Tomatoes! Everywhere! Heirlooms, jubilees, beefsteaks, romas, as far as the eye can see. With so many varieties of tomatoes available this time of the year, it's easy to forget about the humble cherry tomato. Truth-be-told, I'm not usually that big of a fan. Maybe it's because I only really run across them in the occasional office party crudité platter... thick-skinned, flavorless. But after picking up a couple small baskets for a corn salad, I had a bunch of tasty and tender balconi reds and yellow pear cherry tomatoes laying around.
They were eyeing me for a couple days before I could figure out what to do with them. As it turned out, as is often the case, the tastiest meals end up being the simplest. Ten minutes, a handful of ingredients, and you've got yourself an easy, rustic, and delicious tomato sauce.
Toss in some freshly cooked pasta, grated parmesan, maybe some ground black pepper... this just might be the simplest little pasta dish you could ever want.
Simple Cherry Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Good Company
Yield: 1.5 Cups
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- pinch of crushed red pepper
- 1 pint (about 25-30) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 bay leaf
- salt, to taste
Directions
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add red pepper flakes, cherry tomatoes, and bay leaf to the pan. Stir to coat evenly and season with a pinch of sea salt. Crush tomatoes with a wooden spoon to help break them down. Cook for about 10 minutes, until tomatoes are soft and have released their juices.
- Remove from heat and stir in remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Taste, season if necessary,
- Toss in some freshly cooked pasta, about 1/2 pound. Serve with parmesan cheese grated generously over top. I'm partial to some freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!