The best thing about tomatoes is that they are always in season! And easily available. In vegetable markets, on street-corner carts, in the baskets that vendors carry and call on housewives in housing societies from door to door, and in clinically packed containers in 21st century food supermarkets.
Tomatoes are also available canned, pureed, sun-dried, in ketchups, in sauces, in chutneys... truly, �tis always in season!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
3 rashers bacon, rind
removed and finely chopped
Small tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp white wine
Black olives, pitted and chopped
salt and pepper
400 gm to 500 gm penne pasta

Procedure:
Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente Heat oil in a pan and gently fry onions until golden. Add the bacon and fry until cooked. Mix in the fresh and sun-dried tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes or until softened.

Blend in the wine and olives, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot sauce over freshly cooked pasta, accompanied by a green salad.

Ingredients:
2 kg ripe tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp crushed garlic
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra olive oil

Procedure:
Preheat over to 100 degree Celcius.Core tomatoes with a sharp pointed knife, then cut in half from top to bottom and squeeze out the seeds or scoop them out with a teaspoon. Place cut side down on an oiled, foil-lined baking tray.

Mix olive oil with garlic and brush over tomatoes, then sprinkle them with pepper. Place in over for 6 hours. Place tomatoes in clean warm jars, cover with olive oil, seal and chill quickly in refrigerator until cold. Store in a cool, dry, dark cupboard. Use sun-dried tomatoes in salads, pasta sauces and antipasto.

Ingredients:
Pastry
310 gm plain wholemeal flour
125 gm butter or margarine, diced cold water, to mix
FILLING
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 red capsicum (pepper)
60 gm butter or margarine
4 spring onions cut into
1/2 inch lengths
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons shredded, fresh basil
salt and pepper

Procedure:
To Prepare Pastry:
Sift flour, then place in a food processor. Add butter and process until the texture resembles breadcrumbs. Add sufficient cold water, gradually, and mix until a dough forms which leaves the sides of the processor bowl.

Turn into a lightly floured surface and shape into a flat round cake. Wrap in greaseproof paper and chill for at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 200 degree Celcius.

To Prepare Filling:
Blanch tomatoes, remove skin, cut in half and squeeze out seeds. Chop tomatoes. Deseed capsicum and blanch, then slice into short, thin strips. Heat butter in a frying pan and gently fry spring onions and garlic until soft. Add capsicum (pepper) and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer for 1 minute.

To Prepare Pie:
Roll pastry out and line a 9-inch flan tin. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and dried beans or rice and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to degree 175 degree Celcius. Remove pepper and beans. Pour tomato mixture into pastry case. Beat eggs with basic and season with salt and pepper. Pour over tomato mixture. Return to oven and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until set. Serve pie hot or cold, with salad.