Real Simple: End of Summer Dinner

This weekend is the last weekend before Fall officially sets in on the east coast. In other parts of the US, the dates that demarcate the changing of seasons can seem arbitrary. But in New York City, a few weeks after the school year begins, and Fall arrives, the weather, the air, and the wind really do change and make it feel like autumn.

So what does the end of summer mean for food or, more specifically, for me, as an ingredient-obsessed cook? Well, for one thing, it means I better get in my fair share of tomatoes before I mourn their disappearance and I can only find them in cans or my freezer. After I made this pasta from the Smitten Kitchen blog last weekend, I could not stop lusting for tomatoes that taste so candy-sweet all on their own!

I kept this dish real simple - roughly chopped heirloom beauties, basil from our pot on the sill, garlic, fresh corn (because that will be done soon, too), peppery olive oil and fresh burrata. And I think I would have been happy to eat it without any pasta at all! Maybe next time...

How To Keep It Simple:

2-3 pounds of the best tomatoes you can get your paws on
1 clove garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
1 ear amazing corn, kernels cut off the cob
2 T lemon juice
fresh black pepper to taste
salt to taste
Pasta shape of choice, cooked according to package
burrata, or other fresh cheese
olive oil to finish

Combine tomatoes, garlic, corn, lemon, pepper, salt in a bowl. Let sit for close to 20 minutes. Cook pasta. Serve pasta with vegetables on top, and douse with cheese and olive oil to finish.