So the summer before last, we planted ONE cherry tomato plant. Just one. The farmer-in-charge refused to do any pruning, so that plant TOOK OVER our tiny garden plot. It’s octopus-like arms grew to a tangle that was 4 feet deep by 8 feet wide. We couldn’t even reach all the fruit, much to the delight of wildlife. I swore NO MORE indeterminate tomato plants ever again!

The following summer (last summer), I planted ONE determinate bush tomato plant. It stayed in its place, we got a few tomatoes, I was happy, except for one thing … these volunteer cherry tomato plants that were sprouting up all over our and our neighbor’s yards! The wildlife had spread seeds far and wide and apparently these tomatoes bred true. So we continued to harvest cherry tomatoes and kept the plants in check when we mowed the grass. No staking — they just grew horizontally.

So this summer, I planted ONE determinate heirloom tomato plant. Again, It stayed in its place, we got a few tomatoes, I was happy, and we’ve STILL got the damn volunteer cherry tomatoes all over the place. We’re getting an even better harvest this year. It’s crazy. And I don’t even LIKE fresh tomatoes!

I love roasted shrimp, so I thought maybe I could use up some of these tomatoes in something not-totally-fresh yet not-fully-cooked. These flavors really do speak to summer, even if I did use the oven instead of the grill.

Roasted Shrimp and Tomatoes with Feta
Serves 3 – 4

12 – 16 ounces dried pasta (I used penne)
2 cups ripe cherry tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Dried thyme
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb peeled, be-headed, de-veined shrimp (I use 21/25 count)
1 shallot lobe, peeled and sliced thinly
4 – 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 375F. If desired, line a large sheet pan with foil to aid in cleanup.

Start your pasta! Water-to-boil plus cook-time should just about equal the oven roasting time (fingers **crossed**).

Cut the tomatoes in half and put on a large sheet pan. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt (lightly), fresh ground pepper and thyme (generously), and some red pepper flakes (to taste). Roast until they start to pop and break down (you probably want to move them around or flip them once or twice). Add the shrimp and shallots, tossing all of it together to coat the shrimp and shallots with the seasoned oil and tomato drippings. Continue roasting. Check the shrimp at about 4 or 5 minutes — they should be turning pink and slightly opaque. Flip them over with tongs and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Pull them when they look NOT QUITE done — there will be some carry-over cooking as they rest on the counter.

Drain your pasta well. Scoop some pasta on a plate, top with some of the roasted shrimp, tomato, and shallot (making sure to get some of the ooey gooey juices too), and then sprinkle with the crumbled feta.

I served it with some simply steamed yellow and green squash, because that’s what they had at the farmstand