Summer Corn and Tomato Pasta

Rachael Ray's Summer Corn and Tomato Pasta

Salt
1 pound bow-tie pasta (I used the new mini farfalle by Barilla, so cute!)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed (I used garlic powder)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
3 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off (I used frozen, I know, so bad -- I actually did by fresh for this recipe, then we decided to eat them on the cob)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente; drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the corn, raise the heat slightly and cook until the corn is heated through and golden, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

3. Add the vegetables, butter and basil to the pasta and toss.

This is a Rachael Ray recipe that was shared as a 'cook along' on a cooking board. I was excited to try it because I love corn and pasta and am just learning to love tomatoes! I've always been a fan of tomato sauces, soups, etc. but never whole or pieces of tomato, cooked or raw I just didn't like them. This is actually the first time I've cooked with fresh tomatoes (other than turning them into a soup or salsa). When my husband saw me unpack the little adorable carton of cherry tomatoes from my grocery bag he looked puzzled, we never bought tomatoes! When I told him about the cook along and how I was excited to try this and see if I like them he looked so defeated, "but tomatoes were a food we could dislike together," he said sadly. Poor boring food man :(

not my picture, taken from naturesweettomatoes.com

I really enjoyed this recipe! I cannot believe I've been missing out on delicious *cooked* cherry tomatoes for so long. I did try them raw and am still not a fan, just a texture thing I think, but sauteeing them really brought out the flavor and killed the globiness that has deterred me from raw tomatoes in the past. I hated hating tomatoes. They are in so many delicious looking recipes that I used to shy away from because of the misunderstood tomato. Now I won't be so scared to give those recipes a try! :)