virgin Islands, then it spent some time marinating in a tiny kitchen in LA and now it’s summer staple in our house. The first time I made it for Adam he was skeptical. The main ingredient is cheese tortellini, which he associates being served with some kind of sauce. This dish has no sauce. And it’s served cold, making it perfect for a humid summer night. And it’s just so colorful (my photo doesn’t do it justice).
OK. I’ll quit typing about how good this is and just give you the ingredients and let you decide for yourself.
Ingredients
4-5 slices proscuitto (you can substitute bacon, but it’s really better with proscuitto, don’t be intimidated by the fancy Italian name. You should be able to find packages of it in the deli)
2 T olive oil
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
10 ounces frozen sweet corn (or 3-4 ears corn on the cob)
1 package fresh or frozen tortellini (16-20 ounces)
fresh ground black pepper
fresh basil to garnish
Directions:
Boil tortellini according to directions. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook proscuitto until slightly crispy. Remove proscuitto. Add garlic, corn and tomatoes to skillet. Stir together and turn down to low until tomatoes start getting juicy. Cut proscuitto into bite-size strips and add to the mix. Season with pepper and stir in basil. When mixture is warm toss with tortellini and enjoy! Juices from the tomatoes mix with the sweet corn and salty proscuitto. Yum!
I recommend serving with garlicy, chewy bread and chilled white wine. If you’re in Des Moines I highly recommend anything from South Union. Tonight we had the tomato focaccia.
This makes 4 servings, so it’s perfect to take for lunch the next day or again for dinner.
What do you think?