The Recipe Room

One of the worst things about my gluten-free diet has got to be not being able to eat semolina pasta!  I used to eat it by the bucketful (maybe that was part of the problem!), and to be honest, I don’t really find any of the gluten-free alternatives to be nearly as satisfying.

However, I have found that if you take the time to make sure you’ve got a superbly delicious sauce to serve it with, it does help to make up for it.  This spicy corn pasta recipe is similar to a tagliatelle dish I used to enjoy eating when visiting southern Italy and is definitely one of my favourite, non-gluten pasta dishes. (Also try this prawn and courgette tagliatelli recipe.)

 

Whether you’re having a few friends over for drinks, or throwing an all-out party with lots of guests, these pesto-filled cherry tomatoes are a great bite-sized appetiser that are quick and easy to prepare and sure to be a hit with your guests. I’m a big fan of pesto myself ever since I first tried pesto linguine at a local Italian restaurant years ago.

I love tomato stuffed peppers, but they fill me up. The size of these cherry tomatoes make them delicious and perfect as an appetiser or snack.

The taste is so sublime that it’s hard to believe how simple it is to make.  Some recipes call for leaving some of the pine nuts whole, but I prefer to grind them all up.  In any case, for this recipes that’s definitely the best idea, since there’s not very much room inside the tiny cherry tomatoes and the whole nuts would just get in the way.  Also, the best thing about this appetiser is the way you can just pop them in your mouth and swallow almost without even having to chew.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you could try sprinkling a little Parmesan cheese on top and sticking them in the oven or under the grill for a few minutes for an au gratin effect.  Whatever you do, make sure you have more ingredients at hand because these tend to disappear quite fast and your guests will soon be clamouring for more.

You Need:

• 50 cherry tomatoes, washed
• 500ml fresh basil leaves, packed
• 250ml grated Parmesan cheese
• 60ml pine nuts
• 125ml olive oil
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Combine the garlic, pine nuts and basil and mix for a few seconds with a food processor or blender.
2. Add the olive oil and blend for a few more seconds.
3. Add the Parmesan cheese and blend again.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Set aside the mixture.
6. Cut the tops off the cherry tomatoes and remove about two-thirds of the pulp.
7. Fill the hollowed out tomatoes with the pesto.
8. Serve on a serving platter as an hors d’oeuvre.

Ready In: 15 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Difficulty: 2 out of 5