7th
Back to the Future 2 pasta (fresh tomato sauce)
Summer is long behind us, but I’m still seeing tomatoes at DC farmers’ markets, like these multi-colored beauties. Even better, I picked these up for a nice low price because they were “seconds” — the imperfect tomatoes that can’t be sold for full price but are great in a sauce. Fresh tomato sauce is special… available for only a short while, naturally sweet and delicious, and needing little much more than olive oil and parmesan to be complete.
At the end of Back to the Future, Robert Zemeckis promised the story would be continued. And while the sequel wasn’t quiiiite as good as the original, it was still pretty great. If Adlai Stevenson was the prequel, then this was Part 2 — perhaps not quite as complex and sweet as the peak of the season, but still a pretty darn good sauce.
Roads? Where we’re going…
Know what I always thought was funny? When Marty McFly and family were eating pizza in BTTF2, each person has their own phone headset, but they all share a single phone line. I guess they got that half right. Also, everyone knows hoverboards don’t work on water, unless you have power.
Anyway, I added some prosciutto, fried up and drained on paper towels for crispiness, just for a twist. As for the sauce, this version is about the simplest possible tomato sauce. Tomatoes. Oil. Salt and pepper. Cook. That’s it. With good enough tomatoes, that’s really all you need.
PASTA WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE
1 lb pasta
2 lbs tomatoes, roughly chopped and cored
olive oil
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese (grated with Microplane)
1. Boil pasta in heavily salted water until al dente.
2. Heat olive oil in skillet until thin. Add tomatoes and cook until saucy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve sauce over pasta, passing parmesan.
