...My aim in this thread is to offer pasta sauce recipes that are easy to prepare, use as many local ingredients as possible and are indescribably delicious...generally speaking, I prefer DeCecco dry pasta (also favored by cookbookist Marcella Hazan and available at Villa). Parmesan is available in a number of locations; I always freshly grind up my own before serving. Local tomatoes are a disgrace to the fruit; however, sometimes their use is unavoidable. I have found a variety of Japanese cherry tomato that is reasonably more flavorful, but prefer Italian produce sometimes on sale at Pala (Asoke). As for EVOO, I use whatever commercial brands of olive oil I find here: I've used both Italian and Spanish varieties and can't honestly tell the difference. A Thai acquaintance in the restaurant business in bkk says I should try the Greek and Lebanese varieties...I will (eventually) and report back here. All that said, here's today's recipe:

Chopped Tomato and Olives


What you need:


a) 6-8 medium ripe tomatoes
b) 6 cloves garlic (minced)
c) 10-12 olives (green or black, brined are tastier)
d) 1 small chili (finely chopped)
e) 4 tablespoons EVOO
f) 2 tablespoons lime juice
g) .5 teaspoon salt
h) .5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
i) 1-2 tablespoons of parsley or sweet basil, chopped (or experiment with a local herb like holy basil)

What you do:


1) chop the tomatoes and drain in a colander...you'll want the result to be fairly dry, so a shake-and-drain action over the sink is required.
2) In a mixing bowl, blend remaining ingredients with tomatoes and let the sauce rest for an hour or so outside the fridge.
3) Pour over 500 gr. of linguine (my personal favorite)
4) Mix and serve, sprinkled with grated parmesan
5) Serves two with healthy appetites or 4-6 Thais
...no cooking and little washing up...perfect sauce for a tropical climate