This no cook pasta sauce features the warm flavor of cloves. It is unusual and exotic, perfect for a cozy summer evening.

Ingredients

• 7 plum tomatoes, cut into thin slices
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Vidalia onion, finely chopped
• 4 whole cloves, finely crushed
• 1 cup pitted black olives, chopped
• 1 Tbs fresh oregano, minced
• 1 pound pasta cooked al dente
• Pecarino-Romano cheese, freshly grated

Directions

1. Combine tomatoes, olive oil, onion, cloves, garlic, and oregano in a large bowl.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Place the pasta in a serving bowl and pour the sauce over the top. Toss gently and serve immediately.
4. Garnish with freshly grated cheese.

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Note: One of my favorite flavors has always been that of cloves. I special order my favorite chewing gum, Clove (Black Jack Gum is a close second). I'm not alone in my admiration for cloves. It was one of the first spices to be traded. At one time Chinese courtiers were required to have cloves in their mouths before speaking to the emperor to ensure pleasant breath. Cloves were highly valued in ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder once complained that, "there is no year in which India does not drain the Roman Empire of fifty million sesterces." Wars were fought in Europe and with native islanders to secure rights to the profitable Clove business.