simple market sauce: tomato, garlic and leeks

tomatoes are all the rage right now…you know, cause they are finally in season.

i have bowls of yellow, red, orange and purple tomatoes. all sweet, all just picked off the vine. all ready to be chopped for sauces, jams, salads…ugh…mouth watering now, i should of eaten breakfast this morning.

after a day of weeding and harvesting in the school garden, bike riding with the boy and working the farmers market i craved pasta. i needed to re-fuel. i needed energy…i needed food.

i took one look at the huge bowl of tomatoes and knew exactly what i wanted. i wanted fresh sauce. sauce made with handpicked tomatoes, basil, fresh from the farmers market garlic…i new what i craved. and this was it.

sweet, savory, energy inducing pasta. a quick sauce to re-fuel and re-energize.

simple market sauce: tomato, garlic and leeks

• 1/2 pound of pasta
• 1 tbl canola oil
• 1 leeks chopped and cleaned
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes (anything small will do)
• 2 handfuls of basil chopped (i used purple basil)
• 1/2 up white wine plus more for drinking
• about a half a cup of pasta water
• salt and pepper to taste

1. boil your water and cook pasta according to package directions (make sure to reserve pasta water).
2. to a warm sauté pan, add oil, leeks and garlic. sauté for 3-5 minutes or until leeks have softened.
3. to pan add whole cherry tomatoes, mix and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, add wine and basil.
4. keep on cooking until tomatoes have popped and the mixture resembles a sauce.
5. carefully add pasta into pan (i use one of those pasta ladle things) adding pasta water to loosen up up sauce.
6. toss. taste, season. serve.

this is fabulous with fresh bread, homegrown lettuce and a quick vinaigrette.

what are some of your favorite things to do with tomatoes?