Fresh Tart

Buena sera! And wow, some evening it is here in the Minneapple. We're just back from a family vacation in Italy, Forte dei Marmi in Tuscany (thus my writing absence, if you noticed, which you most likely did not, ha). Nathan, John, and I left last Wednesday, with John's parents and brother's family, got back (very) late last night. I can't believe I'm saying this, but at least for tonight, the weather is much lovelier here in Minnesota than in...Tuscany! Woo hoo! This, right now, is my perfect night. Warm, dry, fragrant - everyone's outside, desperate for summer to begin. Es bueno.

Too bad I'm so jet lagged, it's pretty disappointing. I've always had big plans to "travel" - but in reality, it completely wipes me out, screws up my digestion, and makes me feel old and tired. That said...

...I (of course) had a great time! Forte dei Marmi is on the coast of Tuscany, so seafood and fish are menu staples. I cashed in, passing on the pastas and risottos (other than stealing bites from my son!) and enjoyed lovely fresh vegetables and fish dishes - moderation made easy, nice. Which is the whole vibe in Italy anyhow, and most of Europe for that matter. Particular favorites included:

• Warm lobster with raw shaved carrots and fennel in a pool of extra-virgin olive oil
• Whole-roasted branzino (Mediterranean sea bass), served with roasted potatoes and zucchini
• Farro soup, thick with clams, calamari, and shrimp
• Salad "imperiale" with mache, cherry tomatoes, and warm langoustines (otherwise known as Norway lobsters or scampi; similar to shrimp or crayfish)
• Focaccina (grilled, salted pizza crust) sandwiches with rocket (arugula), shaved bresaola, and soft cheese
• Antipasti at the bar of our hotel (Grand Hotel Imperiale): salamis, Parm with honey, pizza fritta (fried bread dough with salt; Nathan's favorite)

I confess that after a 20-hour trip home (bad weather in New York seriously delayed the second leg of our trip), I was too tired to make dinner tonight. So John and I set out for an early meal at Alma - the perfect destination for extending our fresh-food Italian reverie for just a few more hours. I opened with a beautifully composed little salad of smoked whitefish, arugula, potatoes, and spicy mustard; followed by a cold entree of farro, shrimp, and chickpeas. With a Turley Zin, and a nice piece of sheep's milk cheese to finish (I love that Alma will let you buy one slice of cheese for dessert, every restaurant should do the same), I am a goner, my friends. More tomorrow.

Hey, I forgot to say Happy St. Patrick's Day yesterday! Mostly because I hardly thought about it, until I decided to rummage through the cooler to see what I could scare up for dinner. What I discovered was quite green - green beans and arugula - hey, a subconscious St. Patty's Day dinner! I created a soup with the arugula, basically following the delicious watercress soup recipe I posted awhile back - a simple broth, pureed with fresh greens and a bit of cream. We also had a few shrimps, which I chopped and sauteed with minced garlic and included as a garnish. All nice. Green beans, boiled until just-tender, finished with a bit of butter and a sprinkle of salt. The way my Grandma Meyer always made them. As in, simply perfectly.

(That might look like Irish soda bread in the background, but I wasn't that motivated - just a whole-grain Toast to Bread baguette that I pulled from the freezer. Sorry!)

I'm trying my best to stabilize on the food front these days - Mexico threw me way off my game, and my body reacted so badly (puffpoof!), I'm really looking forward to getting back to normal. Since my return I've consumed many pots of magically depuffing green tea, a variety of fresh fruit and veggies, and attempted to steer away from processed grains. (Easier said than done while entertaining!) The efforts have paid off, although I leave for San Francisco tomorrow - one of the most amazing food cities in the world. Aaaagh! But since I'm traveling with Nathan (not John), the focus won't be on fine dining/wine, plus we'll be walking a lot, so hopefully moderation will rule the day, even while on vaca. (No surprise here, I am, er, particularly moderation-challenged while on vaca...) Stay tuned...

Glorious day, eh? Wow, spectacular. What a difference a break in the humidity makes - the air positively sparkles in this late-summer sun. Saucy Suz and her kids, Vivian and Sullivan, came over for a lovely swim today, and we just soaked it all in, knowing - and feeling, for the first time - that September is right around the corner. Sniff.

Tonight, John and I had big plans to go out for Date Night, but after I picked up my LaFinca veggie share, and saw all the lovely possibilities (carrots, new potatoes, baby cabbage, arugula, tomatoes, green beans), I called John and said, Dude, let's eat here! Nothing can beat a fresh vege-ful dinner on our own deck on a night as spectacular as this! So John's happily picking up a couple of killer NY Strips at Byerly's on his way home, and I'm roasting those new potatoes with fresh rosemary, garlic, coarse salt, and oil (400 degrees, for about 45 minutes, turn several times) until they're crispy little bombs, perfect for a dippy-poo in cool, creamy sour cream. Yeah, baby! Chopped arugula salad with lots of shaved Parm and cracked pepper, alongside tomato slices, should finish us off nicely. I'd better get to it, tee hee!

Well, I got to it, and it rawked! Especially with the Cain Five 2003 we sipped with all the tasties, ooooh, Napa Nice. And XM Satellite Radio tuned to the 70s, ha, I love it. We could hardly make a dent in the Cain Five, however, with its high alcohol content, ack. Too early to be drinking it, but we went ahead anyhow (decanted it a couple of times) with at least a bit of it, and it was delicious.

Tomorrow, I gotta come up with some way to use the 10 + cukes I now have in my fridge. Sauteed? Raita? Greek salad? All of the above? Ha. Stay tuned...

Veggie heaven, oh yeah. Today was my second pick-up of vegetables from my La Finca CSA veggie share. A bounty of leafy greens, more than we could ever eat in just salads, so I got busy cookin'...

First I made a gorgeously jade green spinach soup, with a hint of curry and cream. Hot or cold, with crispy croutons afloat in the silky smooth greenness - absolutely delicious.

Next, stir-fried bok choy, really simple. Heat a little oil in a wok, toss in some thinly sliced garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, the roughly chopped and rinsed bok choy, a few tablespoons of Lawry's Teriyaki Sauce with Pineapple (I love this stuff). Toss, toss, let the juices and sauce reduce until quite thick and bok choy is tender-crisp, toss, toss, season with a bit of salt (if needed), done. Quite tasty.

And then, kale polenta. Yep, kale polenta, I made it up on a whim and it's amazing. Creamy smooth polenta studded with tender-chewy kale. Nice combo. Top it off with freshly grated Parmesan for extra yumminess.

So! Along with a bag of mixed greens, a big bunch of arugula, and a bunch of red-leaf lettuce, pleeeenty of veggie variety to get us through the weekend. Love it, love it. To me, this is what summer is all about... (Recipes posted in comments, below.)

Smokin' out there, hooeeey! That's Minnesota for you (us), from mid-60s one week to mid-90s the next, with nary a lovely 70s in between. Sigh. So I'll forgive you (me) for complaining that one week you're freezing your butt off and the next yer sweatin' like a frizzy-haired pig. Or something. Damn!

Good for the veggies, though. I could technically have a baby arugula and frisee salad for lunch (with a simple vinaigrette, lots of freshly ground pepper, and a few fat shaves of Parm) - we'll see. I may hold out for greens from my first La Finca CSA veggie share pick up of the season, later this week. Can't wait!

I guess the heat is appropriate to mark the first day of summer - Nathan is officially done with 5th grade! I'm excited to have more time with him, I love hangin' with my boy. This week is nice and low-key, before the sports (driving) begin. Our plan is to snag some time at the pool, get a few projects done around here, maybe see a movie or two, have some friends over, get some exercise. You know, summer-y stuff!

We kicked off summer break with a lovely dinner at Dad & Susanna's last night, with my sister Etta (in from NYC), Stace & the Coopster, and Nathan & John. Burgers (not the fast-food variety, but elk burgers, given to Dad & Sus by their hunter-friend Ron), roasted veggies, pommes frites, and cake (mmmm, caaaake, Stace made it, white cake with chocolate icing and raspberries, rarrr), after which Nathan announced he'd had the perfect day. School's out, pizza for lunch, and burgers for dinner. That's my boy, measuring his days on the Scale of Tasties!

Hey, I'm back, quick report on the rather feast-y day we just spent. First, we earned our feast by running steps over by Minnehaha Creek - tough work on a hot day, we were pretty sweaty when we were done. Then an impulse stop by Turtle Bread in Linden Hills for a quick lunch. Icy cold gazpacho with fresh crusty bread, now that is a hot-day's lunch. In fact it was so good, we bought lots more gazpacho to take home, and a loaf of bread, and of course an oatmeal raisin cookie, and some honey-toasted peanuts to boot. Then, after some serious swimming (including with John, who snuck in a long lunch to get some time at the pool with us), we headed over to Byerly's and picked up trout fillets for the grill. So...nice healthy feast, eh? Grilled trout, gazpacho, fresh bread, sauteed broccoli (from the fridge), and ripe peaches - oh yes, peaches are officially good, woo hoo! (Buy organic if possible, "regular" peaches are very high in pesticide residue...)

I also whipped up a batch of tender turkey meatballs for the freezer - quick protein for busy nights. (In a toasted whole-wheat pita, with a little olive spread and arugula? Or crumbled onto a corn tortilla with salsa and avocado? Don't even get me started...)

Nice ways to kick off a healthy summer vaca - man, I love me some summer.