We are in the height of tomato season.  These nightshades, with so many flavors, colors, and sizes, can now be found at your neighborhood market, often grown locally.  Even better, seek them out at a farm stand, farmer’s market, or, if you are lucky enough, plucked from your own garden.

Unlike many of our friends, we’re having the good fortune of harvesting a bumper crop of this summertime goodness.  Jon has already roasted four large pans filled to the brim with a variety of tomatoes.  To the roasting pan he added onions, garlic cloves, fresh thyme, oregano, winter savory, and rosemary.

It all went into a convection oven at 375º F for about two hours.  Then everything was run through a food mill, put back in the pan, and continued roasting at 200º F until it reduced to the desired consistency of tomato paste.

If you don’t want to heat up your kitchen, now’s the time to grab your cutting board and tomato knife.  Within five minutes, you can make yourself a tomato salad which is as easy as it is delicious.  The key to the salad is to gild these big boys and yellow pears with a drizzle of really tasty extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Sprinkle it all with a course fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper.  This is all that is needed to do the trick.  With so few ingredients involved, seek out only the best.

You could also tuck in a couple of wedges of cheese.  On my plate, I enjoyed a Saint Pete’s Blue and a vodka-soaked, nettle-wrapped sheep’s milk cheese from LoveTree Farms.

No excuses about not having the time, as preparing this salad takes practically no time at all.  The tomato paste, on the other hand, takes a little more time, though most of it is unattended.  However, it’s well worth it, come autumn, when you’re making pasta or lasagna.

I take the train to and from work so I’m generally reading the latest issue of Food & Wine or Bon Appetit during those 40 minutes each day. I discovered the following recipe by Michael Symon from the March 2010 issue of F&W. Of course, I adapted it immediately as I didn’t have a Delicata Squash. I also wanted to give it a little zing, so I minced a dried red chili and added that as well.

Quinoa is definitely a superfood:  a grain-like seed, it’s a “complete” protein containing all eight essential amino acids.  Another plus is that  it cooks much more quickly than most grains.

Instead of stuffing the salad into the squash, I diced the squash, roasted it and tossed it in with the other ingredients.

1 Butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded and cut into ¾ inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 Pink Lady apple, finely diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
¼ red bell pepper, roasted and cut into ½ inch dice
1 large shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 ounces arugula (2 cups)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss squash with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the squash on a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring 2 cups of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the raisins and simmer, covered, until the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and let cool.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and honey with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

5. Add the dressing to the quinoa along with the apple, carrot, bell pepper, shallot, garlic, ginger, mint, and parsley and toss well. Add the arugula and toss gently. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

The quinoa can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature and add the arugula just before serving.