In the years I was digging my roots as a cook, I had the great fortune to move to Texas - the good luck having zero to do with Texas itself and everything to do with the fact that my Mom's best friend from grade school lived all of two miles away.

Phyllis and her husband tucked me under their culinary bough and on occasion, I'd spend a Sunday on a stool in their kitchen, some times helping, mostly wide-eyed and soaking up the possibilities: I'd never heard of the stove-maker Viking, had never known a house with two ovens let alone a third, especially for warming.

So I have a whole collection of recipes bearing Phyllis' name. This is one. You'll see, it's not fancy food (though Phyllis would chide me for not blanching the tomatoes to remove the skins) but it is what I hope you think of as 'classic Alanna', simple food prepared well.

Here I served it over prepared spinach cannelloni (for St. Louisans, from the frozen section at Viviano's on The Hill) but think fish, think pasta, think delicious.

The one requirement here is really good tomatoes. If you're going to make tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes, at least a sauce this simple, the tomatoes must-must be perfect. That said, my notes say that Phyllis also makes it from boxes of Pomi Chopped Tomatoes and I have a tin of San Marzano Tomatoes that I'm going to try with this same recipe, too. [Update: I used the San Marzano tomatoes to update my recipe for Quick Tomato Sauce.]

KITCHEN NOTE If you are in Phyllis' camp about removing the tomato skins, blanch the tomatoes first. To blanch, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Wash the tomatoes and cut an X in the skin on the blossom end. (This is opposite the 'stem end'. Think about it, you'll know which is which!) Drop into the water for 60 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon. When the tomato is cool enough to handle, use a knife to slip off the skin and discard.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

SUMMER TOMATOES See the Recipe Box for more recipes that take advantage of perfect summer tomatoes.

A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK I made Lost Coleslaw, a simple slaw that brought me to tears -- and inspires me still.

TWO YEARS AGO Tomato & Zucchini Salad ... "...it's fresh, it's simple, it takes only 10 minutes to put together, it only takes a bowl and a knife and a cutting board AND it's low in calories." (Note: I make this salad a couple of times a week all summer long. It's just a great basic.)



HOW MANY CALORIES, CARBS & WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS IN TOMATOES
Nutrition Information Per 1/4 pound of raw tomatoes: 24 Cal (12% from Fat, 14% from Protein, 74% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 5 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 0 g Sugar; 6 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 10 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 0 points

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Food Recipes Cooking Vegetables Vegetable Recipes Weight Watchers Recipes Tomato Recipes Low Carb Recipes Easy Suppers

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