Instead of just four seasons, I'm proposing we have five.

Here goes: The tail end of summer should be a season all on its own, at least here in the Pacific Northwest. The days are sunny and mild, and can even get warm, but by evening the temperatures cool to what we refer to as "good sleeping weather," requiring replacing summer's light blanket on the bed with a cozy comforter. Here in the Willamette Valley this season can last well into October some years, extending the harvest before winter truly arrives with the first frost shriveling leaves and covering the garden with a glinting coat of silver.

This year I've managed to roast almost 100 pounds of my beloved Astiana tomatoes, ladled into around 27 quart bags that are now safely resting in our little freezer for braises, sauces, tarts and soups to (hopefully) last us through the winter. In the meantime, I'm buying as many of the last heirlooms from the farmers' market as I can to shove thick, juicy slices between Dave's mayonnaise-slicked sourdough for lunch, slicing up colorful platters to have with grilled fish and meats, and sautéeing others into fresh tomato sauces with pasta.

An easy pasta dish I love to make any time I can get fresh cherry tomatoes is so simple the sauce only has three main ingredients and comes together in—I kid you not—30 minutes or less.

Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Anchovies and Garlic

Adapted from the New York Times

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
10 med. garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
1 tin anchovy fillets in oil
1 pt. halved cherry tomatoes (approx. 2 c., any color)
1 lb. dried pasta
Grated parmesan

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cayenne (if using) and sauté briefly. Add anchovies with their oil—they can spit hot oil, so pull off heat if needed. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about a minute, until anchovies melt, then add tomatoes. Adjust heat so tomatoes bubble nicely, and cook until mixture becomes saucy, about 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.

While sauce is simmering, cook pasta until just tender but not noodle-y. When it is done, drain it. Pour sauce over pasta and serve with parmesan alongside.

It's high summer. Temperatures are soaring and no one wants to heat up the house cooking dinner. You could whizz up a blender of chilled soup—check out my favorites by clicking here—or do what we do: Set up an outdoor kitchen! All it takes is a camp stove and a camp table and you're good to go.

We've set up ours on the patio just outside the kitchen door, the better to access that all-important fridge, plus water and utensils. Our trusty two-burner Coleman will boil a pot of water for pasta on one burner while cooking up the almost-instant sauce (below) on the second burner without having to break a sweat.

Whether you can stroll out to your garden bed and pluck your cherry tomatoes right off the vine or pull out a pint of little red orbs from your farmers' market stash, all you'll need is garlic, a tin of anchovies and olive oil to complete the dish. It's so simple you could whip it up while your guests sip gazpacho from tiny glass cups, but whether you choose to do that or just toss it in a bowl and put it in front of your family with a salad, I guarantee it'll be a dish you'll be pulling out again and again in tomato season.

Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic and Anchovy Sauce

1 lb. pasta
3 Tbsp. olive oil
10 cloves garlic, peeled and very roughly chopped
1 tin anchovies in olive oil
One pint of cherry tomatoes
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1/4 c. Italian parsley, chopped
Grated parmesan, or a 50/50 blend of pecorino and parmesan, for serving

Boil a large pot of water for pasta.

Just before the water comes to a boil, start the sauce by heating the olive oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the chopped garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the anchovies and their oil and mash until the anchovies dissolve, then add the whole cherry tomatoes and red pepper flakes.

Add the pasta to the (now) boiling water and cook until al dente. Continue cooking the sauce until the tomatoes burst and give up their juices, then reduce the heat to low until the pasta is done. Drain pasta in a colander and place in a heated serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with some of the parmesan.