A gardening friend gave me two Sweet 100 cherry tomato plants that have had us swimming in the teeniest, tinest tomatoes this summer.  I’ve been harvesting a few pints of them weekly and in order to keep up with them, I had to get creative.  I was slightly inspired by a recipe my friend Martha used in her cooking class last month, but because these tomatoes are so tiny that cutting them would be a complete pain (and waste of time), I decided to just throw them in the pan whole.

(They also have a slightly annoying habit of splitting upon being picked.)

Heat olive oil in a wide saute pan, using more than you think you need to. (A few tablespoons at least.) Over low to medium heat, saute lots of minced garlic – again, more than you think you’ll need, maybe half a bulb or more? Lots of garlic is fantastic in this.

When the garlic is fragrant and browning, add tomatoes and salt, stirring.

Cook over a low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, as the tomatoes break down.  As they cook, the whole thing will start to get slightly creamy looking. If you want to add some broth or wine as they cook, go for it.

At the very end of cooking, stir in some freshly chopped herbs – basil is lovely, as is parsley, oregano and chives – before tossing with pasta. Be sure to reserve a cup or two of the pasta water to add at this point as well. It helps keep the whole dish from drying out.

Serve with liberal amounts of Parmesan cheese and some black olives for those who are so inclined.

(Clearly it was clean out the pantry of pasta boxes the night I made this.)