The tomato and the beast

The moment I've waited for every day since winter has arrived.  The arrival of sweet, end of summer tomatoes.  We've had 7 lumpy, wonderous tomatoes on our counter for the past two days.  My husband was lobbying for pico de gallo, I was thinking more along the lines of tomato tart, when tonight I was flipping through Gastronomy of Italy by Anna Del Conte and came across a recipe for Minestra de Pomodori alla Calabrese (Tomato Soup).  This was exactly what I was looking for as I wasn't in the mood to make homemade pastry.  The soup was a little too warm (in temperature) for a warm day, but if I had waited for the weather to change, the tomatoes would surely have changed with it too.  I'm looking forward to trying the leftovers chilled tomorrow.  The soup is simple and delicious but must be made with really flavorful tomatoes.

Minestra di Pomodori alla Calabrese (Tomato Soup) adapted from Gastronomy of Italy by Anna Del Conte.

6 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

5 ripe fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbls. chopped fresh basil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup small tubular pasta

freshly grated romano cheese, to serve

Heat the olive oil in a pot.  Add the garlic, tomatoes and onion.  Saute for about 10 minutes over medium heat stirring frequently.  Add 1 2/3 quarts water, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and cook, uncovered, over very low heat for about 20 minutes.  Raise the heat and drop in the pasta.  Cook the pasta until al dente.  Serve the soup, sprinkle on chopped basil and romano cheese.