Fork on the Spot

Tomato salad

1 pint of grape tomatoes, sliced in half or 1 large heirloom tomato, gently cubed
10 leaves of basil, roughly torn or chopped into ribbons
1 small onion (sweet is delicious in this, but any old onion will do), chopped
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
generous pinch of salt
pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a glass or ceramic mixing bowl (with all those tomato acids, metal isn’t recommended) and let sit at room temperature for half an hour, so the flavors can mingle and develop. Make sure not to skimp on the salt, because you need it to help draw out the juices in the tomatoes. If the tomatoes aren’t particularly acidic, add a squeeze of lemon juice to add a little tartness. If you want to make a meal out of this salad, you can bulk it up with some chunked cucumber and baby mozzarella balls.

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Pesto

1 cup tightly packed basil leaves, washed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves peeled garlic
1 cup olive oil
1/2 pine nuts
salt to taste

Pour half the olive oil into the bowl of a food processor or the pitcher of a blender. Add half the basil leaves and pulse until they start to blend. Add the remaining basil leaves and let motor run, while streaming in the rest of the basil. Add cheese and garlic and pulse until they are incorporated. Last add the nuts and a bit of salt. If it’s getting too thick, you may need to add a bit more olive oil. This is not a lowfat dish, but it sure is delicious.

Serve over freshly cooked past, just tossing until the sauce is incorporated. Save a bit of the pasta water and drizzle a bit of that into the pasta and pesto combo if the pesto isn’t coating well.

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