What's for Dinner, Wed., Aug. 5, 2015

[NJCher]

The RG is making me a surprise, so I'll have to report back later.

I made a tossed salad with romaine, speckled red, and butter lettuce with raw vegetables, including asparagus. This asparagus is the thinnest stalk. Very tender. I stir fried it in sesame oil and put it in the salad.


Cher

[Galileo126]

1. Linguine and clams

and a Caesar salad. Picked up some nice parmigiano reggiano today.

[pinto]

2. Meatball soup.

Pretty basic recipe. Sautéed celery, onion and garlic into beef stock and diced tomatoes with the juice. Simmer. Smallish meatballs with the usual blended additions to the ground beef - eggs, Italian bread crumbs, a blend of Italian spices and some red pepper flakes to add some bite. (I find that the smaller meatballs hold together better, cook quicker and add more flavor to the soup.) Back to a steady simmer. Rotelli pasta spirals. Bring to a boil to get the pasta going, then a steady simmer. When the pasta is just about done add stemmed shredded kale. Cook for a bit, till the pasta is how you like it, turn off and let sit. Serve topped with grated cheese and chopped basil.

I usually use 50/50 ground beef and pork. But beef is what I have on hand. There's a couple of slices of bacon though...

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. I'm roasting a turkey breast.

Will eat it with gravy, sliced tomato and fresh raspberries for dessert.

[japple]

4. We're up to our ears in field peas, green beans, lima beans, and

some of our heirloom canning tomatoes are starting to come in as well. I have spent most of this week shelling peas and breaking beans, processing for the freezer and trying to better organize my freezer.

We had field peas, steamed potatoes, sauteed squash and cabbage/greens cooked with garlic and cumin. German pink tomato/cucumber salad.

[NJCher]

5. that sounds like heaven

I love working with vegetables for either a recipe or a processing session for the freezer. I think they are so beautiful. When I cut cauliflower or broccoli, for example, I look at my "little trees." The patterns inside a tomato. Cranberry beans. Even a red onion can be quite fascinating.

I put on some music or listen to a podcast and have a good ole' time, just looking at vegetables.


Cher

p.s. I have tomatoes, but they're green. Have you seen my crazy tomato plant thread in Gardening? Well, I have now had to build another trellis and it is going around the house. Tomatoes everywhere on this plant, but nothing red yet.

[japple]

6. Yes, I love processing food, too. I especially enjoy pickling, canning. We didn't

have many cucumbers this year so I pickled yellow squash and zucchini. We are hoping that the black plum and San Marzano tomatoes will produce enough for us to put up at least a few jars. This has been a sad year for gardening in our area.

We listen to books on tape while shelling peas and breaking beans. In times past, family members did that work on the porch, but it has gotten too hot for us to sit outside and work.

I saw your crazy tomato. Never have seen tomatoes grow like that except a few years back when a volunteer that never got staked, sprawled to kingdom come, and produced more tomatoes than anything I've ever grown.