My tomatoes are very late this year (still not a single ripe one!). My patience finally wore out this past weekend when I found an entire booth stuffed with tomatoes at the farmer’s market. I bought a huge basket of cherry tomatoes and headed home, anxious to recreate a meal I recently enjoyed at the restaurant Clyde Common in Portland.

On the surface, this pasta dish seems a bit boring (Noodles and tomato sauce? Yawn.), but Jason Barwikowski, the chef at Clyde Common, threw in slivered garlic, fresh herbs, and most interestingly, orange and lemon zest. He then topped the dish off with a generous sprinkle of buttery breadcrumbs. So simple, so good, and so very easy to make.

Bucatini with Citrusy Cherry Tomatoes
Inspired by the Spaghettini with Cherry Tomatoes at Clyde Common
Serves 2

The addition of lemon and orange zest adds an unexpected, bright twist to this traditional summertime dish. Clyde Common served the tomatoes with spaghettini, but I like pasta with a little more substance, so I used bucatini—a fat cousin of spaghetti that retains a nice bite when cooked.

What you’ll need:
8 ounces bucatini or spaghetti
1 tablespoon salted butter
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
2 pints of cherry tomatoes, halved pole to pole
2 large garlic cloves, slivered
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Zest from ½ of an orange
Zest from ½ of a lemon
Sea salt

Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and add the pasta. Give it a good stir. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet. When the foam subsides, add in the bread crumbs and one tablespoon of the basil. Stir constantly until the breadcrumbs are evenly coated with butter and golden brown. Scrape the toasted breadcrumbs into a bowl and set aside. When cool, stir in the Parmesan cheese and add salt to taste.

2. Wipe out the skillet and then heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add in the slivered garlic and cook until it is soft and just beginning to brown on the edges. Add in the cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally until they soften and begin to wrinkle. Remove from the heat as soon as the tomatoes begin to collapse. Gently stir in the remaining basil, parsley, orange and lemon zest.

3. When the pasta is cooked (it should be tender with just a little bit of bite), drain it into a colander and then immediately transfer it to a large bowl. Pour the tomato sauce over the pasta and toss well. Dish up the pasta into warmed bowls and sprinkle the buttery breadcrumbs over the top. Pass Parmesan cheese at the table.