A Farewell to Summer

Okay…so…wow.  Thank you to all the people in my life who have sent messages of encouragement and, without question or even any recipes yet, have joined my blog.

It’s cooking for one at my house right now.  Sean is in Nottingham for 3 months.  At the moment  he’s enjoying a pipe and some scotch and I’m at home.  Alone.  Feeling sad about our beautiful summer ending.  I’ve had to put socks on in the evening.  An extra quilt on the bed.  It’s awful.

Then today, October 1^st, was beautiful again.  The sky was that brilliant fall blue contrasted against the still bright green background that has started to brown around the edges.  Perfectly warm, but not hot.

I got home from work and took Elsa and Abeo out into the backyard to enjoy some sunshine.  The girls are always so happy to see me so I sat out in the sun receiving my boisterous greeting.  Looking out at the garden between ridgeback bumps and kisses I started thinking about tomatoes.  I spied with my little eye some ripe tomatoes on the vine.  And that gave me an idea.

I’ve been a sucker for Italian food for a long time.  I think Bolognese was one of the first things I ever learned to cook from its simple good ingredients.  It was when I was in early elementary school and for winter activities I chose crafts and baking.  I remember feeling during the craft section in the first few weeks that I couldn’t wait for the cooking part!  Half the kids were already doing that while we did crafts and I was jealous.  When I did finally get into the kitchen I was lucky to have my oldest friend Megan’s dad as one of the supervisors/volunteers.  This was perfect for me, a quiet and relatively shy student (yes, some of you are not believing this, but it was true), because I already knew and loved Mark and was very comfortable with him.  I remember is calm yet enthusiastic style with us children.  I learned to make his delicious meat sauce – which I already knew well from meals at his home.  I remember what made his sauce different was that he would puree green bell peppers and add that to his meat sauce.  It was good!  I remember many fantastic meals in that home, around the yellow table that would eventually end up in the kitchen at my dad’s office.  Funny, the things that make you feel nostalgic.

These days I have a new favourite.  I love a fresh, simple, classic Marinara.  Tomatoes from my garden make it extra special, and at this time of year, I only have a few left.  There in my garden, getting kissed by the sun, perhaps the last time for this year, I could see the chance to get that last taste of summer, along with that warmth and comfort a bowl of pasta can bring, to keep the chill of the fall at bay.

And after my dig at canned tomato sauce in my first post, I suppose I should show you what I mean.

I gathered a bowl of fresh tomatoes; green striped, red green romas, Wyche’s yellow, a pink lady.  Still a beautiful selection, especially for October.  Our herbs are still thriving as well.  I picked a selection of those too: marjoram, basil, parsley, thyme, oregano.

While, obviously, Marinara is not my creation, this is my recipe.

Last Kiss of Summer Marinara

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 pinch coarse salt ( ~ 1 tsp)

2 small (or 1 medium-large) red onion, chopped

4-6 cloves garlic (depending on how large they are), minced

6 cups fresh tomatoes, diced (yes, you can use canned…if you are not celebrating summer...a large and small can would work)

1 pinch sugar ( ~ 1 tsp)

Fresh ground pepper

Fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano, or Pecorino, or Asiago (or all three!)

Fresh herbs, chopped

2 cups gluten free pasta of your choice (I find a corn and rice flour blend is the closest to a wheat based pasta)

1 glass of wine, red or white, for drinking (optional, but highly recommended)

As I gathered my ingredients on the counter I poured myself a glass of red wine.  The aroma of cooking and the decadence of the wine are a favourite combination of mine.  A rich Spanish vintage.

Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium heat while you peel and chop the onions.  I used two red onions from a local, organic, small operation farmer in the Kingston area.  I find when using this type of produce they are often smaller, but I do feel that the local produce, because it has not been stored or shipped, has a beautiful freshness.  My garlic is local as well.  Sean and I bought a large bag of local garlic, which we plan to use for cooking and planting.  Using garlic that has been growing in your area for planting is the best way to be successful with growing your own (plant in the fall).  It has acclimatized to the growing region.

Once the onions are chopped, add them to your saucepan.  Stir, add the salt, and let cook until the onions are translucent.  About 5 minutes.  During this time you can prep the garlic and the tomatoes. 

If you have a garden yourself, and have had some particularly lovely tomatoes, you can save your seeds.  It’s easy to do.  While you are chopping your tomatoes, scrape the seeds, with the liquid around them, into a bowl.  Add a little warm water and let them sit for 2-3 days.  They will ferment a little bit (a white filmy layer will form on the top).  Wash them in a sieve and then place on a tea towel to dry them out.  Once they’ve dried, you can keep them in an envelope until the spring.  Don’t forget to label!

Once the onions have cooked you can add the garlic.  You do not want to add the garlic with the onions because it can burn in the time it takes for the onions to soften.  Let the garlic cook for about 1 minute and then add the tomatoes.  Stir.  Add the sugar, which, along with the salt, brings out all the depth of flavour in the freshly picked tomatoes.  Let the sauce simmer on medium for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  At the beginning the tomatoes have a lot of liquid.  As the sauce simmers the water boils off and the flavour concentrates.  You will know when your sauce is done when it becomes a smoother, thicker sauce and it should have lost about half of its volume.

During the 30 minute wait I start cleaning up my kitchen.  I like to have almost all the dishes done by the time I sit down to eat.  I also put on a pot of water to boil with some salt.  Gluten free pasta takes less time to cook than wheat based pasta, so keep your eye on it when it’s cooking.  Also, stir frequently, it tends to stick.  Another thing I have found works is to rinse it quickly with hot water and drizzle with a little olive oil.  I find this gives the gluten free pasta a little more of the feel of a wheat based pasta.

I like to mix the pasta, some fresh ground pepper, and the sauce before plating.  Then I top with a little scoop of sauce, chopped fresh herbs, the parm and a few more grinds of pepper.

The end result?  Beautiful.

Mmm. Now I get to enjoy this?  Is this food blogging?  Sheila, this was a good idea.  I get to cook.  I love doing that.  I get to eat.  I love doing that even more.

The pasta is delicious!  The parmesan adds a wonderful, nutty, saltiness.  The herbs are fragrant.  The pepper gives it a little kick.  And the tomato flavour is sweet and full of fresh flavour.  Try it, it's easy!

Oh summer!  A lovely ending to a summer full of fresh bounty.  Fall, I’ll see you this Monday for Thanksgiving dinner.