it's the balm!

Hydrangea in bloom to decorate the table, radishes harvested to decorate the salad.

Outdoor dining is here at last. The balmy late days of spring are perfect for enjoying  extended sunlight and the profusion of leafy enticements.

Tender greens are now readily available - I can plunder my own garden for new growth and actually begin to put a meal together from some humble backyard plants.

Garden pesto is a versatile use of just about any edible leafy green and tender herb.

My patch of backyard lemon balm is huge this year. It grows easily and spreads where ever it has a place to go. By mid-summer the leaves are spotty and crisp, not very appetizing, but right now the plant is ever so delectable! I tuck a sprig or two into my iced tea and tear up the smallest leaves to go into salads.  It had never occurred to me to use lemon balm as the base of a pesto, but with the profusion of growth and my basil still barely inches high I decide to give lemon balm a spin in the food processor to see how it would come out.

To add a little dimension to the pesto I included some chives, sorrel, mint and oregano, seeking out the smallest and softest leaves I could harvest. The pesto was so good! I half expected the lemon balm to taste soapy or too perfumey but the young leaves gave a pleasant green bite with the barest hint of lemon.

Night one, I mixed the pesto with spaghetti and roasted peppers. It looked so pretty and tasted great! Night two, I made it for friends and served it over Israeli couscous, adding some grilled vegetables. The two pickiest eaters at the table both announced it "really good" so please don't share this recipe with them because if they knew what was in it (green stuff and cheese) they would never have tried it in the first place.



recipe:

Garden Pesto with Israeli Couscous & Grilled Vegetables

For the pesto:
2 cups of fresh herbs or leafy greens-any mix of basil, mint, sorrel, chives, lemon balm, tarragon, parsley, cilantro, spinach, arugula, young kale, chard
2 Tbs. walnuts, pine nuts or pumpkin seeds
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon salt

-put all ingredients in food processor and blend till smooth

For the couscous:

1 cup of Israeli couscous
1 Tbs olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
In a sauce pan heat the oil and toast the couscous, stirring for about five minutes. Add the water and the salt, cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for ten minutes. Transfer to a bowl and fluff with a fork.

For the grilled Vegetables:

1 cup of carrots sliced thin
1 cup of zucchini sliced thin
1 cup of bell peppers sliced into strips
2 Tbs olive oil
- toss vegetables with the oil and lay over a hot grill. Cook on each side till vegetables get some grill marks. They can be crispy. Take vegetables off the grill and chop into bite sized pieces if they are large.

Combine the pesto with the couscous and vegetables. Can be served hot or cold.

nick of time

Deborah brings in the harvest...

Snow hit my garden early this year.

It is a game of chicken as the first frost looms over the garden. How long can I leave the last of the basil leaves and the few cherry tomatoes lingering on the vine before that heartless first frost abruptly claims all? I knew my days were numbered, but it always pains me to cut down the plants, a real summer finale, when I might possibly get one or two more days out of them.

This week I catered an evening event for the non-profit environmental news site Grist . The guest of honor was author Jonathan Franzen reading from his most recent novel, Freedom. The reading was followed by a lively interview of the writer conducted by the savvy and engaging Katherine Schultz, author of her own new book Being Wrong: Adventures in the margin of error.

Basil leaves "sous la neige"

Jonathan Franzen reads from his novel Freedom.

I wanted to use the last of the best from the summer growing season, so I managed to steel myself to the task of harvesting all of my variegated opal basil with the purpose of showcasing it in an hor d'oeuvre for the Grist party.
I decided to marinate bite-sized cubes of smoked mozzarella cheese in an olive oil I had infused with orange zest and red pepper flakes. The cheese is then rolled in toasted breadcrumbs, briefly warmed in the oven to get a little warm and oozy, then served on skewers wedged between cherry tomato halves and feathery basil leaves.

Fresh and light with a nod towards Spanish tapas, this simple hors d'oeuvre is perfect with wine and easy to nibble while listening, perhaps, to your favorite author talk about sex and birds.

The lovely Rachel kept the food moving.

Marinated Smoked Mozzarella Skewers

•cut a pound of smoked mozzarella into bite sized cubes

•mix 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbs. red pepper flakes and the zest of two oranges together in a small bowl and stir to combine.

•pour the olive oil mixture over the cubed mozzarella and let it marinate for at least one hour or refrigerated overnight.

•in a small, dry saute pan toast on medium heat one cup of panko breadcrumbs, stirring continuously until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown

•heat the oven to 350 degrees

•one by one, remove the mozzarella cubes form the olive oil marinade and roll each piece in the breadcrumbs to cover all sides.

• lay the coated cheese in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in the hot oven for two minutes, until the cheese begins to soften but does not melt.

•Cut 30 cherry tomatoes (red or yellow or a combination of the two) in half across the middle so you have a top half and a bottom half, and lightly salt them.

•remove the smallest basil leaves from their stems and set aside

To Assemble:
• On a small skewer thread a cherry tomato half bottom, a softened cheese cube, a few small basil leaves and then the top of the cherry tomato. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients. Serve immediately.

up on the roof

Deborah

Despite what most would think, summer in the city is pretty great. Especially New York City where free out-door concerts, plays and street fairs can be found nearly every day. AND the city really empties out so reservations at those exclusive restaurants or that sold out play suddenly become available. The beaches that can be reached by subway are pretty great too. Who needs a rental in the Hamptons?
The last wonderful days of summer are here and quiet pleasures can be found on rooftops and front stoops. A recent invitation to share a rooftop dinner in Red Hook, Brooklyn afforded beautiful sunset views of the Hudson River and glimpses into the side street life of this tucked away community.

Keep the livin' easy with a make-ahead savory tart using some of those luscious tomatoes now flooding the farmers markets. The dough can be made days ahead and the tart is perfect served room temperature.

Tomato Goat Cheese Tart
-adapted from a recipe on Epicurious


Crust:
4 tablespoons (or more) ice water
3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter

Crust:
Combine 4 tablespoons ice water and cider vinegar in small bowl. Blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, slowly add water-vinegar mixture, processing until moist clumps form. If dough seems dry, add ice water by teaspoonfuls.

Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Allow dough to soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Roll dough out on lightly floured work surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough onto bottom and up sides. Fold in overhang and press to extend dough 1/2 inch above sides of pan. Line pan with foil and dried beans or pie weights. Bake until dough looks dry and set, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and beans and continue to bake until crust is pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven and cool while preparing filling. 

Filling:
3 large tomatoes, sliced

4 oz Goat Cheese 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

basil leaves for garnish

Lay tomato slices in overlapping rings over the tart crust, dot all over with the goat cheese, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake an additional 30 minutes, garnish with basil. Serve warm or room temp.

Amanda
Seems simple enough! I'll have to give it a go. It looks beautiful. One question - what is on top of the tart (not the cheese) that is white and kind of looks like sliced garlic? The tart looks delicious! I'll have to be sure to buy plenty of tomatoes this weekend at the farmer's market.

Ahhh - goat cheese and a white wine from the Loire Valley in France. What a classic combination! Makes my thoughts on wine so easy for this dish. Sauvignon Blanc would just make such an incredible pairing. Grassy, herbal with great minerality. I love a crisp Sancerre! This would make for a wonderful Sunday afternoon brunch!

Yet, while my first choice would be a glass of Sancerre, a second interesting option might be a Chenin Blanc from the Loire. Anjou is a great sub-region within the Loire to look for a dry Chenin Blanc, specifically the AOC Savennieres (Chenin Blanc is also used to make sweet wines, but Savennieres will typically be dry). Because the grapes are grown in a relatively cool climate, they have high acidity. Whereas Sancerre is crisp and lean, Savennieres will tend to be more powerful. The wines are complex, and are actually not that easy to come by. If you happen to come across one during your next wine store excursion - do yourself a favor and try one.

In the meantime, if you are planning to make Deb's recipe and wish to find something right away that will offer a spectacular food and wine experience - ask your neighborhood retailer to point you towards a terrific bottle of Sancerre!

nirvana!

Deborah
Ahhhhh, happiness. So often, as we know,  it is the simplest things in life. Our one year anniversary of the blog brings me back to where I wrote the first post: Saratoga Springs, home to one of my favorite farmer's markets. Last year I reported the sad news of the tomato blight. This year all seems well for the growers.

The big revelation for me at the market this summer was when I drifted by Dancing Ewe Farm's display of raw milk cheeses. I had to have a taste and that was it: Nirvana! The flavor was unbelievable, you can really taste the rawness of the milk- tart and grassy, earthy and creamy. Loved it! Bought some, natch.

Jody Somers, cheese-maker, handing out samples with a confident reserve that practically shouted "Yeah, I know it is good, now you do too"

I opted for a hunk of the caciotta and figured I would come up with a salad that my husband and I could dive into during our annual picnic dinner in Saratoga State Park.

The cheese tasted phenomenal with some local arugula and tomatoes. The red onion went on the grill and rounded out this hearty salad. 

I saved a little of the cheese to bring home and made another version of the salad with the addition of some of my backyard ingredients. Fruit, especially peaches, taste great with tomatoes and cheese. My next door neighbor had planted a peach tree in their own yard a few years back and it is now spilling over the fence into my yard. This is the first year that the tree has produced a crop that could be harvested.

The white flesh peaches are really not bad for a Queens backyard! I added them to the salad and finished it off with the three varieties of basil that I have growing in pots.

Tomato, Arugula, Peach and Caciotta Cheese Salad with Three Basils

The name says it all and what the heck, I had fun making a local meets local salad to celebrate summer produce at its best. 

One of my other favorite stops while in Saratoga Springs is the Saratoga Wine Exchange where they display what seems like hundreds of wines, many with descriptive tags to help one make a decision. I was drawn to a white chenin blanc called Indaba from South Africa. In addition to the bright fruity notes it had a caramel buttered popcorn undertone that worked beautifully with the cheese.

Ok, so the wine is not exactly local, but it made me feel like a do-gooder because the wine label states that the proceeds of the sales will go the Indaba Scholarship to "open the wine industry doors to a new generation of South Africans".   Doing good AND drinking wine. Nirvana indeed!

Amanda

This is a beautiful, summery salad! Love the pictures. And Chenin Blanc is one of my favorite varietals, particularly from the Loire Valley in France. There, it is the most widely planted varietal. Depending on where it is made, it can produce a variety of wines from sparkling, to dry, off-dry and sweet.  The wine Deb chose for her salad is from South Africa, as she mentioned. It is also the most widely planted varietal in that country as well. Known as Steen, South African Chenin Blanc will typically display flavors of tropical fruit, peaches, bananas and honey. These rich fruit flavors must have been wonderful with the cheese in particular! The creamy quality of the cheese would be delicious accompanied by a sip of the Chenin's luscious fruit!

I would also not hesitate to enjoy a Sauvignon Blanc with this salad. This wine of course will have a completely different flavor profile then the Chenin Blanc, but the crisp, lively, herbal, grassy flavors would surely complement the salad perfectly.

Deb - just curious - did you use any dressing or olive oil drizzle for your salad? I agree about fruit in salads. This past weekend I made a salad of romaine, chopped basil and chives, cucumber and watermelon with a simple garlic vinaigrette made with aged sherry vinegar. I loved the watermelon/cucumber combination. It was so refreshing! And the herbs really brought out the best in the fruit.

 

Back from the beach

Deborah

The week on Fire Island with my family could not have been better. We were blessed with perfect weather and an adorable, cozy rental cottage just steps from the beach with outdoor shower and large deck to sit, read, and relax on.

My brain was in the off position, but two little discoveries managed to creep into my psyche that I would like to share. Fire island has limited resources when it comes to food options so it is necessary to preplan by carrying as much groceries on the ferry with you as possible or pay the exorbitant prices at the one tiny local grocery store. I had planned to do a pizza night with the kids and when the evening rolled around no one wanted to deal with a hot oven so we moved the pizza party to the grill. I had everyone take a hunk of dough (store bought this time, I'm on vacation after all) and stretch it out to their desired size and shape. We then grilled the dough on one side, flipped it over and quickly topped it with sauce, cheese, etc.

We then shut the lid of the grill to create an oven-y environment till the cheese melted. The evening was a huge success. Everyone was thrilled with their individual creations and the pizzas had a wonderful smoky flavor to them. I highly recommend this technique when entertaining a young crowd. It was so much more fun than hamburgers.

The second epiphany was a more leisurely discovery. While sitting on my uptown sister's deck (she and her husband own their own fabulous beach cottage on the island, lucky dogs) enjoying the end of the day, I was offered a glass of wine. It was a simple, inexpensive Pinot Grigio, not terribly complex, but chilled and pleasant. As we sat and sipped I kept eyeing my sister's basil plant and felt a curious compulsion to drop a few torn off leaves into my wine glass. My sister was aghast at the strangeness of the idea, but we took a sip and WOW! Really nice! A lovely basil perfume filled the glass and gave a charmed complexity to what was a fairly simple wine.
What can I say? Try it!

The tiny leaves of this basil plant are perfect to drop whole into a glass of white wine.

Armed with my new found discoveries I am rested and restored and ready to handle the rest of the summer with my basil infused cheap white wine and our next grilled pizza night with the kids on the calender.

speaking of tomatoes

Deborah

Had a chance to make a day trip to Sag Harbor on Long Island this week and I made sure to visit two of my favorite farmstands out there: Zaluski Farms on Scuttle Hole Road in Bridgehampton and the insanely fabulous Marilee Foster's farmstand on Sagg Main Road in Sagaponac.  

I bought lots of tomatoes, naturally, and had in mind another recipe that, like gazpacho, makes use of the wealth of the season. Fresh Tomato Sauce is what I dream of all winter long. It can be made with all the gnarly tomatoes that are not pretty enough to make it into a salad. 

Cut the tomatoes into rough cubes and put them in a bowl with a generous sprinkle of kosher salt. Thinly slice a small onion, or in this case I used a fresh shallot from Zaluski Farm's, and add to the bowl with the tomatoes. Let the onion-tomato mixture marinate together for at least 1/2 hour to allow the juices to flow and mingle as the salt works its magic.

Heat a saute pan with at least half a cup of good extra virgin olive oil and add sliced garlic cloves ( I use one clove per tomato as a rough guide). Simmer the garlic till golden.

Add the onion tomato mixture to the pan and simmer for about 15- 20 minutes until the onions soften and the tomatoes break down.

Finish with some chopped basil. The sauce will have a velvety rich flavor and is DELICIOUS over pasta or as a condiment or sauce for sandwiches, eggs, anything! Soooooo good and it will keep in the fridge for several days, but once you taste it be prepared for it to disappear quickly (then make more!)

Amanda

In my quest to begin to eat as naturally and as minimally processed as possible, I decided that this summer, I will make huge batches of tomato sauce and freeze it for use throughout the year. Until next summer's fresh abundance of tomatoes. Deb - do you think this is a sauce that would freeze well? It certainly looks delicious! It would also probably be an exquisite topping for a grilled pizza.

Sangiovese is always a perfect choice for anything with tomato sauce. It happens to be an all-around food-friendly wine, but goes particularly well with dishes with tomato-based sauces. Since we pair wines according to sauces rather than the main component of a dish, a Sangiovese would be terrific no matter how you use Deb's recipe - with eggs, on pasta, pizza, or a sandwich.

Sangiovese is the main varietal for such wines as Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montalcino, Morellino di Scansano, Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino. "Super-Tuscan" blends also use this versatile varietal, like Tignanello and Sassicaia. When young, Sangiovese will have fresh, fruity flavors of strawberries combined with a bit of earth and spice. The grape can produce quite robust wines, which make it a natural complement to hearty foods as well.

Inexpensive Sangiovese and moderately-priced Chianti are easy to come by. However, Brunello di Montalcino is a Tuscan wine made from the same grape but will be much pricier. Sangiovese is the only varietal allowed to be used for Brunello. Typically a Brunello will offer dark fruit flavors like black cherry and black raspberry, along with chocolatey flavors, leather notes and tar. While delicious, these wines are expensive and I reserve them for special occasions and meals. I wouldn't be enjoying one with pizza....

For a pasta dish, pizza, or sandwich utilizing Deb's sauce, I would go opt for an inexpensive wine such as Di Majo Norante Sangiovese which is delicious and retails for about $8.99. The wine is smooth, lush and juicy and will complement dishes such as eggplant parmigiana, pizza, and grilled vegetables as well.

a night of play & a night of work

Deborah
My very sweet and super cool husband treated me to a night out last week at City Winery in lower Manhattan. I had been very interested to check this venue out, it is the latest venture of Michael Dorf, founder of the highly successful Knitting Factory. City Winery makes and barrels their own wines and for a price will allow you to create and barrel-age your own custom blend on their site. They also host great music and cultural events. We went to hear Laura Marling, the lovely and sophisticated beyond her years twenty year old British singer-songwriter. The music was wonderful and the room was fun, cavernous but with a sense of cozy intimacy from all the wood surfacing. The menu features wine pairings with small plates. So what was not to like? I loved it!  We had great seats, the sound system was fantastic, service attentive, the wine was excellent and the food was...
Ok, I'm a critic, I cant help it. First thing I did was ask the waiter if I could keep the menu so I could scribble notes all over it. The first pairing I sampled was Althea Prosecco Brut from Veneto, Italy paired with a Roasted Tomato-Shallot Crostini. The prosecco was INCREDIBLE!! I really thought it was delicious and it could easily become my most favorite sparkling wine of the season. The crostini was good, but my scribbled notes say: Missing salt, vinegar, herbs, garlic. Just a small comment.

Some beautiful plants I picked up today at the Union Square Green Market that I will stick in my garden: two coleus,  a red veined sorrel (!) and some Thai basil.

Hot house tomatoes have hit Union Square so I decided to try my hand at an improved Tomato-Shallot Crostini for a party I catered this week. The event was a fund raiser to introduce to local Democrats Didi Barrett,  running for State Senate in the 41st district of upstate NY.  Representatives from NARAL were there to endorse her. Good luck Didi! Also among the guests was Jerry Kretchmer, a long time active democrat and restaurateur who opened Gothem Bar and Grill over 25 years ago. I was surprised and happy to see Jerry, who is an old family friend and asked him what he thought of the food (Jerry's son Laurence, who I used to babysit (!) is Bobby Flay's business partner.)  Jerry said he only tried one hors d'oeuvre which he enjoyed, but it wasnt the crostini. Alas.

I think my version takes the City Winery's concept a little further and it is a pretty and easy little nibble to prepare for summer entertaining.
Enjoy!

Tomato-Shallot Crostini
for the crostini:
1/2 loaf of baguette or fiscelle
3 Tbs olive oil

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice bread into about 1/4" thick pieces. Lay out on a baking sheet and brush the bread with the olive oil. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden and crisp. Store in an air tight container for up to 2 days.

For the topping:

4 tomatoes

1 teas. salt

3 shallots

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tbs. Butter

1 teas. balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic

4 basil leaves, cut into thin chiffonade strips

Peel tomatoes with a vegetable peeler, cut them in half, scoop out and discard the seeds. Cut tomato halves into a small dice. Place diced tomatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with half the salt and let it sit while you prepare the shallots.
Peel and finely chop the shallots. Heat the butter and 1 Tbs. of the olive oil in a small saute pan. Add the shallots and the rest of the salt and slowly cook at a low temperature for about 15-20 minutes till shallots are soft and golden. Add the vinegar to the shallots and cook for 2 more minutes and then remove form heat.
Place the rest of the olive oil and the peeled garlic cloves into a small saucepan and cook at a low heat for about 5-8 minutes, till the garlic is golden. Remove garlic cloves from oil and discard or reserve for another use. With a slotted spoon, scoop the diced tomatoes into the garlic oil, draining out most of the liquid that will have accumulated from the tomatoes. Cook tomatoes for just 2 minutes to soften slightly. Remove from heat and stir in the shallots. Place the tomato-shallot mixture in a small bowl and let it cool to room temperature before putting on the crostini. The mixture can be store in a covered container in the fridge overnight.
Garnish with the basil and serve.
Makes about 1.5 cups of the topping

Amanda
The City Winery sounds like such a cool spot. They certainly don't have anything like that in Bergen County, NJ! I might have to make a trip into the City to check it out! I love this simple, little recipe. On warm nights, I often sit outside on my patio with several friends, sipping wine, eating hors d'oeuvres-type food, and watching the children play. This crostini would be perfect to enjoy on such evenings.

And, most often, Prosecco is among our selection of wines. This sparkler from Italy is really perfect with almost anything. A current favorite among my neighborhood friends is the Riondo Pink Prosecco. It can be found in any backyard on my block, on any given night. Deb's crostini, a nice hard cheese, some chips and guacomole, olives, and a little crudite would be a great combination of "nibbles" to enjoy with this crisp, fruity Prosecco. This is typically what our get-togethers consist of. Simple, easy, light.

This beautiful pale, pink bubbly retails for $9.99. Really - Prosecco is a must-have at any warm-weather get-together. And, with its affordable pricetage, it's worth stocking up on for the summer. Always delightul; always a crowd-pleaser. Everyone loves this wine!

Presto, pesto!

Deborah
Life has never been the same once I learned (by heart) Marcella Hazan's basil pesto recipe from her seminal tome The Classic Italian Cookbook. It is the classic of the classics and the very first pesto recipe I had ever encountered waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when.  These days I make pesto in every imaginable configuration- substituting all kinds of herbs and nuts and combinations there-of for the traditional basil and pine nuts, but retaining the tried and true proportions of herb to nut to garlic to olive oil. The results are always happy, which just encourages my wayward instincts.  The real payoff for me is that ALL four kids in my household will actually eat pesto in all its mutations and THAT alone is worth getting happy over.

I like to mix vegetables in with the pasta and the pesto, steaming them in the same water I cook the pasta in. Some good choices are broccoli, peas, green bean, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini.

The family was all home and hungry this week when I looked in the fridge to find spinach and parsley. Perfect. Went for it. Replaced the pine nuts with pepitas and we were good to go. Dinner in minutes and everybody ate!

My friend Dawn in Brookfield, CT. gets a head start growing her own pesto herbs from seed. 

Classic Pesto
by Marcella Hazan (& substitutes by ME):

-2 cloves garlic, crushed with side of knife (there is no substitute for garlic!)
-2 Tbs  pine nuts- I generally use more (pepitas, pecans, walnuts, cashews, macadamia)
-1 teas. salt
-2 cups fresh basil lightly packed (spinach, parsley, arugula, cilantro)
-1/2 cup of olive oil- I generally use LESS
-1/2 cup freshly grated parmesean cheese
-2 Tbs. Romano pecorino cheese
-3 Tbs. Butter, soft- I NEVER put this in, seems unnecessary to me

Place the garlic, nuts, salt and basil and half the olive oil in a food processor in that order,start to process and as the machine is running, slowly drizzle in enough of the remaining olive oil to  get a smooth paste. Remove pesto to a small bowl and beat in the cheese and butter (if using) by hand. If serving pesto over pasta ladle in a few tablespoons of the pasta water into the pesto to thin in out a bit before tossing over the pasta.


Amanda
I never thought of making pasta with pesto for my children. At ages 4 1/2 and 6, they still shy away from anything green. It makes for very difficult food preparation! Though my son does love salad, thankfully. If only they would try pesto,I know they would love it. What's not to love?


I am going to make a point of trying this pesto recipe with macadamia nuts. My favorite! And I can't wait for my basil to start growing in abundance! I started it from seeds, as I did parsley. So I should have no shortage of pesto this summer.


White or red would work just fine with this recipe, including any and all versions! Just depends upon your mood. In particular, there are many styles and varieties of whites that would be delicious with pesto. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Albarino. My inclination would be to look towards Italy for the perfect match. Vermentino. Currently grown in several Mediterranean countries, it is most commonly associated with Northern Italy, specifically Liguria and the island of Sardinia. The wines are crisp, citrusy with bright acidity. For an afternoon lunch on a warm Spring day, I would lean towards white. It is a refreshing wine, and will also pair very well with a variety of vegetables as well as seafood.


I recently tried the Casanova della Spinetta Toscana Vermentino 2009 (their first vintage) and it was spectacular! It is medium-bodied with flavors of peach and apricot on the palate. Just so enjoyable and very affordable ($15.99)

For red, I would choose something with a bit of old world earthiness, such as a Rosso di Montalcino. The earthy quality of the wine would do well next to the pesto. Rosso di Montalcino is made from 100% Sangiovese, and is considered to be the younger sibling to Brunello. You can enjoy the Rosso with a variety of cheeses as well. This stunning Sangiovese is a little pricier (but well worth it) at around $21.99. Argiano is a great producer to go to for incredible, classic Tuscan wines.

Summer Pickings

Deborah

Invasion of the mint plants.

This time of year meal planning is all about simplicity and what is available in the garden. Fresh herbs are at their peak and nothing says summer dinner like a basil pesto. I love to use a mix of different herbs with my pesto. There is always plenty of mint spreading into my flower beds by late July so I pull it out by the fistful and add it to my ice tea, salads and of course pesto.

Purple basil so pretty in salads and delicious infused in vinegar.

My pesto is inspired by whatever is on hand. Sometimes I add oregano or chives, always some parsley, whatever looks good or too plentiful. Might as well use everything up while it is fragrant and mature. I have made herb pestos without any basil at all. And I am also willing to experiment with different nuts to replace pinenuts, sometimes using walnuts or almonds. My newest favorite is peppitas, the dried pumpkin seeds which add a rich earthy flavor to the savory herbs. And once made, then what? Well, pasta, naturally or topped on grilled chicken or steak. Great on a baked potato. I love a simple orzo & pesto salad I can quickly whip up on a hot sticky evening that fills everyone up and doesn't leave me wilted in the kitchen. I add cherry tomatoes or steamed broccoli for color and texture.

A chilled wine would be great with this light summer meal. What does Amanda think?

Amanda

I think a fresh, white, crisp wine would be perfect with this warm-weather dish. In fact, I have the perfect wine in mind - a Gruner Veltliner. This varietal is grown primarily in Austria and around the Czech Republic. The food-friendly, crowd-pleasing, affordable Forstreiter Grooner is a fun, "everyday" lighter style which would be a perfect accompaniment to the lemon-herb flavors in the orzo. The combination of this summery fare and refreshing wine are well-suited to an afternoon brunch or backyard barbeque!

Orzo Pesto Salad

a loose cup of herbs (basil, oregano, mint, lemon balm, tarragon, chives, parsley)

1/4 cup extra virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup peppitas (pumpkin seeds)

1 teaspoon salt

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup grated Romano Cheese

1lb. Orzo

1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives

roughly chop or tear herbs and put in food processor. add salt, garlic, peppitas and start food processor. as machine is running drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube. the pesto should be blended, but not pureed. Add the grated cheese and pulse once or twice to blend. taste for seasoning. I like a lot of salt.

Cook orzo in boiling salted water till al dente. Drain, mix in bowl w/ pesto, olives and cherry tomatoes.

serves 4