TOMATOES!

 I have to say this had been an odd tomato season - nobody seems to be overwhelmed with tomatoes - I did grow a couple cherry tomato plants and ate them hand over fist for a couple months - but I haven't been boiling pots and pots of them to put up for the winter, maybe that will come but for now I'm just enjoying them every which way I can - and here are a few standouts.







Baked Tomatoes with Pasta serves 2

2 oz thinly sliced pancetta (or bacon will do) chopped
a couple tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (use a good bread and whiz up in the blender)
2 large tomatoes, tops sliced off and squeeze out the seeds gently
1 clove garlic sliced

Fry the pancetta until lightly crisp then remove and add an extra tablespoon olive oil to the pan and toss the bread crumbs around until toasted. Put the tomatoes in a small roasting pan and stick in the garlic slivers. Mound on top the bread crumbs and pancetta then drizzle with another tablespoon of the olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 min - or until soft. I then remove from the oven and peel off the skin (I hate skin and it easily slips off after baking, just don't destroy the tomato shape) and serve over a bowl of pasta - drizzle a little more olive oil, some freshly ground pepper and parmesan and let the tomato melt into a sauce on your pasta with the crispy bits.

No recipe needed - Ripe tomato slices, fresh mozzarella, proscuitto salad, drizzle with olive oil and pepper

Chunky tomato soup topped with a fried egg

The title on the soup says it all - I just do my basic tomato soup (chopped tomatoes, onions, carrots) and for this version I put in a couple chopped peppers. Then to make it a rich and satisfying meal I fried an egg and slipped it in. With a drizzle of chili olive oil you are set.