Pasta with Burst Tomatoes

So it's fall. And that's great. That's really great. But it being fall means saying goodbye to summer, and, with that, to many wonderful foods. I love little tomatoes. Cherries, grapes, mini heirlooms, whatever. You can still get them in the winter, but the ones in the summer are better on every level. So, normally,  I treat them as a summer-only food.

I wanted one last gasp of summer cooking, so when I went shopping a couple days ago I bought a box of little tomatoes, and then I burst them. The results were simple and delicious.

Ingredients

• a couple glugs of olive oil
• 3 large cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• a handful of fresh basil, if you've got it
• 1/2 lb small tomatoes
• 1/2 lb pasta
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated parmesan, romano, asiago, or any other cheese you like for serving

Procedure:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Make sure to save a bit of cooking water. While it's going:
• Heat a glug of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and dried basil and oregano and cook, stirring, for a few minutes, until it starts to soften.
• Add in the chopped basil, another small glug of oil, and tomatoes and turn the heat up a bit. Let the tomatoes cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring  until they start to crinkle and burst at the seams. 



Into the Pan



2 minutes in



5 minutes in


• Drain the pasta if you've not already done so and stir about a half cup of the cooking liquid into the tomatoes, letting the tomatoes begin to absorb it.
• Mix the pasta into the tomatoes and give it a minute to all come together. 
• Season with salt and pepper, and pass the cheese please!
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