Tomatoes are basically the heralds of summer. Fresh farmers market tomatoes are SO special because you cannot find tomatoes like them at any other time of the year. Most tomatoes in the grocery store were bread for shipping, not flavor. On top of that, they were most likely picked green so they could be stacked without bruising, and then gassed to turn red. The result is almost every tomato you've ever eaten is perfectly red, round, and tastes like nothing.
This is not the case at the Haile Farmers Market! Buy up all the tomatoes you can and enjoy them in as many fresh tomato recipes as you can find. Here is my all time favorite. Make sure and pick up some fettuccine or spaghetti from The Vine, their fresh pasta is out of this world.
from Bon Appetit, serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 8 oz. Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- 6 oz. capellini, spaghetti, or fettuccine
- 3/4 cup finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan
- 8 medium fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
Instructions
1. Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes, season with salt, and cook, covered slightly and swirling pan often, until tomatoes blister and burst, 10-12 minutes. Press down on tomatoes to release their juices. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.
3. Transfer pasta to skillet with tomatoes; set over high heat. Add 1/2 cup pasta water. Cook, stirring and tossing often, until sauce thickens and begins to coat the pasta, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining oil, cheese, and half the basil and toss until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Add remaining basil, and season with salt.