Seasonal recipe
Late-summer tomato-basil skillet
Peak tomatoes don’t need a 40-ingredient flex. Heat, salt, basil, and something starchy to catch the juices — that’s the seasonal move before you switch to squash.
~20 minutes · One pan · 2–3 servings
Best where tomatoes are still peak (early–mid September in much of the U.S. South & West; early September North).
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3–4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1½ lb ripe tomatoes, chunked (mixed colors welcome)
- ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Pinch chili flakes (optional)
- 1 cup cooked pasta, polenta, or torn bread to serve
- Handful fresh basil
- Black pepper
- Optional: burrata or grated hard cheese
Method
- 1. Soften garlic. Warm oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Soften garlic 30–60 seconds — don’t brown hard.
- 2. Slump tomatoes. Add tomatoes and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they slump and make a saucy puddle (8–12 minutes). Crush a few pieces with a spoon.
- 3. Season. Chili flakes if you want heat. Taste salt.
- 4. Finish with basil. Kill heat. Tear in basil. Black pepper.
- 5. Serve. Spoon over pasta, polenta, or toasted bread. Cheese if you like.
Seasonal swaps
- No great tomatoes? Don’t force it — jump to squash/greens recipes for your region.
- Pepper glut Add sliced sweet peppers with the tomatoes.
- Early apples in your band? Save them for the week-2 apple skillet; don’t mix desserts into this pan.
Region note
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Weekly list
Tomato-season notes for your band, when they last.