Tomatoes still warm from the sun, with basil and thyme, drizzled with balsamic and olive oil (photo by donna)
Dinner, last minute vegetarian delight in this heat: a good toasted baguette, butter, and fat tomatoes that ripened whilst we discovered bahn mi in little Saigon in LA, hiked up the river to Copake Falls in upstate New York, leapt off of 40 foot ledges at an old quarry outside West Stockbridge, swam in the rivers around Dorset, Vermont, swung in hammocks as the sun descended, grilled chicken and corn, drank cold wine and sent paper lanterns to the stars.
I have never had more work on my plate, two major books due more or less simultaneously this summer, and rarely has a summer included so much travel and mandatory relaxation, so many hours outdoors with Donna and the kids. And now I’m home, work weighing on my shoulders a fortunate yoke, while the summer pleasures continue to call.
So lucky.
Welcome back. Time spent is all worth it when you have made fabulous memories for your children. Well done.
You sound exhausted! I'd feel sorry for you if I weren't so envious of the cause of your stress!
I'm sure you've talked about the upcoming books somewhere, but I've managed to miss it. What are they going to be about?
Michael,
that last line: you have no idea how...
You were soooooo close to my weekend kitchen in Rensselaer County New York.
Now that August is here - more than here - our Saturday lunch consists of tomatoes plucked from our garden and corn grown by Larry Eckhardt on Kinderhook Creek Farm.
Donna's picture is, as always, mouth-watering and beautiful.
Damn those tomatoes look good. I can almost feel them warm in my mouth. I guess basil for the chiffonade and the bigger, torn pieces there but what's the little thing that looks like a sprig of something - purslane? Forgive me if that's a dumb question.
Great adventure bro!. I wish I was there with you guys... But have you done the Taconic Trail in the fall when all those vermont maples begin to turn brilliant yellows and reds?. Just a suggestion....But I assure you that you will never experience anything like it again in your lifetime.
Our tomatoes died from the heat a couple of weeks ago, so I'm very jealous of that beautiful dinner. Glad to hear you have so much work! Always looking forward to hearing more from you.
OBTW... I am nursing a little basil plant... they seem to bloom and die off.... but I am trying to have one remain and prosper. It's so frustrating never having fresh basil when I really want it. I have got work on a herb garden this year. That is my most frustrating thing in the kitchen. Watching all those cooking shows with huge bunches of herbs in flowering pots just sitting around to finish sauces and dishes.....aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh...... I live in herb hades....but I am gonna change that!
If you pinch the flowers off the basil it will continue to grow. If you don't pinch them off they go to seed and re-seed themselves. It's better to pinch off the blossoms, IMHO.
Keep trying buddy! We truly live in a "Hades type" climate here in the West Desert of Utah. Our herb and vegetable gardens thrive only from about mid June to early October. Short and hot growing season. Temps are 100+ degrees with scarce rainfall. With care and attention we seem to pull it off. During our very cold winters, we even grow basil indoors with great success! A couple tips which may help your basil frustration. 1. Plant the basil from seed. 2. Leave the pot you plan to use in the sun for a couple of days to warm the soil. (Basil germinates in soil above 60 degrees.) 3. Plant the seeds shallowly and place in part sun. Water daily. These are 'tender' plants and will burn up if left in full sun for too long. Don't know what your climate is, but this works beautifully for us.
I see food all day; dishes that make my mouth water while I sit eating my Cheerios. But nothing...and I mean nothing does me in quite like this photo. Remembering summers past with nothing but tomatoes and corn for dinner fresh from a local farm, tomato sandwiches with one huge slice...even on Wonder Bread those were amazing.
But alas I live in Denver, the Mile High City. I would say that the worst tomatoes in the midwest are the best here. Sure, the summer crop is better than winter hothouse tomatoes, but the cool nights we love and the higher less oxygenated air will NEVER produce anything close to those tomatoes; these tomatoes.
Maybe your book wasn't on that list, but you have these tomatoes...priorities Michael, priorities!
Where's the bufala mozzarella?
The luxury of reflection - the key to creativity.
Heading to Great Barrington (really North Egremont) home of the farmer's market for Labor Day week, our favorite interlude. Makes everything worthwhile. Gorgeous countryside. Great people. Ready for Guido's. Hope you left some tomatoes and corn there for us.
first i read you for your effortless eloquence
next for donna's photos
oh, and then there's the food...
I made a similar dinner last night. Mine was home-grown tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, seansoned with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and topped with feta goat cheese. Excellent!
Tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic with basil and thyme herbs.... or fried green tomatoes.... or tomatoes in a pizza margeritte....
I mean here in sofl I am blessed to have access to all kinds of great tomatoes all year round. They even sell a thingamagic I can hang from my balcony top and they claim will produce 60 lbs of tomatoes.
Never mind the earth boxes and other things that grow tomatoes.
I am becoming a fan of great tomatoes. I just got four Roma tomatoes from an organic farm in Sarasota that I can't wait to prepare tomorrow Micahel's way... chill and then healthy heaven lunch.
But...I won't be chopping my new basil plant... it's just a baby. Instead I will see what I can do with my spices and other herbs that lurk around the kitchen.
Roma tomatoes are meant to be cooked into sauce, really. They are not very juicy and are very firm compared to most other varieties. You might try making a simple sauce out of them rather than eating them raw as a salad.
Oh, Michael, I am SO JEALOUS of those tomatoes! Tomatoes are my favorite fruit/vegetable. Usually by this time of year, I'm sick to death of tomatoes and trying to pawn bags of them off on neighbors, visitors and am practically dropping them anonymously on street corners. But not this year. Our tomato crops here in CA are a major FAIL. Nobody has any decent tomatoes because the weather has been too cool. I think we've had about 20 tomatoes all year that were even usable. I've had to buy tomatoes at fruit stands and farmer's markets. We've had no long, sustained heat waves here-- in fact, days over 100 degrees have been hard to come by. I blame the Icelandic volcano for putting so much ash in the air.
So refreshing to see this prepared without the Caprese-style element of mozzarella...not that I'm bad-mouthing cheese but I love simple appreciation of the star ingredient. Luckily we have some great heirloom varieties available at the local markets in Jersey...
We are in the same county as you and started our tomatoes on the dining room table in March, are now rewarded by menus such as this. Bliss and the taste of childhood on the farm, all on a plate.
Ahh, a man after our own heart! Nice looking plate Michael. I can't tell you how many times we stroll the backyard during the summer with a trug and a colander foraging for dinner. Fresh tomatoes, young lettuce, a cucumber that was previously over looked. Some basil leaves, parsley and tarragon all getting a big wash under the garden hose. Pared with some good oil a chilled white and a crusty loaf...dinner is served alfresco.
Love. This. Post.
I normally just do a salad caprese, but this looks heavenly. I love summer, and enjoying fresh ripe tomatoes. Thank you for sharing a different way to enjoyed fresh tomatoes.
Gorgeous pic as always. Enjoy, as you create to a delicious factor of solubility in all components of composed word and food ingredients that attain an elevated satisfactory degree of delight !.