- ¼ cup (50 ml) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups (500 ml) cubed French or Italian bread (1-inch/2.5 cm cubes)
- 1 recipe Basic Egg Pasta
- 3 large tomatoes, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup (50 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp (2 ml) balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp (2 ml) salt
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) hot pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup (75 ml) thinly sliced fresh basil
- Pasta Roller
- Fettuccine cutter
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
- Baking sheet
- Prepare the croutons: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
- Place bread on baking sheet. Pour garlic butter over bread, tossing with a spatula to distribute butter evenly. Spread out bread cubes. Bake in preheated oven until crispy and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Prepare the pasta: Roll pasta to setting 5 and cut with the fettuccine cutter. Set aside on a floured baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, toss tomatoes, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt, hot pepper flakes and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired with salt, hot pepper flakes and vinegar. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook, stirring for the first minute to keep noodles from sticking together, until al dente (tender to the bite), about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving about ½ cup (125 ml) of the cooking water.
- Add pasta to the bowl of tomatoes. Toss and add enough of the cooking water to moisten. Add croutons and basil and toss again. Serve immediately.