From Wendy Hayes, Weaver Street Market Produce Department
One day, I went into what I thought was the produce office, but it smelled like an Italian restaurant! After many exclamations, I discovered it was Shiloh’s lunch. The smell was intoxicating enough, but one tiny bite won me over; and bless her heart, she recited the recipe to me on the spot—what a gal! Well, I’ve made it three times now, and like they say, the third time’s a charm. Our local farmers have plantings of delicious sungold tomatoes that should run into the fall, and everybody and their brother has basil. So hop to it! This one is guaranteed to impress.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups sungold tomatoes, cut in half
- ½ cup fresh basil, packed
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 6-8 cloves of garlic, minced or put through a press
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2/3 cup heavy cream (I like Homestead Creamery)
- one hunk of Romano cheese (Parmesan will work, but the Romano adds a saltier kick)
- pasta of choice (I like fettucini the best)
- optional: peeled shrimp!
Directions:
- Heat your pan (I use the stainless one for this delicate recipe) and sauté the garlic in butter, being careful not to burn it.
- Add salt, pepper, and halved tomatoes and wilt ‘em down a few minutes. It will smell pretty good at this point.
- Add cream and cook gently, allowing the sauce to thicken.
- When it’s to your liking, add peeled shrimp directly to the simmering cream sauce—they’ll cook pretty darn fast, do wait until the end…then chop your basil and throw it in. This is perfectly delicious without the shrimp, but incredibly decadent with them.
- Hopefully you’ve cooked your pasta while this was all going on, so just plate it up and smother with sauce. Serve with the freshly grated cheese on the side, so it doesn’t get wasted on the sides and bottom of the pan. Now say a little thanks to the local producers and ENJOY!!!