"..the best in a week of memorable Door County meals."

Alan Solomon

The Chicago Tribune

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Below is one of my favorite "quick" summer meals that I make for my husband, Chris, and I. This delicious and healthy recipe is made with fresh Door County tomatoes, capers, white wine, herbs and lemon. I serve it over whole grain pasta. Shaved Wisconsin parmesan finishes the dish.

I get most of my tomatoes from Wildwood Markets located on Hwy.42 between Sister Bay and Ellison Bay. Owner Mark Carlson has terrific tomatoes and a great variety of small multicolored cherry tomatoes. My favorite is the black pearl. If you are in Door County during September and early October, make sure to stop by Wildwood Markets (and tell them you heard about them from me!)

Recipe of the Month

Door County Tomato Ragout with Caper and Lemon
Serves approximately 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 of a white onion, finely chopped

6 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
2 cups of white wine

(I use sauvignon blanc)

1 lemon, quarterd and seeds removed

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

6 sprigs of fresh oregano and/or sage

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

a touch of salt and fresh ground pepper

Fresh grated Parmesan

whole grain linguini

cooked according to directions


I purchase most of my tomatoes from Wildwood Market located on Hwy 42 between Sister Bay and Ellison Bay. Mark Carlson has a terrific variety of tomatoes. The smaller cherry tomatoes work best for this recipe.

Wash the tomatoes and either cut in halves or quarters depending on size. In the recipe I am making on this page, I used five different varieties of cherry tomatoes.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. When hot, add the garlic and white onion and saute until onion is translucent but not colored.

Add the tomatoes

Add the lemon (note - the lemon goes in with skins on. You will be discarding them at the end of the recipe). Add the white wine and capers.

Add the whole sprigs of oregano and/or sage.

Cook over medium heat (reducing the heat as necessary to keep the mixture at a simmer, not a boil) until the sauce as reduced...about 20 to 25 minutes. The white wine should be almost evaporated when finished. Remove the herb sprigs and the lemon. Season as needed with the salt and pepper. Because the capers are quite salty, you will find you do not need a lot of additional seasoning. Add the Italian parsley. Place the cooked pasta in 4 bowls. Top with the tomato ragout mixture.

Shred Parmesan cheese on top of the finished dish. I am using a microplane to shred the cheese.

Garnish with a sprig of fresh herbs or an edible flower.