It Is Peak Cherry Tomato Time: 1 More Quick Bonus Recipe

Blending cherry tomatoes has been one of my big summer solves for the last couple of years. I wrote about it again on Monday, highlighting my summer riff on Pasta alla Montecarlo.

Their high pectin-content in comparison to larger tomatoes makes them ideal for sauces that don’t need to reduce down or thicken (aka: less time standing over a hot stove). By cooking them less (or not at all), you retain that bright, fresh, summer flavor too. Meanwhile, despite my love of burst cherry tomatoes in a quick tomato sauce, my wife and kids have all risen up against me with a unified opposition to tomato skins in their pasta sauce. This is where blending them has become my great solution: making a bright, instantly thick sauce.

But it turns out it is also a great way to make:

This was a little throw-together with an asada I cooked this summer, and it was a big hit with our guests.

A pint of cherry tomatoes, a whole habanero (stem removed), 3 black peppercorns, a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar, a garlic clove and a hefty pinch of salt. Blend until smooth and then serve with tacos, or spoon over a bowl of frijoles de olla. It is bright, fruity, spicy and punchy — just a delight. Adjust with salt and vinegar to taste, depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes.

Wasn’t that easy? Adjust to your own heat preferences. If you wanted a milder one, you could swap the habanero for a chile de arbol, making it a drier, milder heat (with a little bit of kick). You could also use a de-seeded jalapeño, or a roasted, peeled, stemmed and de-seeded anaheim chile for a mild, fruity salsa. But the fruit-forward nature of this habanero salsa is just a blast.

Finally, a quick little refresher on some other uses for blended cherry tomatoes:

Clockwise from top left: Pasta alla Monte Carlo; Ribollita with Gremolata Toast: Summer Bolognese; Pasta with Almost-Instant Cherry Tomato Sauce.