Summertime

I have a long-time friend who moved away a couple of years ago, but I always think of her when I eat a fresh tomato and mozzarella salad. I have known her for more than twenty years, and every time I have ever seen her eat one of these salads, she has said something to the effect of "Man, this is what I love about summer." Who could argue with her? Tonight's version involved three different tomato varieties (including a succulent Brandywine) on a bed of arugula, several little balls of fresh mozzarella, and a nice scattering of julienned basil, all dressed with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

We had the salad with some grilled chicken and roasted fingerling potatoes. I only have a couple of those left, and I used the last of the onions today in a big pot of eggplant-tomato-pepper pasta sauce. The eggplant continue to produce and the zucchini are really just starting, but everything else is ramping down, even the tomatoes. We are leaving later this week for a visit to some family in California, and I can tell that, by the time we get back, the days of tomato abundance will be over. We will still have some to eat into September, but the summer is inevitably starting to fade. I think that next week I will start some things for fall, so that we will have turnips and chard and lettuce when the weather turns cooler.

I used some more tomatoes and eggplant last night in a savory tart, the recipe for which is in the original Greens Cookbook, by Deborah Madison. It was quite delicious, and it paired very nicely with a fruity French rose wine.