Heirloom Tomato Pasta

When you're in the process of moving, and your apartment is essentially a sea of cardboard,

it's a little difficult locating your husband, and next to impossible cooking a decent meal for dinner when your spices, cooking utensils and sanity are chaotically packed away. Last night's mission: cook a dinner with as few ingredients, and requiring as little cooking ware and supplies as possible and still remain edible. The dish: heirloom tomato pasta (otherwise known as my husband's favorite dish).

Though I generally make this at the beginning of summer when heirloom tomatoes first come into season, I surprisingly found a great selection at the grocery store even though fall is almost upon us. Note: don't be put off by their strange deformed shape - think of them as tomatoes with character and know that their deliciousness well makes up for their wacky appearance. Heirloom tomatoes are pretty heavy, and at around $5/pound they can add up quickly. Just keep in mind that they are HUGE and one tomato can go a long way. Now for the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4-5 heirloom tomatoes (I generally pick 2 huge ones, and then a few medium sized ones - be sure to select a wide variety of colors for a pretty presentation)
• A healthy (or unhealthy) drizzle of olive oil - I never measure for this dish - you just want to put in enough oil to thicken the sauce and give it some flavor. About 1/4 cup or less is all you need
• 1 onion, diced - I like to leave a few larger chunks for variety
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, diced
• Fresh basil - and it MUST be fresh, trust me, but if you gotta use dried, that will work in a pinch
  
• Spices: throw in whatever and however much you feel like! I grabbed some fresh oregano from my garden (and by garden I mean apartment deck with a planter box), Italian spices, thyme, and some red pepper flakes for a little kick. Use what you have.
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pasta - I like to use penne
  

Directions:

Dice the onion and garlic and season them with salt and pepper. Sautee them in the olive oil for about 3-4 minutes or until the onions are translucent in color. While it's sauteeing, cut your tomatoes into various sizes but leave a majority of them in pretty large chunks. They tend to cook WAY down so it's good to have some bigger pieces to make the sauce thicker. Add the tomatoes to the onions and garlic. Chop your basil and immediately add to the sauce. Season your sauce with the spices of your choosing and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Bring the pasta to a boil while you're waiting and then toss together and season again with salt and pepper.


Violà! You're done and have a fresh, colorful, healthy and easy meal in under 20 minutes.

Now back to packing...