Summer’s Gift

I bought a Grainger County tomato yesterday afternoon. Grainger County has a micro-climate that allows tomatoes to ripen about two weeks early and at one time we food freaks sought them out for our first taste of summer. Sadly, the secret got out and today Grainger County tomatoes are mass-produced and only slightly better (because they’re harvested only a couple of days early instead of a couple of weeks early) than the standard supermarket tomato imported from Florida or California. For lunch today I made a BLT with that tomato (because it needs the help of bacon, lettuce, bread, and mayo to be its best).

But genuine local tomatoes have begun peeping out at the farmers’ market. They aren’t quite in season yet and the ones I’ve seen were picked earlier than the ideal (except for the green ones) but I’m guessing they’ll be on every farmer’s table by the week after next.

I‘ll stuff my face with good tomatoes until my skin turns red.

If you haven’t guessed, I happen to be a tomato-eating fool. I’ll stuff my face with good tomatoes until my skin turns red. Once they’re readily available my lunch almost every day for a month will be sliced tomatoes with basil and cheese dressed with salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. The only variation will be in the cheese: feta, fresh mozzarella; or chèvre. I’ll also snack on “cherry” tomatoes most afternoons.

And tomatoes will appear in my suppers. I’ve got a Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup recipe that I’ll be passing on here later and I make gazpacho two or three times every summer — both are great with sandwich suppers. But something I made last year and never got around to writing about is first on my supper list this year. It’s simple but incredibly intense and really makes the best of the ingredients.

Penne with Sausage and Roasted Tomato Sauce
Serves 6.

3 links Italian Sausage (about 3/4 lb) — cut into 1/4″ slices
8 lg roasted tomatoes with oil
1 md green bell pepper — 1/2″ dice
1 md yellow onion — 1/2″ dice
3 anchovy filets — rinsed and minced
3 lg cloves garlic — finely sliced
1/4 c red wine
1 lb penne or rigatoni
Leaves of 2 sprigs of fresh oregano
shredded Parmigiano Reggiano

Roast tomatoes and pour off oil, reserving. Coarsely chop tomatoes in a blender or food processor.

Brown Italian sausage in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat then drain on paper towels.

Pour off rendered fat, reserving about a teaspoon and add oil from roasted tomatoes – you should have about 2 tablespoons of oil in total. Add pepper, onion, and anchovies and sauté over medium heat until onions are lightly browned. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

Add red wine and deglaze skillet. Add chopped tomatoes and sausage and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is done, drain. Add fresh oregano to sauce, spoon sauce over pasta, and top with shredded Parmigiano.

Try Penne with Sausage with…
Feta Stuffed Peppers
Fraised Brussles Sprouts
Grape/Rosemary Focaccia

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | pasta | main dish | italian

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