Two summers ago, when I had more tomatoes than we could eat, I preserved jars of oven-roasted tomatoes for the pantry.

I used them as a base for pasta sauce and for grilled pizza during the gray days of the following winter.

Whether I added them to pasta sauce, used them to top pizza or on toasted bread for brushetta, I always began by pureeing the tomatoes with either a food processor or an immersion blender. The intense flavor of the roasted tomatoes satisfied my tomato desire until I emptied the last jar on Town Meeting Day.

Here how I did it: … read more

I followed the recipe for Garlic Scallion Almond Pesto that came in my first CSA bag.

Made with garlic scallions, almonds, parmesan cheese and olive oil – it’s versatile quick and tasty. In an effort to overcome my habit of expanding work to fill every available second, I bought a package of fresh cheese and spinach ravioli at the market rather than making fresh pasta. I made the pesto in a mini food processor. The garlic scallions imparted a delicious and not overwhelming flavor of spring garlic.  I modified the recipe a bit. Here’s how I did it:  … read more

After I had decided to make egg salad to serve with tomato soup for a simple dinner, I discovered that there was no mayo in the fridge. Rather than hopping in the car and driving to the market, I decided that I had what I needed to make both mayonnaise and egg salad.

I had a dozen eggs from Thymless Herbs, a nearby farm in Bridgewater, Vermont. I could use one to make mayo and four to make egg salad. The egg shells ranged in color from creamy white to warm brown and shades of pale blue and soft gray green, more beautiful than eggs dyed for an Easter basket. Aracauna hens laid the blue and green eggs. It had never occurred to me that chickens had ears until Suzy Krawczyk, the farmer, explained that the color of each hen’s eggs matched the color of that hen’s ears. I find it nearly impossible to put the empty shells on the compost pile.

Mayo is an emulsion of oil suspended in the liquid of an egg, stabilized by lecithin in both mustard and egg yolks, and flavored with vinegar, salt and cayenne pepper.

With all of the ingredients in place, all I needed was a fork and a dinner plate to make mayonnaise.

Here’s how I made it:

… read more

I created a lemon rosemary relish for Richard, my friend who loves to barbeque chicken even if he has to shovel a path through the snow to get to his grill.

The relish is perfect as a way to add flavor and moisture to well browned chicken.  It will also add a spark to a ham sandwich. Here’s how I did it: … read more

If you are lucky enough to live in  city where with a Middle Eastern Market you can buy a tube of harissa paste.

If not or if you prefer to make it your own, here’s how I did do it: … read more