Although bunches of bright green asparagus and daffodils brighten up the produce section in my supermarket, I look at the dull winter tomatoes and wish for summer. I know it’s only April, but as soon as the weather begins to warm, my mind races ahead to summer.
Meanwhile, I’ve come up with a method for concentrating the flavors in those red plum tomatoes dark in color but light in taste that are piled high in my market. Although I know better, I buy them anyway, forgetting that they won’t taste anything like the real thing. I’m a dreamer.
I’m also a resourceful cook. I’ve learned that roasting these well-meaning but lackluster tomatoes will brighten their flavor considerably. I quarter them lengthwise and spread them in a roasting pan or on a sheet pan.
I add a generous drizzle of good olive oil and a dusting of salt and pepper and roast them until the juices are released and the edges of the collapsed skins begin to turn golden. Then I sprinkle them with minced fresh garlic and herbs and give them another 10 minutes in the oven.
Roasting concentrates the tomato flavor, and the browning adds depth and body, making these early tomatoes not only tolerable but good.
The result is a chunky stew of roasted tomatoes that works well on pasta. I combine the tomatoes and their juices with warm cannellini beans and chopped black olives, then toss everything with cooked pasta.
This is a hearty dish just right for those in-between days when there is spring in the air but winter continues to hover. For dessert, serve some of the first strawberries of the season mixed with pineapple chunks.
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Pasta with roasted tomatoes, beans and black olives
2 pounds plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped or torn fresh basil leaves
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, well-drained
cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
2 cups penne or other tubular pasta
Spread tomatoes on a large roasting or baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated 400-degree oven 35 minutes, turning and stirring tomatoes once or twice, until skins are wrinkled and the tomatoes are collapsed. Sprinkle tomatoes with garlic and basil, and roast 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven.
Combine tomatoes and their juices with cannellini beans and olives in a large, deep skillet; keep warm over low heat.
Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Add pasta and up to 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste, and cook until pasta is al dente, firm to the bite. Drain. Add drained pasta to the skillet with the tomatoes. Turn heat to high and cook, stirring, until ingredients are blended, about 1 minute. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
Pineapple chunks with strawberries
Frozen cubed pineapple has a fresh, bright taste and saves preparation time.
1 12-ounce bag frozen pineapple chunks, thawed
1 basket fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and quartered
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
Empty bag of pineapple into a serving bowl. Add strawberries and lemon or lime juice, and gently fold to combine. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Makes 4 servings.
TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
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