Tomatoes. Zucchini. Pole Beans. Corn. You've bought too much or you grew too much. It's summer and sometimes we cooks are stumped by the bounty of the season. I've got some ideas for the best of our summer produce which includes a simple recipe for Pasta with Marinated Tomatoes and Fried Garlic. After all, when it comes to summer's bounty – resistance is futile. Whether you plant it yourself or depend on a CSA box, the grocery store, or a stroll through your local farmer's markers – you always end up with more fresh produce than you intended. That's the first rule of summer.
From now through the end of the season our challenge isn't so much as finding great produce as it is finding what to do with all that great produce. Fortunately I'm in the same position (year after year) and I've got a few ideas for all the summer swag that has your re-usable grocery bags bursting at the seams. Starting with marinated tomatoes.
The best summer produce warrants a light touch, and bumper crops give you permission to improvise. This is especially true of tomatoes. Granted, very good tomatoes are wildly delicious all on their own and I certainly encourage you to enjoy lots of tomatoes simply sliced and served. However if you're anything like me, that approach leaves you with a nearly pornographic pile of heirloom tomatoes lining all the windows of the house. These tomatoes will get a big boost of flavor when marinated in garlic-infused olive oil. But then what?
Well, when I hear the phrases "bumper crop" and "improvise" I think pasta. I suggest we take advantage of this fleeting abundance of summertime tomatoes and capture the just-picked flavors of the summer sunshine with something as simple as Pasta with Marinated Tomatoes and Fried Garlic. GREG
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