creamy tomato pasta

finally!

so many tomatoes i don't know what to do with them all!

i've waited patiently all summer. watched the two tomato plants my grandpa gave me grow taller and taller until they overtook their cage and filled with so many tomatoes i was almost afraid they would all come at once.

which they did. at least some of them did. i still have a couple dozen green ones i've been watching like a hawk, waiting for the tinge of orange so i can figure out which one of the million "best tomato _____ ever!" recipe i want to make next.

i wanted sauce and pasta. but i had just slaved over this one and was in the mood for something different.

the perfect combination: tomatoes and cream and cheese. it was even better than i expected.

toss together a quick tomato sauce. i used fresh tomatoes and i'm sure you could use jarred pasta sauce instead. but i'm warning you - it takes about five minutes to make it from scratch and the flavor is well worth it.

while it's cooking down, make an alfredo sauce. in this case, cook's illustrated's light alfredo sauce (which is really great on its own, but you might want to toss in another crushed garlic glove or two). when the sauces are done, toss them with pasta.

guaranteed you'll fight over who gets seconds, just like we did.

creamy tomato pasta
alfredo sauce adapted from cook's illustrated
30 minutes, serves 4

for the tomato sauce -
1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (about 9 medium)
1 small onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
olive oil

for the alfredo sauce -
(if you want to lighten it up, halve the alfredo and keep the tomato sauce the same)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons flour
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup half & half
2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 pound farfalle or other short cut pasta

1. bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.
2. start the tomato sauce. bring a large pot of water to boil. score the bottom of the tomatoes, blanch in the boiling water for about a minute, cool and peel. discard skins. roughly chop tomatoes and set aside.
3. in a small saucepan, sweat the minced onion and garlic in about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium low heat for about 5 minutes, until soft.
4. add the tomatoes to the onion and garlic. if you want a thin sauce like mine, blend the sauce with an immersion blender. cook about 15 minutes until thickened.
5. while the tomato sauce thickens, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions.
6. while the pasta and tomato sauce are cooking, make the alfredo sauce. melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. whisk in the flour until smooth and cook about 2 minutes, until brown.
7. whisk in the milk, half & half, and garlic and season with salt & pepper. continuously whisking, bring to a simmer and cook about 2 minutes until thickened. fish out the garlic with a slotted spoon and discard.
8. whisk in the parmesan. the sauce will be very thick, so add 1/3 cup of the hot pasta cooking water to the alfredo sauce to thin it out a bit. remove from heat.
9. drain the pasta and add to the alfredo sauce.
10. mix the basil into the tomato sauce and add the tomato sauce to the pasta. mix well. 

2015.04.05 this was adventures in all things food's pick for the secret recipe club!