Tonight's Dinner: Post-Hurricane Pasta

We've been on vacation in California for the past few weeks, enjoying some excellent pizza and unbelievable Chinese food. Our lovely home exchangers put away all of our lawn furniture before fleeing to the Philadelphia airport ahead of Irene, and we breezed back into town on Monday night, just a few hours after Sag Harbor had its power restored. What good timing! I hardly noticed evidence of a storm until I walked over to the IGA this morning and saw that they were out of everything refrigerated. They won't be getting deliveries until tomorrow. Thank goodness for Bette and Dale. I drove over to their farm stand (scary downed tree on Jermain Avenue!), bought some cherry tomatoes and salad greens, and made some pasta with raw tomato sauce for dinner. Here is the recipe:

Post-Hurricane Penne with Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, and Basil
Serves 4

Salt
12 ounces penne
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/3 cup best-quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup basil leaves, roughly torn
1 ablespoon fresh oregano leaves
Ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne until just tender.
2. While the pasta is cooking, combine the cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, and oregano in a large bowl. Toss with the hot pasta, season with salt and ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

The Tomatoes are Beautiful

Six simple tomato recipes of mine (along with Doug Young's pretty pictures) are in today's Newsday.

Needlework Still for Sale

Every day this week as I've passed by the Dominican Sisters Thrift Shop on Washington Street I have been wondering how long it will take for someone to snap up these framed needlepoint roses.

Sunday with the Senator

I took a drive over the Quail Hill this rainy morning to hear Senator Kirsten Gillibrand speak eloquently about the importance of local farms to our good health and national security. Before she explained her position and took questions, we enjoyed a giant berry crisp prepared by one of the event's organizers, Leigh Merinoff.

Get Out Your Bundt Pan

My Chilled Corn Soup recipe is up in Newsday, along with this photo of me, removing corn kernels from the cob. I'm demonstrating a tip for removing the kernels neatly. If you insert the stem end of your cob into the center of the bundt pan, the kernels fall into the pan instead of flying all over the kitchen. It works!

A Gift to Local Tomatoes and Zucchini

My older daughter returned from a month in Spain bearing just my kind of gift: Sea salt flavored with Mallorcan black olives. Last night I sprinkled it over sliced tomatoes I had bought at Pike's, Pattypan squash from Quail Hill, and fresh mozzarella from Cavaniola's. A drizzle of fruity olive oil finished the dish.

Last Night's Dinner: Cumin Roasted Potatoes

This week's low-starch red potatoes were perfect for roasting. After forty minutes in a 400 degree oven, they were moist inside and their skins had a nice snap when I bit into them. Yum. I tossed them with a little olive oil and ground cumin before baking, and then added minced garlic and oregano during the last five minutes so the garlic wouldn't burn. And then I served them with grilled striped bass, corn, and a spicy Baja-style cabbage slaw (so good, I'm making it again tomorrow, recipe to come). Here's the potato recipe:

Cumin Roasted Potatoes
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil. Toss potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and cumin on baking sehet. Roast until potatoes are soft when pierced with the tip of a parking knife, 35 to 40 minutes.
2. Combing remaining tablespoon oil, garlic, and oregano in a small bowl. Toss with potatoes and continue to roast for another 5 minutes before serving.