Golden Pomodoro (Tomato) Sauce
recipe by Giada de Laurentiis at Giadzy
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 2 cups peeled & chopped yellow tomatoes*
- 3 large full stems basil
- 1 3- inch parmigiano reggiano cheese rind
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, if desired
- 1 pound pasta
- 3-4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Directions:
- Heat a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and the garlic and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the garlic for 5 minutes, stirring often and mashing gently with a wooden spoon, until golden brown and beginning to soften.
- Meanwhile, Drain the water from the tomatoes. Set aside – do not discard. At this point you can use an immersion or stand blender to puree the tomatoes slightly, or leave it as a chunky sauce and add them whole. Add the tomatoes to the saucepan, and carefully add the water in next to avoid splattering. Add the basil and Parmesan rind, then stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Bring to a simmer and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Season the sauce with the salt and pepper flakes, if using. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Remove the basil stems and Parmesan rinds and discard.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than the package directions. Using a pasta spider, strain the pasta from the water and add directly into the pan with sauce. Before stirring, sprinkle the pasta with the 1/2 cup of grated parmesan. Toss the pasta, cheese and sauce together. Add the butter and 1/2 cup of pasta water, if needed, and continue to cook until the sauce is creamy and the pasta is al dente.
- Serve topped with more cheese if desired. Makes 4 servings.
*You can actually use any color tomatoes to make this recipe, but if you can find enough yellow (or yellow/green) ones, it makes a beautiful golden sauce that’s especially sweet and low acid. Even just adding some yellow ones to the red ones will change the look and the flavor of the sauce, sweetening it and making it sunnier looking.
Grilled Ratatouille
recipe from Market Manager, Barbara Wilder
Traditional ratatouille is cooked in a Dutch oven until veggies are soft and mushed together. The flavor is awesome but the distinctness of the individual veggies gets a little lost. This version takes advantage of summer’s bounty and retains the integrity of the individual ingredients. It makes a great side or veggie main. Make extra because leftovers are awesome too.
Ingredients:
- 1-2 cloves fresh garlic
- 2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 12’ zucchinis
- 2 smallish eggplants
- 2 red peppers
- 1 medium onion
- 2-3 large summer/heirloom tomatoes
- ½ to ¾ cup pesto (store-bought, from Farm to Product, or home made)
Directions:
- Mince garlic and add to EVOO – let infuse for 30 min or so.
- Prepare gas grill or charcoal grill and use wood chunks to add some smoke flavor.
- Cut zucchini, onion, red pepper and eggplant in ¾” bitesize chunks and add to large bowl. Cut up eggplant last to avoid browning. Drizzle right away with garlic oil mix and stir to coat veggies and season with salt and pepper.
- Cut up tomatoes into ¾” chunks (I peel most summer tomatoes but peeling tomatoes seems to be a personal preference)
- Grill veggies on a grilling tray (Weber makes a nice one that is not expensive) with lid down turning every 4-5 minutes to avoid too much char – adjusting heat as needed. Remove from grill to same large bowl when veggies are just soft.
- Add tomatoes and ½ cup pesto and stir. Add additional pesto and adjust salt/pepper to taste.
