Spaghetti with Ricotta and cherry tomatoes

There's a constant pile of books on my bedside table that gets taller instead of smaller so I can make sure that I never run out of things to read.  This month has been hectic though and I haven't read much.  March began with the end of our Las Vegas holiday then we received our iMac and I've been busy doing the big switch from Mac to PC which is why the pile of books has gotten a bit dusty.

Yesterday evening, after spending several hours creating a home network so we could use one printer, I just needed a break from all things tech-y.  I looked through my books and found  "A Platter of Figs" by David Tanis, Chez Panisse's  part-time (actually, half-year) chef. The recipes are organized into three-course seasonal menus starting off with spring which is perfect timing.  David Tanis spends half the year in Chez Panisse and the other half in a tiny kitchen in his Paris apartment where he cooks homey meals based on the best produce surrounded by friends.  I lost myself in his life of amazing ingredients and interesting anecdotes and it turned out into a really good bedtime story.

When I got up this morning, I was inspired to whip up a lunch from whatever I had in season in my fridge.  The cherry tomatoes and ricotta cheese stood out because a few days ago, fellow blogger Miss Expatria twittered this to me:  

@gourmettravel Try pasta tossed with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and a thwack of ricotta! Yumm.

I couldn't resist her suggestion so that became my impromptu lunch - influenced both by David Tanis (he has his Ricotta spread on toast and topped with cherry tomatoes) and Miss Expatria (exactly as it is in the photo).  As you can see, it was easy to make and I can tell you that it tasted simply delicious.