basil

As the mercury rises, time for appetites to chill

As the mercury rises, time for appetites to chill

Posted on by Pat and David
We confess that when we saw advance copy on Eat Cool: Good Food for Hot Days (Rizzoli $39.95) back in February, we were more inclined to stews, braises, roasts, and similar rib-sticking fare for a frigid Boston. Then the mercury began to climb into the 80s and the humidity started to rise from comfortable to steamy to downright tropical. Suddenly Eat Cool sounded downright enthralling. The sub-subtitle of the book said exactly what we wanted to hear: ‶100 easy, satisfying and refreshing recipes that won't heat up your kitchen.″ Author Vanessa Seder is a chef and cooking teacher with a bent toward simple family-friendly recipes that look more labor-intensive than they are. She gives a lot of straight-from-the-shoulder advice about technique, too. Best of all,...Read More

Bowties with tomato trimmings

Posted on by Pat and David
We're in the midst of the tomato and basil harvest--lots of Costoluto Genovese tomatoes and lots of Genovese basil. Most nights that means slicing up some fresh mozzarella cheese and enjoying giant plates of insalata caprese. But what do you do with the tomato shoulders and irregular bits left over when you make a pretty plate of caprese? We took a little inspiration from Sicily and added lemon and ground pistachio nuts for a solid pasta plate that takes full advantage of the harvest. FARFALLE WITH TOMATOES, LEMON, AND PISTACHIOS Serves 2 as main dish, 4 as pasta course Ingredients 2 cups farfalle (bowties) 1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped tomatoes 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, grated grated zest of...Read More

Thank you, Liguria

Posted on by David
It's August and we are eating insalata caprese for lunch every day in a vain attempt to keep up with the tomatoes and basil from the garden. And we have the Ligurians to thank. On my first visit to Genoa and the Ligurian coast in September 2005, I had the superb luck of eating lunch with researchers at the agricultural experiment station in Albenga, just west of Genoa. In true Italian style, our "casual" lunch consisted of several dishes in rapid succession, all of them featuring plants that the experiment station grows. That's where I met my first Costuluto Genovese and Cuor di Bue Ligure tomatoes. The latter is a large pear-shaped tomato that the experiment station perfected in the 1950s from an heirloom variety...Read More