Doug Oster, who is the Backyard Gardener and "Digging With Doug" host for the Post-Gazette/post-gazette.com and who pops up all over the Pittsburgh media landscape, has published a new book: "Tomatoes Garlic Basil: The Simple Pleasures of Growing and Cooking Your Garden's Most Versatile Veggies" (St. Lynn's, $18.95).

Colorfully illustrated with Mr. Oster's own photographs, the 233-page paperback comes out, in the words (in the foreword) of W. Atlee Burpee & Co. president George Ball Jr., amid "the most dramatic resurgence in American gardening since the Great Depression."

If you're jumping into this growing trend, Mr. Oster not only shows you how to garden, but also how to cook with the results, including 31 recipes for simple, garden-fresh fare.

Mr. Oster lives and gardens on 4 acres just north of the city with his wife, Cindy, and is a regular on KDKA TV and radio. He's co-author of two other books with his radio partner, Jessica Walliser. And last year, his documentary for WQED-TV's OnQ, "Gardens of Pennsylvania," won a Mid-Atlantic Emmy. His website is DougOster.com.

Have a fresh food find? E-mail food@post-gazette.com.

Savory Tomato Sauce with Bacon

Doug Oster and his wife, Cindy, tasted this sauce on a trip to Italy, and it was so good -- so evocative of Cindy's Italian roots -- that it made her cry. It came from Orvieto's Tipica Trattoria Estrusca this way -- without specific ingredient amounts. "There's a certain magic to doing it this way," Mr. Oster writes, "and I invite you to give it a try yourself." Especially if you've made pasta sauce, you should be able to guess amounts that will taste good.

• Olive oil
• 2 laurel (bay) leaves
• Basil
• Carrots, chopped coarsely
• Celery, chopped
• 16-ounce can tomatoes
• 1 onion, minced very fine
• 1 small red pepper (peperoncino)
• Bacon, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

In olive oil, lightly saute 1 bay leaf, the basil, carrots and celery. Add tomatoes and cook over low hear for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove carrot and celery chunks and puree the sauce until it's as smooth or chunky as you prefer (for very smooth sauce, pass through a sieve).

In a medium saucepan, saute in hot olive oil 1 bay leaf, onion and red pepper. When onion is golden, add bacon and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until bacon is well done.

Add tomato sauce and simmer over very low heat for about 1 hour, stirring periodically. Pour over al dente linguini or other pasta.

Serves 4.

-- "Tomatoes Garlic Basil: The Simple Pleasures of Growing and Cooking Your Garden's Most Versatile Veggies" by Doug Oster (St. Lynn's, $18.95).

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