Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes

This is what I have time for.

 

Time and energy and, happily, tomatoes. I love tomatoes, and so I try to grow them and this year is going pretty well. I love cooking, and so I try to make it happen every day and right now, well, let’s just say I’ve really come to appreciate pure simplicity.

I talk about pasta tossed with seasonal ingredients a lot. It’s one of my two go-to suppers for busy times (stir fry is the other), and I rarely use a recipe. Even if I look at a recipe first, I tend to use it as a guideline or collection of ideas. For that reason, this post on a simple fresh tomato and pasta toss is free of rigid recipes.

All I did here, was start some pasta boiling in the usual way, then cut up some garlic (about 4 cloves) and cook it in a little olive oil in a large skillet until it started to brown (actually, mine got a little too brown, but who’s watching?). I then added about 3 large fresh tomatoes, chopped (heirlooms from my garden: Brandywine and Black Krim), salt, and a splash of white wine. I cooked this down to a soupy sauce, just a few minutes, added a small handful of chopped fresh basil and a few grinds of black pepper, and stirred in the drained cooked pasta. I swooshed that all around to coat the noodles and stirred in some finely grated parmesan cheese. Each serving that I spooned into a pasta bowl got an additional sprinkle of cheese.

This dish was beautiful and delicious. I was exhausted when I sat down to it, but its bright flavors gave me some life while its warm heartiness gave me some comfort. My only regret was that I was out of bread (not even a bagel in the house!) and had nothing to sop up that wonderful, delicate sauce. Not about to let it go, however, I drank it straight from the bowl.

 

This is all you need to do for a simple supper or quick lunch or midnight snack. It’s a celebration of late summer when fruitful bounty comes in plump, red, buxom costumes. It’s a celebration of having enough home-grown tomatoes to feel like it’s okay to cook a few instead of just eating them fresh. It’s a celebration of having enough energy to cook for yourself instead of relying on some quick processed junk. It’s a celebration of being wise enough to appreciate some simple moments at the end of a hectic day. Add a little glass of wine with dinner and it’s just a celebration. What more do we need?


One year ago: Simple White Cake with Berries