Miniature Things: In the Kitchen again...

I've been so busy lately, and frankly, haven't felt much like cooking when it's been so humid the last few days in MI. But tonight after a swim cooled me down, I decided I was just too hungry not to cook. My garden was also in need of thinning it's bounty, so I tried to incorporate fresh things I had on hand. Turns out I ended up with two dishes: Herb potatoes (to go along with my Talapia from the freezer) and Ditalini ala Capri. I think I've talked about Ditalini ala Capri before (I practically live on it), but thought tonight I would actually post instructions. Lucky you!
First, the herb potatoes. There's not really that much of a recipe per say. I take medium red potatoes (8-10) and cut them into about 1/2-1" dice. Then I chop up whatever herbs I can find in my garden. Tonight that included thyme (thanks Kristal!), oregano, parsley, and chives. I would say after all the herbs are chopped it's about 1/2 cup total. Then I just get a big bowl, put in the potatoes, herbs, 1/4 cup olive oil (I just guess on this), kosher salt, pepper, and mix it all up. Then I lay it out flat on a sheet pan.

I bake the mess in a 425F oven for 45 minutes. Somehow, it manages to turn out perfect every time. It's especially good the next day for breakfast. And don't forget the ketsup.

Now on to the Ditalini. My recipe is actually a variant of the one I found here after watching Everyday Italian (which I'm a die hard fan of; I heart you Giada). I use Ditalini noodles instead of Fusilli (I just can't seem to get on board with fusilli) and I add onion, just because I like it. Anywho, first I boil the pasta water (seriously people make sure you REALLY salt your pasta water; I can't stress enough what an important cooking tip this is for delicious tasting pasta), while I'm chopping up all the goods. I use one really small sweet-type onion (got mine at the farmer's market), 3 cloves of garlic minced, about 20 big basil leaves, and I didn't have enough mozzarella and tomatoes (my tomato's are just now getting ripe), but just guess based on what you have on hand.

So here's where things get cooking. Saute the onions and garlic with 3 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Probably two minutes.

Then add the halfed tomatoes, and cook for another 2-3 minutes (mostly until they look like they might start to squish easily)

Now mash your tomatoes up with a potato smasher. This part is fun! Keep stirring occasionally.

Next dump in the cooked pasta* and the chopped basil. *Drain the pasta, but make sure to reserve the pasta water; you need it in the next step.

Stir and remove from the heat. Add in about 1/4 cup of pasta water at a time, until the dish is kinda moist looking. Not wet, but like there is a light sauce.
Finally, once the pasta is mostly cool, add the chopped mozzarella and stir to combine.

I'm fairly impatient, and I never wait long enough for my pasta to cool, so my mozza ends up getting all melty. I happen to like it that way, but not everyone does.