Spaghettini Tomato Toss

Wednesday September 3

No, it's not an entry at the county fair games; it's a simple summer pasta that we got out of A Year in Niagara, by Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh. The book's chief attraction is that it's all about the terroir in which we now live, and contains recipes and vintage notes from local growers and restaurateurs. It seems to be out of print, but I can't imagine why, as it's only from 2002, and you'd think it would still be on sale in every winery, food store, and restaurant mentioned (and there are many).

The chief attraction of this particular dish is that it uses cherry tomatoes, with which our nice neighbors are well-nigh showering us (and if you've ever been showered with cherry tomatoes, you know how bouncy that can be). When you first meet a Niagaran, they ask if you'd like some tomatoes, because their gardens are burgeoning with bushels of them. It seems that the Niagara is like Ithaca in this respect, except that in Ithaca it's zucchini that you have to lock your doors to keep your neighbors from sneaking in and leaving.

So, while boiling the water for pasta, mince a clove of garlic, chop half an onion, and sweat them in a generous dollop of olive oil in large skillet. Halve a pound of cherry tomatoes (ideally of different colors and types) lengthwise. Shower the tomatoes (gently) into the pan, stir about a bit until soft but not dissolved, and remove from heat.

Boil some spaghetti. Chop or tear up a big handful of fresh basil (the mint that Sloan also suggests would conflict too much with the basil flavor), and add to the tomato mixture. Drain the spaghetti and toss it about in the tomato pan, with a droozle more oil if necessary.

The essence of the season and terroir, especially with a Vineland Estates 2006 chardonnay.