Tomatoes bursting on the vine? Herbs going to flower? Is overabundance wreaking havoc in your garden? Whip up an incredibly simple tomato sauce and hold onto Summer’s bounty for a little longer.
All the heirloom, cherry, roma, whatever tomatoes you can find
½ an onion (I always have bits of red onion floating around the fridge and love the sweet spicy taste they add)
A handful of garlic cloves
Any herbs from the garden (I like to use basil, thyme and oregano)
A slug of good olive oil
A pinch of crushed red pepper
Slice garlic clove into slivers and add to pan along with olive oil.
Warm gently over a low flame to infuse the oil.
Add onions and let them soften.
While garlic and onions cook, roughly cut tomatoes. Place 1/3 in a strainer over a bowl and salt generously with a kosher or coarse salt. Add another 1/3 and salt. Add final 1/3 and salt. Salting helps to draw excess water out of the tomatoes and concentrate the flavors. Reserve the excess water to thin sauce at the end.
Once garlic and onions begin to brown add tomatoes.
Allow them to cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir and allow to cook until thick. Add reserved tomato water to thin to desired consistency. Add crushed red pepper to taste.
Toss with pasta or zucchini noodles, serve over eggs with some crusty bread, or put in a Ziploc bag to freeze for later.
Want more ways to top your pasta? Join The Chopping Block for Pasta Workshop, Saturday 9/22 at the Merchandise Mart.
And for even more ideas on how to use up the last of your Summer harvest, join us for our Farmer’s Market Tour and Cooking Class, Thursday 9/20 at Lincoln Square.