Monday Odds and Ends

Sometimes a recipe just becomes one of those favorites. A keeper. Like the green tomato pasta from The Chew. I already wrote about it once, but I have made it at least three times since I found it.

I do experiment with it, though. Today I did it with tiny shells, and I added wild Alaskan pink salmon. I had a plate full of green tomatoes.

not ripe grape, plum and pear tomatoes

The last from the garden. The ripe ones will go in a salad later this week.

ripe yellow plum tomatoes

Out in the garden, nothing is left but a few Amish paste and two or three pineapple tomatoes. I will pick them soon, even if not ripe. I want to make this dish one more time before fall sets in and tomatoes are history. I sauteed them in olive oil, with scallions, garlic and oregano.

green tomatoes cooking in olive oil

No pictures from dinner. I was too busy getting the lovely pasta on the table while it was still warm. I did make some late last month that I served with ravioli, that looked like this.

green tomato pesto with ravioli

Use any pesto you like. Use any pasta you like. It is those green or slightly under ripe tomatoes that make this dish special. And, having inventoried the freezer today, I found I have lots and lots of pesto to use. Now, I just need to figure out how to get the tomatoes for the dish.

garlic scape pesto cubes in the freezer

The freezer is full. I did inventory today. All winter long, I will have pesto, fruit, tomato sauce, veggies like caramelized onions, veggie stock, beef stock, whole tomatoes, peppers, all to pull out and enjoy the CSA and my garden’s contributions to my meals.

Almost seven cubic feet of food. I didn’t think I would get that much preserved and processed. The freezer up in the kitchen is half empty, in hopes of getting some venison from my neighbor. It does have a half dozen chickens, some lamb, brisket, bacon, sausage and roasts, all from the farmer’s markets, to use all winter. I have almost turned the corner into having 100% locally sourced foods in my freezer. It is a good feeling to replace what I had with locally grown meats, veggies and fruit.

I do admit though, that I have to keep that citrus supply coming, for making those lovely Meyer lemon basil fizz drinks.

basics for meyer lemon basil fizz

Three simple ingredients as a base. Vodka is optional. Refreshing, yet with that hit of basil. I use lemon basil, since I grow it. I first discovered these lovely drinks back in April. They have become a staple in our summer dining. I just add a splash of vodka, keeping them light and refreshing. I get the lemons and the Aranciata at Wegmans. Too bad they don’t have the liquor store to give me one stop shopping.

I may take a trip out to Larriland, to find some green tomatoes to pick, and freeze. To keep this pasta recipe around all winter.

hocofood@@@