Deep green Swiss Chard with ruby red stems of the early spring to the apricots and peaches as the backyard fruit trees from mid June til mid July.
Now in the middle of August the heat is on and various hues of red are harvested daily from the 10 tomato plants.
Tonight, an exploratory of the refrigerator yielded a bit of roasted chicken, a bulb of garlic and lowfat Greek yogurt. The pantry offered penne pasta and a bit of vodka.
Chicken penne alla vodka - of course!
On the counter were Roma, cherry and Big Boy tomatoes soon to be cut up into quarters and halfs dashed with salt and placed under the blender with freshly gathered sage and oregano
The entire garlic was cut into thin slivers and bubbled in a bath of olive oil with fresh Thai and sweet basil until they were lightly browned.
Once the tomatoes were also brown and bubbly I removed them from the oven and poured them into the blender. A few quick whirls transformed them into a salmon color that deepened with the addition of the garlic and basil and more blending.
The thick mixture with its inticing aroma was poured back into the garlic/olive oil saucepan above a low heat.
I gave the tomato sauce more layers of flavor with a bit of cayenne pepper and two splashes of vodka.
The Greek yogurt whisked in at the last gave the sauce its rich consistency with a tickle of tang.
After adding the chicken, I turned off the heat, covered the sauce and allowed its flavors to merge while the alcohol transformed from a harsh addition to a well infused warming ingredient.
Eating from the garden is a simple celebration of stewardship with Mother Nature.
Found you by googling "flavor from the garden." I like the concept of stewardship expressed in the end, and the dish sounds really really tasty. But how did the tomatoes get into the oven? Were you just roasting them straight?
ReplyDeleteI've never used a blender for sauce. May have to try that, and the yogurt, too!