Stella Blue’s Pasta

Many moons ago, my family was vacationing in Hawaii. We spent the day sight-seeing around Maui and ate lunch at a tasty little cafe called Stella Blue’s, where somebody ordered a yummy pasta dish with tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Later in the afternoon, when it was time to head back to the hotel for a little siesta, we discovered that there was a huge fire right in the middle of the sideways-figure 8-shaped island, and that the only road that could get us from Kihei to Kaanapali Beach was shut down until further notice. What a predicament! So we got ice cream, went to the movies (Mulan, which shows you how long ago this was), ate at Stella Blue’s again (it was that good), and parked our rental car in the long line of cars waiting on the side of the road for the highway to reopen. At some point in the night, the fire was put out, the road was reopened, and we went back to our hotel and went to sleep. But my family has been eating Stella Blue’s Pasta ever since! It is a true family favorite, and probably the best memento we’ve ever brought home from a vacation.

olive oil
12 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 Tablespoons)
10-12 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped and loosely packed
salt
pepper
garlic powder
dried basil
1 pound pasta, cooked and drained
shredded parmesan cheese

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium-low. Add the garlic and saute for about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, turn the heat up to medium, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have broken down and formed a nice sauce, about 20 minutes. Add fresh basil and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over cooked, drained pasta and toss to coat. If needed, correct the seasoning with more salt and pepper, and garlic powder and dried basil as necessary. Serve with lots of shredded parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Serves 6-8