(Last Call) Roasted Tomato Pasta

It's almost that time. And I must confess it makes me a little sad.

The growing season's almost over and we'll only have local tomatoes for a little while longer. I've been growing some with my neighbors in our yard and another variety on my deck and they're just now ripening! The season got a late start because of the wet spring and relatively cold summer. But, I've finally got some beauties; sweet, ripe and ready to go.

This pasta's as gorgeous and tasty as it is quick and easy. So, serve it to your loved ones on a busy weeknight or to dinner guests on a leisurely Saturday night.

I used homegrown tomatoes that were medium-sized and sliced them in half but it'll be easier if you just use small, sweet cherry or teardrop tomatoes. If you go to the farmers' market you can mix and match varieties in different shapes and colors. I also used green and purple basil from my deck, so if you have basil plants, this is the perfect opportunity to use them up!

(Last Call) Roasted Tomato Pasta

Adapted from Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries

Ingredients

1 pound dried pasta - I used spaghetti but short pasta like Orecchiette would be great, too.
3 lbs. local cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic peeled and sliced thin
30 basil leaves
3 oz. fresh Chevre
or
4 tbsp. organic heavy whipping cream and grated Pecorino to taste
olive oil
salt & pepper

Instruction

First Thing: Set your broiler on high

Boil pasta in a large pot of salted water.

Rinse and dry tomatoes well. In a roasting pan or baking dish, toss tomatoes and garlic together in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Throw the pan under the broiler, very close to the flame. You want to broil them until the skins split and get nice and charred in some places and the tomatoes give of their juices. This should take about 5 minutes depending on the heat of your oven but check after 3 minutes and don't let them burn. Remove from the oven and crush the tomatoes in the pan with the back of a fork.
Pull the pasta al dente and drain. Toss the crushed tomatoes with the basil into a serving bowl and let the basil wilt from the steam and heat. Season with salt and pepper and either throw in the goat cheese or the cream depending on your preference. If using cream, add some grated Pecorino cheese as well. Fold pasta into the mix and toss together gently with tongs and serve.