Arrivederci, miei pomodori!


Oh, how sad I am to leave our tomato plants one week before the expected peak. Not that we won't get great tomatoes in Europe, but still, these are miei bambini, I watched them grow up, and I hate to leave them to the mockingbirds.

Tonight Anthony and I dined on a mongo Insalata Caprese, some good bread, and some good vino. The kids ate a huge cucumber salad with some cherry tomatoes. Even after we made all that, we still had this bounty today:


Those aren't fancy big yellow cukes, those are ones that were hidden and left too long on the vine. We'll cut them in half and serve them to the chickens tomorrow. The kids were SO EXCITED to go out and harvest all this stuff today, and very enthusiastic about eating it. It "tickles me innards" as my dad would say to see them enjoying and understanding local produce.

Here's a salad I made last week to take to friends:

Ciao, tutti!

Lisa and Sinda convinced me to try St. Germaine, this French liqueur made from elderberry flowers. I like the "St. Germargarita" -- the perfect Tex-Mex-Franco blend.

1.5 parts St. Germaine
1.5 parts premium tequila
1/2 part lime juice

Shake over ice and strain into chilled martini glass. I actually liked it with diluted lime juice better.

Oops, is my glass half empty or half full?

Frittata

Last week I bought some lovely fingerling potatoes from the farmers' market and roasted them. Today I sliced them up and put them into a yummy frittata, an Italian style omellette.

1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced roasted potatoes
4 oz. turkey deli meat
1/2 cup shredded gruyere
1 bunch basil, julienned
9 eggs, scrambled

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and potatoes, saute about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and basil, then immediately pour scrambled eggs over the entire mixture. Stir gently for the first minute - basically just moving the stuff around enough to let the eggs get in all the in-between spaces. Cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes. When eggs are mostly set, except for the top, place under broiler for 3-5 minutes to finish it off. You could also add more cheese to the top, if desired.

Unfortunately I only took a picture of my frittata's underbelly; the top looked much nicer. You can adapt this recipe to whatever you have on hand - leftover boiled potatoes or hashbrowns are nice, and other good filling ingredients include asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, grilled peppers, and tomatoes. You can also use leftover pasta as your starch. I can never decide which I like more, the potatoes or the pasta.

It's great with a salad, hunk of crusty bread, and bottle of wine. Tonight I had a little insalata di pomodoro: just sliced tomatoes from the garden, garnished simply with basil, sea salt, and olive oil.


Sure way to tell that its officially summer.