That Lovin' Feline

Ramona frequently likes to relax on the kitchen counter. I should probably worry that friends and family will no longer want to eat at our house, since they will worry that our felines have the run of the place. And I suppose that is a valid concern. But there really is no way to keep cats from doing what they want to do, short of extreme physical restraints. And Ramona will have none of that.

We have been eating loads and loads of tomatoes from the garden, and they show no sign of slowing down for the time being. Alas, I am leaving on Thursday for close to two weeks in Vietnam and Indonesia, so I will probably miss a fair amount of the remaining crop. I need to make some tomato sauce or chutney before I go, so that the current pile doesn't go to waste. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow before running off to work.

Last week I made a delicious pasta with the end of the sweet onions. I call it "Pasta à la Pissaladière," after the French flatbread that is covered with onions and anchovies. The recipe is pretty simple: saute three sweet onions in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, until they are soft and golden, and then stir in a can of drained olive-oil packed anchovies (give them a quick rinse if you don't like so much salt). Toss in a handful of oil cured, pitted olives, and maybe a tablespoon of fresh thyme. Add about half a cup of your pasta water to loosen it a bit, and then toss in the pasta. Long pasta is probably best, though I used fusilli. I also added a couple of tablespoons of pine nuts that I had sauteed lightly in a tablespoon of olive oil (until they were light brown). Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired, and sprigs of thyme.

If I do say so myself, this was pretty tasty, though I suppose it is important to like anchovies.