Summer Tomato Sauce Over Fresh Pasta


Pineapple tomato...gardener's gold!!!
The end of summer is one of my favorite times of the year.  It is full of bounty.  Everything that I have worked so hard for since the early spring finally presents itself.  This time of year is packed with color, especially the colors of tomatoes, and you know that nothing says summer quite like a tomato!  I love walking through the tomato patch searching for those vibrant, glorious colors peeking out from under the leaves.  It's almost like a treasure hunt, and every now and then, you are rewarded with the crown jewel of tomatoes.  My crown jewel is a black brandywine, a shiny ridged costoloto, or a giant yellow and orange stained pineapple; a reward for a job well done!

Black Brandywine...drool!!!
Anyway, what would summer be without a really fabulous and easy tomato recipe?  I love summer tomato salads, but this time I thought I would share a recipe that my dad taught me a long time ago, when I was a teenager.  My dad spent a few years in Italy building a golf course for Arnold Palmer (Golf Club Le Pavoniere).  When he was home, he would make this quick and easy sauce.  Over fresh pasta, it is life changing.  His recipe did not have cream in it, being the bad girl that I often am, I added the cream.  If you are a purist, feel free to omit it...if you are feeling bad and need a little extra lovin' add it and maybe a little more cheese.  This is a very basic recipe, but using the freshest and brightest flavors of summer, it becomes something very special.


SUMMER TOMATO SAUCE OVER FRESH PASTA
Backyard Farmgals

Splash of olive oil
1 tbsp butter
3,4,5,6 cloves of minced garlic...you decide!
About 4-6 cups fresh mixed variety tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup cream (optional)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Fresh basil, sliced thinly
1 pound or so of fresh pasta
Freshly grated parmesan or peccorino romano cheese

**This is one of those give and take recipes.  It is very typical of how I cook.  The measurements are approximate and not set in stone.  Feel free to add more tomato, cream, basil or pasta.  Make it the way it should taste for you.  That's the beauty of cooking, you take an idea and you make it your own.  Don't forget to put on some fantastic Pucchini opera (La Bohéme is my favorite) while you cook and have fun!!!

In a large skillet, combine olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, add tomatoes and continue to cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are cooked down and a sauce forms.  This takes about 10 minutes.  Try not to stir it too much, you want the tomatoes to retain some shape.  
Cooking down the 'maters
Cook the fresh pasta, drain and set aside.  

Add the pasta
Add the cream and stir.  Continue to cook for a few minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.  Add the fresh pasta to the sauce and cook for a few minutes.  Plate and top with fresh basil and cheese.  Practice saying things like "questo e fantastico" and "perfetto"!!!

Magnifico!


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