borrowed recipe: spaghetti with .. strawberries?

.. as found in the New York magazine page.

Sfoglia’s Spaghetti with Strawberries
1 pound good-quality dried spaghetti (like Setaro)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
1 pound ripe strawberries, cleaned and halved
2 tablespoons good aged (eight-year-old) balsamic vinegar
1 cup San Marzano tomato purée
4 ounces reserved pasta water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

(for directions, see link)


i haven't made it yet, but it sounds promising. by themselves, strawberries would be too tart for pasta (in a fruity sort of way, unlike tomatoes) but the balsamic vinegar probably mellows out the sharpness in tart.

then again, why risk your strawberries? why not save them for strawberry-lime vinaigrette, for salads ..

(olive oil, juice of lime, balsamic vinegar, chopped herbs, salt and pepper, and strawberries crushed with your bare hands into a sort-of puree!)

.. or mull them in slices, with port wine and honey, and have a dessert sauce over cheesecake or vanilla ice cream?

(be sure not to use very good port; that's not worth the risk, either)