Cherry Tomatoes Galore!
So here we were packing up with a glut of cherry tomatoes and no customers. We dismantled our stall and by the time we folded up our tarp we were soaked to the skin. Unpredictable weather keeps following us around like a bad penny. Undeterred, we drove home chatting about what to do with all the cherries. We decided to freeze most of them, then vacuum seal them for winter. That way we could make pasta sauces, roast them as a side dish or add them to other recipes. I filled gallon zip lock bags with cherries and stacked them on a jelly-roll pan to place in the freezer. Once frozen I would bag them in 4 cup pouches for later use. I saved two pints to make a pasta sauce of roasted cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, parsley and goat cheese. It rained for much of the day on Sunday which allowed us to pickle beets, dehydrate apricots, freeze cherries and enjoy a nice dinner together. We ended up thanking the rain gods after all.
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Chevre:
- 12 oz pasta of your choice (we like bucatini which is slightly larger than regular spaghetti)
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, use a variety for color
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut in ribbons
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped coarsely
- 3/4 cup (3 oz) crumbled fresh chevre (semi-soft goat cheese)
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add 1 Tbsp salt to water and add pasta; cook according to package directions. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Return pasta to pan to keep warm.
- While pasta cooks, combine tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and red pepper flakes on a jelly-roll pan, tossing well to coat. Roast for 10-20 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and slightly charred in places.
- Add tomatoes and any juices to pasta in Dutch oven. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water to jelly-roll pan to loosen up browned bits. Add this to the pasta, along with additional 2 Tbsp olive oil.
- Add 1/2 of chevre to pasta, along with basil, parsley and remaining cooking water. Toss thoroughly.
- Place in serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining chevre.
From glut to goodness
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.” –Jean Anthelme
Basics with a Twist 
I wouldn’t complain about have many spare cherry tomatoes. Then again, if you’re trying to make money it might be a bit annoying. Our tomatoes have started ripening – we now have four in the fridge. I can’t wait to eat them. Lovely looking pasta dish.
Did I sound like I was complaining? Nothing goes to waste here! Yet, we are a truck farm and there is a financial focus. It’s usually a balance between finding the time for all we need to do and putting up food for the winter with what doesn’t sell. We eat all winter off our farm with the exception of dairy. Thanks for your interest. Kim