Roma, Beefmaster, Early Girl, and Mr. Stripey
I love you all from my head to-ma-toes.
No introduction needed- here’s what to do with Summer’s best red (yellow, purple, green, or black!) flavor ball.
Pan Con Tomate
Or pa amb tomà quet in Catalan. Makes 4 appetizer servings- double the recipe if you’re going to be drinking sangria in the sun.
Add briney olives, butter-marinated mushrooms, and a kalimotxo or two and you got yourself a perfect Saturday.
Ingredients
1 loaf crusty bread (French loaf, Ciabatta, hot dog buns, whatever you got)
2 large tomatoes
3 cloves garlic- 2 minced, one reserved
Olive oil for tomato and toasting bread
Salt and pepper to taste
Teeny pinch of sugar
Process
Grate tomatoes and 2 cloves of garlic with a box grater. Add salt and pepper to taste and your teeny pinch of sugar. Stir in a drizzle of high-quality olive oil. Your tomato mixture should taste like an explosion of summer and umami. (Ooh mami!)
Cut your loaf in half lengthwise, and lightly brush with olive oil. Broil the bread 5 to 6 inches from heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden.
Last, with your last clove of garlic, rub the toasted side of the bread, and cut the loaf into pieces.
To serve, spoon the tomato mixture on your toasted bread and serve with sliced cheeses like manchego or Mahon, salt-cured beets (shown above, recipe coming next week), serrano ham, or prosciutto.
Swaps
This dish is meant to be easy and versatile. Really all you need is tomatoes and bread- anything else is just fancy fun added on top.
Spaghetti, Tomato Sauce with Zucchini and Crispy White Beans
Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
Pasta of your choice
4 large tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 large carrot
1 stalk of celery
4 clove garlic
Olive oil, for roasting your white beans and sautéeing veg
Handful fresh basil, washed, reserve a bit for garnish
Fresh oregano, washed and destemmed
1 medium zucchini
1 can of white beans
Parmesan for garnish (optional)
Process
Roughly chop your carrot, celery, and onion. If you plan to blend your sauce at the end, shape isn’t as important, but try to keep size uniform.
Heat up a pan on medium, and add a drizzle of olive oil and your chopped veg. Cook until onions are translucent (or real onion-y, if we’re cooking by nose.)
Mince your garlic and add to pan with fresh herbs, stirring occasionally.
Roughly chop tomatoes.
Once garlic is fragrant (1-2 minutes) add tomatoes to pan and lower heat to medium-low.
Dice your zucchini.
Simmer on medium low for 30 minutes up to 5 hours on low, depending on how much time you have. If you’re in a hurry, do 30 and throw in your zucchini at the 15-minute mark to cook.
While your sauce is gettin’ all saucy, prepare your beans.
Preheat oven to 425F. Rinse the beans and let water drip out. Put on a baking sheet and pat dry with a paper towel. Drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper on your beans and lightly toss to coat. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until crispy.
If you’ve chosen a longer simmer, throw the zucchini in when you have 15 minutes left to cook. Long story short, the zukes need around 15 minutes to soften up, but more won’t hurt it.
Make the pasta of your choice- Bucatini is really the best option, but any pasta will absolutely sing in this sauce.
Last, if you’re a blended sauce kinda person, transfer your sauce to a blender or use an immersion blender to smooth things out.
For serving, toss the pasta and crispy beans in the sauce. Garnish with your remaining basil, and a bit of parmesan if you’re trying to get real crazy.
Swaps
No carrot/celery?
That’s fine- this will still be bangin’.
No onion?
Personally, this is a deal breaker, but let’s say you hate onions- I think you’re fine to leave them out. On principle, I won’t cosign a sauce with no onions. Nothing personal.
No zucchini?
Also fine- Zucchini plays really nicely with white beans, but it’s a nice to have, not a need to have.
No beans?
Totally cool, I add the beans for a bit of protein. This would still be delicious without them.
No pasta?
I’ve made this with extra beans instead of pasta, and it’s very good. Just add an extra can or 1.5 c. of cooked beans for every 2 servings, so for 4 servings, add 2 cans or 3 c. extra beans. Butter beans, cannellini, and white northern would go best with this sauce because they introduce a creamy element. Garbanzos would be a second string bean because they are a bit less creamy typically. If you cook garbanzos yourself and add a bit of baking soda while you cook, then they would sub nicely.
Make it gluten-free?
We live in the era of gluten-free pasta babyyyy. Banza linguine is my personal favorite, but any pasta you lovingly adorn in this sauce will make you cry from happiness. Or… when in doubt try beans instead.