Tomato Time! Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to Tomatoes” and BLT Spaghetti Recipe
During Tomato Time we love to read aloud Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to Tomatoes” (note that in Chile in December it’s summer). Here it is:
Ode to Tomatoes
The street
filled with tomatoes
midday,
summer,
light is
halved
like
a
tomato,
its juice
runs
through the streets.
In December,
unabated,
the tomato
invades
the kitchen,
it enters at lunchtime,
takes
its ease
on countertops,
among glasses,
butter dishes,
blue saltcellars.
It sheds
its own light,
benign majesty.
Unfortunately, we must
murder it:
the knife
sinks
into living flesh,
red
viscera,
a cool
sun,
profound,
inexhaustible,
populates the salads
of Chile,
happily, it is wed
to the clear onion,
and to celebrate the union
we
pour
oil,
essential
child of the olive,
onto its halved hemispheres,
pepper
adds
its fragrance,
salt, its magnetism;
it is the wedding
of the day,
parsley
hoists
its flag,
potatoes
bubble vigorously,
the aroma
of the roast
knocks
at the door,
it's time!
come on!
and, on
the table, at the midpoint
of summer,
the tomato,
star of earth,
recurrent
and fertile
star,
displays
its convolutions,
its canals,
its remarkable amplitude
and abundance,
no pit,
no husk,
no leaves or thorns,
the tomato offers
its gift
of fiery color
and cool completeness.
Translated from the Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden
Ode to Tomatoes
The street
filled with tomatoes
midday,
summer,
light is
halved
like
a
tomato,
its juice
runs
through the streets.
In December,
unabated,
the tomato
invades
the kitchen,
it enters at lunchtime,
takes
its ease
on countertops,
among glasses,
butter dishes,
blue saltcellars.
It sheds
its own light,
benign majesty.
Unfortunately, we must
murder it:
the knife
sinks
into living flesh,
red
viscera,
a cool
sun,
profound,
inexhaustible,
populates the salads
of Chile,
happily, it is wed
to the clear onion,
and to celebrate the union
we
pour
oil,
essential
child of the olive,
onto its halved hemispheres,
pepper
adds
its fragrance,
salt, its magnetism;
it is the wedding
of the day,
parsley
hoists
its flag,
potatoes
bubble vigorously,
the aroma
of the roast
knocks
at the door,
it's time!
come on!
and, on
the table, at the midpoint
of summer,
the tomato,
star of earth,
recurrent
and fertile
star,
displays
its convolutions,
its canals,
its remarkable amplitude
and abundance,
no pit,
no husk,
no leaves or thorns,
the tomato offers
its gift
of fiery color
and cool completeness.
Translated from the Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden
Need a recipe? Sliced tomatoes, Bramasole Olive Oil, salt and pepper!
Sure to become a favorite, this invention of Frances’s co-author, Susan Wyler from Pasta Veloce:
Sure to become a favorite, this invention of Frances’s co-author, Susan Wyler from Pasta Veloce:
Photo by Stephen Rothfeld
BLT Spaghetti
Serves 4 to 6
Just like the eponymous sandwich that inspired this pasta, the key to success is stellar ingredients: deeply flavored hickory-smoked bacon, the bite of arugula, and juicy tomatoes. Because the tomatoes are not really cooked, just warmed through, choose the best—ripe and “of fiery color / and cool completeness.”
12 ounces (340 g) spaghetti
10 ounces (280 g) bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
Generous grind of black pepper
1 to 1¼ pounds (450 g to 570 g) tomatoes, cut into ¾ (180 ml) to 1-inch chunks
3 lightly packed cups, about 2 ounces (55 g) arugula
Finely shredded Asiago
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until al dente, 10 to 11 minutes. Reserve ½ cup (120 ml) of the cooking water before draining the pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, cook the bacon in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat, stirring to separate the pieces, until the fat renders and the bacon is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel.
Drain off all but about 1 tablespoon fat from the pan. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the onion. Season with the salt, sugar, and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the onion is golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in ½ cup (120 ml) of the reserved pasta cooking water.
Toss the cooked spaghetti with the liquid and onion in the pan and toss to coat. Add the tomatoes, arugula, and bacon, and toss to mix evenly. Serve with a sprinkling of Asiago or Parmigiano cheese.
Serves 4 to 6
Just like the eponymous sandwich that inspired this pasta, the key to success is stellar ingredients: deeply flavored hickory-smoked bacon, the bite of arugula, and juicy tomatoes. Because the tomatoes are not really cooked, just warmed through, choose the best—ripe and “of fiery color / and cool completeness.”
12 ounces (340 g) spaghetti
10 ounces (280 g) bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
Generous grind of black pepper
1 to 1¼ pounds (450 g to 570 g) tomatoes, cut into ¾ (180 ml) to 1-inch chunks
3 lightly packed cups, about 2 ounces (55 g) arugula
Finely shredded Asiago
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until al dente, 10 to 11 minutes. Reserve ½ cup (120 ml) of the cooking water before draining the pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, cook the bacon in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat, stirring to separate the pieces, until the fat renders and the bacon is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel.
Drain off all but about 1 tablespoon fat from the pan. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the onion. Season with the salt, sugar, and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the onion is golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in ½ cup (120 ml) of the reserved pasta cooking water.
Toss the cooked spaghetti with the liquid and onion in the pan and toss to coat. Add the tomatoes, arugula, and bacon, and toss to mix evenly. Serve with a sprinkling of Asiago or Parmigiano cheese.