Tuscan Tomato Stew...

When winter and life gives us lots of lemons around Christmas time and into and early months of the year, we make lots of things; lemonade, limoncello, lemon curd….I could go on.
Well, much like that, when my aunt and uncle’s tomato bush offers up prolific bounties of cherry tomatoes, I make lots of things, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato-grapefruit chutney, and this; Tuscan Tomato stew.
This dish is rustic, earthy, and simple. Few ingredients, albeit really good ones, make this a fast weeknight, or weekend dinner. With a short glass of a spritzy Orangina (my favorite of all time), it just might make you think you are sitting somewhere in Tuscany at a table in a small village…ok, it did for me anyway.
This dish is rich, yet hearty and light all at the same time. This dish meets all needs…fantastic as a vegetarian dish, with a toasted and crunchy gluten free bread like Glutino  (one of the best brands out there)…to sop the ‘stewey-sauce”. This is equally as fabulous topped with a piece of grilled pork, chicken or a mild white fish. Here is how it’s done.

• 1.5 to 2 cups whole cherry tomatoes
• 3 large cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 to 1.5 cups of mixed, pitted olives (get them at the self-serve olive bar if your store has one, get ones without pits, and buy a variety. The ones packed in oil are great, as the oils add to the flavor of the dish).
• ¼ cup of fresh chopped herbs (use what you have and what you love. I used sage, thyme, rosemary, basil and oregano).
• Salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add all the ingredients except the fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper. If your olives did not have oil, add 2 tbs of olive oil to the pan. Cover and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften enough when pressed with a fork gently, they burst and smash. Smash all the tomatoes with the back of a fork. Lower the heat to medium and simmer. Simmer until the liquid begins to cook down and thicken some, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat, add herbs, and serve.