Tomatoes are at their peak here and it is time to celebrate them. Peggi made three pots of sauce yesterday. One had no jalapeño peppers and it is made to order for our neighbor, Leo. He has a fenced plot of land that he allows us to grow our own in. The fence keeps the deer out but a pesky rabbit kept getting at our plants. The basil, peppers and tomatoes in this picture all came from our garden.
We made calamari last night to bring to Rick and Monica’s as a first course. The trick to non chewy calamari, according to the fish guy at Wegman’s, is to boil it (water, lime/lemon, beer) no longer that 50 seconds and then get it on ice immediately. We did this and then divided it in six small dishes (the Spevaks were coming to dinner as well). I chilled some of the fresh tomato sauce and buried the calamari in it. It was fantastic.
The Spevaks brought an appetizer, stuffed jalapeños from their garden. And they brought a side dish of different kinds of tomatoes. They sliced up the green, yellow, red and plum colored tomatoes and drizzled some oil and vinegar on them. Both dishes were delicious. Rick, never one to be outdone in the kitchen, made a pasta, arugula and capers dish for the main course.
We cut of of work early today to continue painting our house and we took a break around two for a sandwich. Peggi had peanut butter and I had a tomato and onion sandwich. We both had some fresh tomato salsa.
3 Comments
u say tomato and i say tomato too. my lunch 2day was a whole bowl of ‘dry farm’ tomatoes. have u ever tasted them? during growth they r deprived of the usual amounts of water, and somehow that intensifies both the color and taste.
they r on the small side and r full of juice. here in cali, they become available during september. they’re magically delicious!
Minghia!
paolo.
From “Tootsie” (1982):
Sydney Pollack: You’ve got one of the worst reputations in this town. Nobody will hire you.
Dustin Hoffman: Are you saying that nobody in New York will work with me?
Pollack: Nobody in Hollywood will either. I can’t even get you a commercial. You played a tomato, and they went over schedule because you wouldn’t sit.
Hoffman: Yes, it wasn’t logical.
Pollack: You were a tomato! A tomato doesn’t have logic. It can’t move!
Hoffman: So if he can’t move, how’s he going to sit down? I was a stand-up tomato. A juicy, sexy, beefsteak tomato! Nobody does vegetables like me! I did vegetables off-Broadway! I did the best tomato, the best cucumber! I did an endive salad that knocked the critics on their ass!