Inspired by reading over Noelle’s entry about her delicious-looking salsa, I decided tonight to utilize the tomato-y bounty given forth to me by Josh’s beautiful heirloom variety tomato plants growing out on our deck.  But instead of a salsa, a fresh tomato sauce that I could mix in with the whole wheat linguine I got on sale at Busch’s yesterday, and serve it with the boneless skinless chicken breast I had thawing in the oven.  AND it would be a light healthy dish.  I love it when a plan comes together.

The smug foodie in me (I am writing this on a Mac after all) was also pretty proud of the fact that just about all the produce in this dish was locally grown, too.  The tomatoes, thyme, parsley and basil came from our own deck garden (we live on the third floor of an apartment building, but are lucky enough to have a big long deck which we line with various pots containing leafy and delicious products).  And the peppers, garlic and onion came from our farm share.  Delicious.

Salsa Spaghetti
Serves 2

4oz whole wheat linguine, cooked according to package directions and drained
1 whole chicken breast, cut in half
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
1 pound fresh tomatoes
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 c. fresh parsley
1/4 c. fresh basil
1 small red onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 Hungarian wax peppers, ends cut off (cut down to one if you prefer less heat, and scrape out the seeds)

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and rub with olive oil on both sides.  Broil until cooked through, about 15 minutes, turning once in the middle.  (I like to use a grill pan with a separate top and bottom; I line the bottom with tin foil for easy cleanup and to catch the drippings, put the the grill top over it and lay the chicken on that.  If you don’t have one of those, just line a cookie sheet with tin foil but be careful because the fat from the chicken will pool a bit and if the pan is too close to the heat source, the popping grease will cause you a lot of smoke and heartache.)

Place tomatoes, thyme, parsley, basil, onion, garlic, peppers and about a tablespoon of olive oil in a blender and blend into a chunky purée.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour  tomato sauce in with the hot linguine and mix thoroughly.  Plate and top with chicken.

This whole meal takes generally about the time it takes to cook the pasta.  The sauce takes almost no time at all and while getting the pasta ready, I broiled the chicken.  It’s very fast, very light, very fresh and delicious.  And after this meal, you won’t feel guilty about the Edy’s Double Fudge Brownie ice cream you bought for dessert.