As kids, the long warm days of unbroken sunshine that made summer seem lasting and slow are the very things, that to farmers, make the season fly by with burgeoning lists of things to do—plants to watch and water—crops to harvest, sell and preserve.
Here’s a quick sauce that allows you to revel in summer flavor without keeping you in a hot kitchen. Preserve every last precious drop of summer time.
Little tomato, big flavor:
This sauce captures the bright, bursting flavor tucked inside little, sun-ripened cherry tomatoes. Flavor wise, they are such a reliable player in the tomato game. They’re juicy but not mealy, and their thin little skins don’t need to be peeled for sauces. Actually, the skins give a rustic charm and body to the sauce.
This calls for something shallow:
Put away your tall-walled sauce pot and grab a shallow-sided pan to let the tomatoes cook down and concentrate flavor quickly. Our favorite is a well-seasoned cast iron skillet.
Free wheel with the ingredients:
It the spirit of the summer season, it’s a loose recipe that allows you to lazily use what you have on hand. If you don’t have cured olives, reach for another flavor booster like salty anchovies or pancetta. On occasion, I’ve even snuck in a cup or two of already-cooked, roasted summer veggies – eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms. Raw veggies can add a little too much liquid and bring down the intensity of flavor. It’s okay that this sauce turns out a little different every time because that’s how summer tastes.
The sauce is delicious with chunks of rustic sourdough dipped in, as a topping for tender fish or over any of our artisan pastas.
How are you enjoying simple summer flavors?
Fresh Cherry-Tomato Sauce
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
3 pints (approx. 6 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved if large – assorted types okay
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, whole
½ cup, Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
3–4 tbsp fresh oregano, leaves chopped
1 cup fresh basil, cut into ribbons or coarsely chopped
2 tsps unsalted butter (optional)
Freshly-ground black pepper and salt, to taste
Freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional for serving)
DIRECTIONS
Add olive oil to cold pan. Smash garlic cloves directly into oil, slowly softening garlic over gently heat to infuse the oil with flavor. Turn down heat if garlic starts to brown too quickly.
Once garlic is soft and lightly golden, turn heat up to medium and add Kalamata olives or other flavor boosters mentioned above and sauté briefly to warm and soften.
Add cherry tomatoes and oregano to pan. Turn up the heat to medium high and allow to simmer, cooking for 20 minutes or until tomatoes are fully cooked, juices incorporate and sauce thickens. Sauce shouldn’t be rapidly boiling but a heavy simmer is okay.
Remove sauce from heat and gently stir in fresh basil and butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
How To Add Cherry Tomatoes To Your Delivery: CSA members - head on over to our online Farm Stand Market to customize your upcoming delivery. The Market is open from noon on Thursday until 10 am, 2 days before your scheduled delivery day. After you confirm your produce items, click the orange button "Confirm and Continue To Other Farm Products" to add the products to your delivery.
Not part of our farm family? Find out if we deliver to your neighborhood.
