A Place to Write

Even when e-mail is king, writing thank-you notes, greeting cards or simply a love note, gives me a personal way to keep in touch with friends and family. A beautiful desk is the perfect place for putting pen to paper.

Most people, myself included, send paper cards for Christmas, and then use electronic communications—e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, texts—for the little things the rest of the year: thank-yous, congratulations and birthdays.

Blank notes reflecting my passions: wine, cooking and gardening

From now on, I've decided to send handwritten note cards for the special little occasions and thank-yous throughout the year.  A handwritten card sent just to say thanks or I'm thinking of you, will certainly be remembered more than most Christmas cards.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323530404578203970519252566.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_5

a walk through my garden...

It’s been a rough summer!. After attention-grabbing highs near and over 100, just checking out the garden was a sweaty hell. Now, it seems that we have returned to mid-90s but humid with occasionally decent showers and I like it.

Crepe Myrtle at sundown 

 

Hydrangea Paniculata in the morning

Rose of Sharon

Flox

JERSEY TOMATO

But what’s so special about the Jersey tomato?

Jersey tomatoes are notorious as being the best in the nation for their flavor, tenderness, and juiciness. And I certainly agree.

Jersey Girl tomatoes from our garden

While young chefs gush about heirloom tomatoes, I wonder whether they ever tasted a Jersey tomato like Big Boy or Jersey Girl, a nondescript red, round tomato yet juicy and flavorful.  Unlike heirlooms, this hybrid variety is easy to grow. We, as our parents did, use home-grown Big Boy tomatoes for eating and for canning. We choose them over Italian plum tomatoes because they yield more.

My favorite summer lunch: whole wheat bread drizzled with olive oil, a Jersey tomato, hot peperoncino, and a piece of Auricchio provolone.  It's worth waiting for every year.

Another summertime favorite - Tomato Salad

or as they say in Italian insalata di pomodoro

2 Jersey tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 small red onion

1 clove chopped garlic

1 hot or sweet green pepper

1 celery stalk
1/4 cup virgin olive oil

basil and parsley to taste

salt and pepper to taste




Slice tomato and cucumber, add onion, green pepper, celery, basil, parsley and minced garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well and serve.

I prefer this salad over any restaurant menu.

For your reading pleasure:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/dining/26soup.html?ref=tomatoes

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/sep/20/inside-the-quest-to-resurrect-americas-best-tasting-jersey-tomato#comment-59938553

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/science/flavor-is-the-price-of-tomatoes-scarlet-hue-geneticists-say.html?_r=3&ref=science

SWISS CHARD ON STEROIDS - Bietola

I don't know what my husband puts on the swisschard, but it resembles spinach on steroids. Perhaps it's the amount of manure he puts on.

I personally love this attractive vegetable braised or sauteed with garlic.  The leaves and

 meaty white or ruby stems and ribs, provide a meaty texture and a flavor that is herbaceous but not bitter.

Swisschard with potatoes

Recipe

1 bunch swisschard
2 potatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 red dry chili (optional) or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Take a small bunch of swisschard and two cubed potatoes and cook until tender.  Once cooked, drain.

In the meantime, take 1/2 cup of olive oil and saute' 2 cloves of garlic until golden, add salt and pepper to taste and red pepper flakes and immediately pour over cooked swisschard.  Mix well and serve.

Simple and yummy.

JULY: bold colors in the garden

A garden without color is like a woman without lipstick

Crepe Myrtle and Black-eyed Susans

Hanging geraniums

Hydrancea and Tiger Lillies

Hydrancea tree and Black-eyed Susans

Echinacea

Coreopsis

ACCESSORIES IN MY KITCHEN (CUCINA)

A home truly reflects the interesting people living in it. My home yells Italian from the garden to the interior. Here is a display of accessories that embellish my cucina.

Personalized dish - a gift from a worker at Ceramica Castelli.

Bummolo - Terracotta container used typically by farmers to drink from.  As a child, I remember vividly drinking from one of these. Now, they are sold solely as souvenirs.

Ceramic wine decanter shaped like a conca purchased at the local winery

Ceramic oil and vinegar containers

A Capri souvenir

ZUCCHINI AND POTATOES - Zucca e Patate

With an abundance of zucchini or zucca in our garden, the first dish that comes to mind it's Zucca e Patate.  This is an old peasant dish which, in my childhood, was served as the first and only dish accompanied by crusty bread.

All photos - Copyright - ©2011

Ingredients

1 large zucchini (or 3 small ones)
3 potatoes (red or white)
1 large onion
4 fresh chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
Fresh celery leaves
Few sprigs of basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

Wash and cut zucchini into chunks. Peel and cut potatoes into chunks.  Saute' onion in olive oil.  When golden, add tomatoes, potatoes, celery leaves, basil, salt and pepper. 

Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, then add zucchini.  Stir occasionally so that vegetables cook evenly.  Cook until potatoes and zucchini are tender.

 

On occasion, I add sliced Italian eggplants -

 

Slice the eggplants.  Briefly saute them in a little olive oil 5 to 10 minutes.

 

sautéed eggplants

 

 Add to the zucchini and cook an additional 5 to 6 minutes.

 

Zucchini, potatoes and eggplants

ROASTED PEPPERS - Peperoni Arrostiti

I prefer roasting peppers on the burner directly over the gas flame on my stove top.  I place the peppers directly on the burner (medium heat) and turn frequently with tongs to allow the skins to blister and blacken. When the peppers are charred, I remove them from the fire and place in a food paper bag. Fold and close the upper portion of the bag. The steam that will form in the bag will help to remove the skin.






Let cool for about fifteen minutes or until you can easily handle the peppers. Split the bag open and use a paring to peel off the skins. Cut off the stem end and slice the peppers open. Remove the core and seeds and cut into strips. Once finished, fold the bag and discard all debris.  I serve the roasted peppers as an antipasto or a side dish by adding extra virgin olive oil, slivered garlic, fresh parsley and salt to taste.

You can also roast whole peppers over a very hot wood or charcoal fire. If you don't have an open fire, you can also roast peppers in the oven or under a broiler. Put the peppers directly on the oven rack and roast until blistered and charred. Proceed as above.

SEASONAL FRESHNESS - Freschezza Stagionale

Why eating fresh is better -  I love to simply walk outside and hand-pick my vegetables. It’s a fact that produce that’s been picked at its peak ripeness and eaten within a few days after offers the most nutrients. As Americans, we’ve grown accustomed to eating fruits and vegetables any time we want because they’re always available at supermarkets. The produce is harvested before ripeness, transported, warehoused and then sprayed with water on shelves to retain a fresh appearance. All this, means that a lot of nutrients are lost in the process.

Pole beans

Plum tomatoes

Swisschard

Parsley and basil

Cucumbers

PASTA ALLA CHITARRA

       I read that the ancient knowledge of making pasta by hand is almost lost. It’s alive and well in my kitchen. The skill was passed along to me by my mother. I also inherited a chitarra to make PASTA ALLA CHITARRA.

Pasta Dough

  1 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
  1 tsp salt
  1 tsp olive oil
  2 eggs

Prepare the dough by placing the flour on a cutting board and make a well.

Add 1 tsp olive oil and  whole eggs into the well. Keep stirring this way until you have formed a sticky dough ball. Dump the dough ball onto a floured surface and knead, incorporating more flour into the dough as needed, until the dough is smooth, elastic, even in color and no longer sticky.

To knead the dough, push down on the ball with the heel of your hand, then give the dough a quarter turn, fold it over onto itself and push away from you again with the heel of your hand. Keep turning and pushing until you achieve the desired consistency.  Once you have finished kneading, cover with a dish and let rest at room temperature for 60 minutes or more.  Once the dough has rested, divide into balls. At this point, you may flatten each ball using a rolling pin

or a pasta machine.  Whichever method is used, the dough should turn into long, silken sheets.  Place the dough sheets on a floured board.  Place each sheet over the chitarra and with a rolling pin press against the chitarra's strings.
(See video) http://youtu.be/SKbvWt4HhzA

SAUCE (SUGO)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
7 oz. Pancetta cut into short julienne strips
2 lb. ripe tomatoes finally chopped
¼ cup small fresh basil leaves
Freshly ground pepper
3 oz. Grated pecorino cheese

Heat the oil in saucepan over moderate heat, add the onion and pancetta and brown for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Just before removing sauce from heat, add the chopped basil leaves and a good pinch of black pepper. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, drain. Serve topped with the sauce and sprinkled with pecorino cheese.  Serves 6.

In Abruzzo, the pasta alla chitarra is generally prepared with meat sauces: beef, lamb and pork. Less traditional are sauces of wild boar and game.

Pasta alla chitarra con sugo di pomodori freschi

 I prefer a simple tomato sauce (sugo semplice).