Pasta with Double Sun-Dried Sauce

Yield: At least 4 servings
Time: 30 minutes

Great. Easy. Salty and sweet plus a little kick from the dried chili. Fresh pasta was a fantastic base for this sauce.

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, each cut in half (not in oil)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 dried chili
• 20 to 30 oil-cured olives, pitted
• 1 pound long pasta, like linguine
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Mince 1/4 cup of the tomatoes.
2. Put oil in a large, deep skillet or casserole over medium heat and add garlic, chili, minced tomatoes and olives. As soon as mixture sizzles, lower heat a bit and continue to cook.
3. When water comes to a boil, add remaining tomatoes to it; simmer for a minute, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and add to skillet, along with about 1/2 cup water. Simmer while pasta cooks in same pot tomatoes were cooked in.
4. When pasta is tender, drain it, but leave it wet; reserve a little cooking liquid. Add pasta to skillet and toss with solids, adding a little reserved cooking liquid (or more olive oil) if needed. Add salt if necessary, a lot of black pepper, and serve, garnished with parsley.

Source: from Mark Bittman, New York Times, February 6, 2008