Shitload of Tomatoes

"Every blog post title should include profanity." - P.L.

Well... strictly speaking I haven't grown even half as many as I had in last year's bumper crop, but this is still enough for one soul to cope with.  I needed to make something quick from these as there are again as many on the vine that'll be ready in the next few days.  Oven-roasting them briefly and doing a quick pasta dish is the easiest things to do - I usually have some hot when I make it, and then have the leftovers cold as pasta salad the next day.

There are no hard and fast measurements here, so read through the recipe first to see what you'll need, and then use your common sense when deciding how much of anything to use.

Roasted Tomato Pasta

Preheat oven to 325F.  Slice your small tomatoes in half and larger ones into chunks, placing in a mixing bowl.  Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Sprinkle with a little bit of salt, and grind as much black pepper on them as you like.  Mix with a spatula to coat evenly.  Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet, scraping all the juices out as well.

Roast tomatoes for 30 minutes, then turn on the broiler and let them cook until they just start to brown.

While tomatoes are roasting, boil pasta according to package directions.  When both pasta and tomatoes are done, mix them together in a large bowl.  What you add from here is up to you.  I usually drizzle with a healthy dose of chili oil and red pepper flakes, chopped Kalamata olives, a handful of toasted pine nuts, a couple of spoonfuls of capers, and masses of grated Italian cheese (pecorino, Parmesan, Romano, or a combination - whatever you like).  Once it's dished up, adorn with some shredded fresh basil if you have it.

Now... what to do with the next batch...