harvest

The veggie patch runneth over: tomatoes the size of small pumpkins, and a bounty of cherry toms so profuse, so perfect, so delicious I do believe I need a stall at the farmer's market. I'm enthusiastic about my backyard garden every summer, but this year we've been eating them straight off the vine, sharing great bowls of them with neighbours and there is still more than we can use. With such a bounteous harvest, there's only one thing to do: fresh tomato sauce. Lots of it. If I can't spend August in Amalfi sipping Limoncello I'll spend it eating angel hair pasta tossed with garlicky-good sauce. Believe it or not, the best (and easiest) recipe I've found came from a GQ magazine five years ago. I've since lost the actual recipe but it goes something like this:

4 - 6 medium to large ripe tomatoes
2 whole cloves of garlic, peeled, smashed and finely chopped
Lots of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper (if there is one thing I'd gladly banish from every kitchen it is sneezy, bitter, powdered pepper)

Coarsely chop the tomatoes - discard the stem and core
In a broad, shallow pan heat some of the olive oil, warm up the garlic (don't let it brown or burn). Add the tomatoes & salt to taste, turn up the heat to an almost boil. Let it bubble and cook (this softens the skins so you don't have to peel the tomatoes) for 5 - 10 minutes. It should thicken up a bit but still be chunky. Remove from heat, transfer to a big bowl or serving dish and add the basil. If you add the basil while it's on the heat, the leaves turns brownish and unattractive. Add more salt if needed and a swirl of olive oil. If your tomatoes are acidic add a dash of sugar. Let it all stand for 10 minutes or so while the pasta cooks. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and use tongs to dress. Lots of fresh parmesan slivers and fresh cracked pepper. Buon appetito.