A Saucy Solution

by Dana Jacobi for The American Institute for Cancer Research

CSAs are increasingly popular because they help maintain family farms while providing people in cities and suburbs with fresh produce. But they can also present a daunting challenge to the cook, because it’s nature, not careful menu planning, that determines what and how much shows up on the doorstep. Monday might bring four tiny peaches or two pounds of parsnips, and you simply have to make do.

My CSA participation is informal. My neighbor has a share in a farm just outside Manhattan; she bartered me a quarter of her share in exchange for helping her figure out how to use what she gets and to help her cook it. Recently, this meant dealing with the last of the season’s tomatoes and a truly absurd quantity of fresh leeks.

The Jersey beefsteak tomatoes, weighing over a pound apiece and bearing a tough skin, were fit only for sauce or soup. Of the eight leeks, some were finger-thin and tender, but three were as fat as my wrist and as hard as a log. These clearly needed simmering with lots of liquid. Our decision was to cook the two together, making a tomato sauce pungent with leek. Its flavor pairs well with the stronger taste and heartier texture of whole-wheat pasta. It is also delicious combined with brown rice in casseroles.

The recipe calls for the standard hot-water bath to peel the tomatoes, which can be tiresome. If you can find a device called a soft vegetable peeler, you won’t be sorry. This gadget, which costs five to seven dollars, looks like the usual swivel-bladed peeler except that its cutting edge is serrated. It zips the skin off tomatoes and peaches, effortlessly saving mess and time. It will even peel a grape.

Greek Pasta with Tomato Leek Sauce - Makes 8 cups or 6 servings.

6 ripe tomatoes, preferably beefsteaks, (2 3/4 to 3 pounds)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large leek, white part only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1 15-oz. can of diced, unsalted tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
Ground black pepper
12 oz. whole-wheat fusilli, penne or other short pasta
1/2 cup (2 oz.) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives, optional

Plunge the tomatoes into a large pot of boiling water until their skin cracks, 2 to 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer them to a bowl of ice water. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them. Seed the tomatoes and chop them into 3/4-inch pieces, including the meaty interior, if using beefsteaks. Scoop the tomatoes and their juice into a bowl, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the leek until it is flexible, 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook until the leek slices are limp, 8 minutes, reducing the heat if necessary to keep the vegetables from coloring. Add the fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. When the liquid in the pan boils, reduce the heat and simmer vigorously until most of the liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes are a chunky sauce, about thirty minutes. There should be about 2 cups of sauce.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, and place it in a warmed serving bowl. Spoon the sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the sauce. If desired, sprinkle the olives over the cheese. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 316 calories, 6 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 59 g. carbohydrate, 12 g. protein, 11 g. dietary fiber, 547 mg. sodium.