Having grown up in a non Italian household in America, even though there was the occasional homemade fresh tomato sauce, Vero founder, Sheila Donohue, thought that pasta sauce was to be bought in a store and not made at home. When she moved to Italy in 2001, she continued to buy pasta sauces, or occasionally made her mom’s tomato sauce recipe. Then, slowly, she caught on that in Italy pasta is served with a homemade sauce using fresh vegetables and herbs, usually what was in season, and often improvising by using what you had lying around in the fridge. Which is why we like to share recipes on pasta sauces, like how we shared this sugo recipe using springtime vegetables.

With the dog days of summer upon us, garden tomatoes are red and juicy on the plant, ready to be used. Summertime provides a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables to use fresh from the garden much like in the springtime. But here, we get the addition of fresh tomatoes ready for harvest. Tomatoes can be a prolific plant, and sometimes it takes some imagination to use all that bounty without resorting to canning a fresh tomato sauce.

Summertime Tomatoes

With tomato plants being a staple of summer gardens, they provide a plentiful harvest when grown in the right conditions. A cherry tomato plant is just as bountiful, and they have the added benefit that cherry tomatoes do well in a pot. While they can get big, when pruned correctly, a cherry tomato plant is a great addition to a summer balcony for do-it-your-self homegrown cherry tomatoes. Whether you have planted one of the many tomato types or a cherry tomato plant, come harvest time, you will be wondering what to do with all of the delicious homegrown tomatoes lying around your house.

Once you have used your tomatoes to make a BLT, bruschetta, and Panzanella salads, you can begin to to add them to your pinzimonio. But what would be more delicious then using them to make a fresh tomato sauce and cherry tomatoes pasta? As our own chef, Jacqueline Mitchell, who works in a local favorite trattoria in the Langhe Italy, says, ‘This is a pasta sauce quick to whip up with few ingredients that is light and easy for warm summer months. You can use either cherry tomatoes or chop up larger fresh tomatoes, depending on what you have in your garden or have found at the local market. It is a variation on a classic recipe used by many Italian families to create an easy summer lunch.’ Of course, she adds, ‘My non-Italian mom used to make a dish like this with butter instead of extra virgin olive oil, but I find that if you can get your hands on a good Organic EVOO it really lightens the dish and adds a pop of unique flavor over the succulent cherry tomato.’

And what are some of Jacqueline’s tips for this tomato sugo recipe? ‘Try to use a shorter pasta (such as rigatoni, shells, or penne) that will be easier to scoop up with the cherry tomatoes. But if you are in the mood to create a full dish from scratch, try your hand at making some Nettle Pasta, Tajarin or Lasagnette egg pastas. As well, if you are a garlic fan, you don’t have to use and discard the garlic clove. Alternatively, you can chop it up the to sauté in the first step with the onion, or even let it cook whole with the tomatoes and mash it or chop it once well cooked. I do it both ways, depending on the garlic sensitivity of who is eating with me… it is delicious with or without garlic!’

Now, what wine should we pair with this dish?

Wine Pairing with Tomatoes

Tomatoes (and cherry tomatoes as well) are a fairly ubiquitous ingredient that appears in a great many cuisines and dishes. They add a layer of sweetness when very ripe, but also marked acidity to a dish. This can sometimes make it tricky to pair wine with a dish like our cherry tomato sauce below, but we are here to help. You need a wine that is soft and rounded enough to help counterbalance the acidity, but that also keeps a fair amount of acidity to not let the tomato’s sweetness take over the dish. In fact, tomatoes are an interesting way to try out some food pairing for Sauvignon Blanc. With this pasta recipe, we recommend to pair it with an expressive natural white wine like this Sauv Blanc from Austria. It also pairs well with a chillable red like this light and fresh Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo which is made from the Montepulciano grape.

Time to Taste Test

Now, we have done our part and written up our chef’s recipe below and suggested what food and wine pairings to go with this recipe… the rest is up to you! Download the recipe below to use in the kitchen and order wine online to serve alongside your cherry tomato masterpiece. Try a sauvignon blanc from biodynamic wine producer Michi Lorenz with his Klassik, Schist Happens, or Halo. Or, as we recommended above, pop a bottle of light red wine Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo from natural wine producer Febo fridge to chill to enjoy with this recipe as well.

Don’t forget the cherry (tomato) on the sundae as well… top it all off with a drizzle of flavorful and antioxidant rich EVOO. Vero has several organic extra virgin olive oils to choose from, like the Tuscan Aurinia and Caletra, Abruzzese Febo, or Il Nostro Oro from Le Marche.

Buon appetito!

Cooking and Prep Time: 30 mins
Portions: 4 portions

Ingredients:

400g Uncooked Pasta
4 cups Cherry Tomatoes (or cubed tomatoes)
1 small Onion, diced
1 Garlic clove, whole (optional)
¼ cup Basil, chopped
Salt, to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Il Nostro Oro, Febo, Aurinia, or Caletra)

To Serve:

Grated Parmesan, if desired
Organic EVOO, if desired

Suggested Wine Pairings:

Download the Recipe

Procedure:
1. Begin by cutting cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters (or chopping whole tomatoes into cubes) as desired and set aside.

2. Sauté diced onions with whole optional garlic clove and olive oil until soft and translucent. Add tomatoes and salt, let cook over low. When tomatoes are soft and slightly shriveled, remove from heat, add chopped basil, and remove garlic clove. Set aside.

3. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package directions (or make your own Tajarin or Lasagnette). Drain and mix sauce and pasta, stirring well.

4. Plate and garnish with freshly grated parmesan and a drizzle of organic EVOO.