simple, indulgent, italian

A dreamy dinner on the patio: pasta with tomatoes, herbs and olive oil, warm Ciabatta bread rolls with salted butter, and red wine; surrounded by warm air temps, fairy lights overhead, pots of blooming flowers and the scent of Lilacs in the air. Not bad for a Tuesday night. This type of indulgence also requires Andrea Bocelli streaming softly in the background, in my opinion. As dreamy as this feels to me, we could be dining in Tuscany for all I know but we're not....just a perfect late spring night in Michigan.

Here's the recipe from Barefoot Contessa. I've made this many times over the years but until now I always avoided putting more than a heavy dash of salt in the pasta water. She suggests using 2 tablespoons, which I did this time and wow, what a difference!!! I'll never skimp on the salt when boiling pasta again. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!