Mid-July means that the tomato plants are producing lots of little cherry tomatoes. Most nights, when I go out to harvest, handfuls get eaten before they get into the house. Some of them make it into a salad or are dressed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cherry tomatoes off the vine are super sweet and bursting with flavor. So, when they go into this Cherry Tomato and Baby Mozzarella Linguini, I like to leave them just barely cooked, so they are slightly soft and still have their sweetness. Super juicy and fresh!

Capers and sweet cherry tomatoes taste of summer. And fresh baby mozzarella speckled throughout alongside yellow and red brings so much color and brightness.

After making this, I realized that I'd made a sort of lighter pasta similar to Puttanesca (minus the olives and anchovies), which created a sort of summer comfort food. Fresh tomatoes instead of sauce, and added baby mozz. For some reason, the capers remind me of being near the ocean. Maybe it's the saltiness or their Mediterranean origins. Whatever the reason may be, the flecks of green and thoughts of the sea make this pasta one of my new summer comforts.

Cherry tomato and baby mozzarella linguini

ingredients

• ½ lb dried linguini

• 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 ½ cups baby mozzarella halved

• 3 tbsp capers, coarsely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

• ¼ cup water

• grated parmesan (optional)

method

1. Add the olive oil to a small pan over medium-low heat. Sauté the capers and garlic for a few minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and add the cherry tomatoes and water to deglaze the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste, and cook until the tomatoes are softened, and still intact, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, boil the linguini for 9-12 minutes, or according to package.

3. Toss the linguini with the tomato caper sauce and add the baby mozzarella.(Optionally, sprinkle with grated parmesan!)