Bombolini Pasta: a Local Treat

Trying to keep up with tomatoes coming from the garden this time of year can be challenging. If your garden is anything like mine you have them in the fridge, on the table to continue ripening, you are taking them to work, and on occasion you are pulling up to strangers houses ringing the doorbell & running away leaving a bag just so someone will use them. This can be increasingly difficult for someone who doesn't even generally like tomatoes (that's me).

I grow cherry tomatoes for Mary and I grow Roma tomatoes for sauces, bruschetta, and salsas. Your typical Hanover tomatoes I leave for people who have more of taste for the fruit in their raw form.

My sauce is simple: I slice the tomatoes in half, sprinkle with kosher salt and ground pepper, then cover with sprigs of fresh thyme - roasting in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, I saute fresh garlic and onion in olive oil on the stove-top. For this recipe I added sweet Italian sausage to the onions and garlic though if you prefer a meatless version you can skip this step.

Note: Roasting the tomatoes this way will bring their sugars out. It makes for a naturally sweet & tangy sauce with no sugar added.

Once the roasting is done I remove the sprigs of thyme, stripping the leaves off their stems, add tomatoes & thyme to a food processor (I don't remove the skin) and blend with fresh basil.

This mixture is added to the onions, garlic, and sausage. Stir to combine and you've got your simple summer tomato sauce ready to use.

The Bombolini Pasta made fresh right in Richmond, Virginia (and available at Richmond area farmers markets St. Stephens and South of the James due to proximity is our choice) could not be simpler. 1 minute in boiling water remove and ready to go. Read more about these awesome pasta makers in this Hills and Heights write up and watch the video below from the Richmond Times Dispatch:

E.A.T. Tip: I always use a little of the pasta water to thin the sauce.

We have thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the porch and enjoying the lower humidity evenings eating fresh made meals, getting lost in conversation and wine while the breeze picks up and the sun goes down.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well