Summer and Sauce

My favorite things about this recipe:

The satisfied feeling that summer is drawing to a close and we’re heading into another glorious Minnesota fall. It means we’ve moved past the lovely, hot-weather standards of fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil salads, and that it’s cool enough outside that I look forward to using the stove and the oven and filling the house with both warmth and the deep, rich smells of slow-cooked sauce.

The fragrance of garden-ripe tomatoes blanched in boiling water.

Standing across the butcher block from Gabi, both of us skinning and seeding tomatoes, and instead of talking we each focus on the ripe, fragrant fruits in our hands and softly sing along to love songs playing on the stereo.

The buzz of a dozen bees plundering the garlic chives while I harvest basil, oregano and Italian parsley from the herb bed.

The way it evolves, over the better part of a day, from a light, fresh-smelling mixture into a sauce that is dense, rich and glistening, the flavor intensifying until it feels like a soul-warming indulgence. Then, with the final addition of the basil puree, the feeling of summer comes back full force: light, bright and fresh.

My most favorite thing: the look of satisfied bliss on the faces of my guests and my lovely Gabi when they tuck into a plate of pasta graced with this fabulous sauce.

My recipe is based on “Nach Waxman’s Simple Fresh Tomato Sauce,” from the New York Cookbook by Molly O’Neill, © 1992. My mom gave me the cookbook in 1994, and it’s still one of my favorites.

The Last Summer Fling Tomato Sauce

Red Sauce

5 pounds Brandywine or other beefsteak-type tomatoes, as ripe as possible
1 ½ pounds fresh, ripe plum tomatoes
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup grated carrot
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons dry red wine
½ teaspoon brown sugar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

Herb Bundle

1 sprig fresh oregano
2-3 stems fresh basil
2 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
2-3 celery leaf sprigs
1 dried red chili

Basil Puree

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup water
⅓ cup pine nuts
¼ tsp. kosher salt

1. Make the Red sauce. Bring a large pot of water to boil and dip the tomatoes for a few seconds. Remove the tomatoes and place in a colander to cool slightly. Peel and discard their skins and remove the seeds, saving as much juice as possible. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and add to the juice.

2. In a large Dutch oven, warm ¼ cup of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice and the tomato paste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. At each stirring, drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F.

4. Make the herb bundle: Place the ingredients for the herb bundle toward the center of a large piece of cheesecloth (approx 18”x24”). Roll short-ways, securely but not too tightly. Twist the ends of the tube and bring them together to tie in the center, securing the herbs and pepper inside the cloth.

5. After the sauce has cooked for 2 hours, stir in the brown sugar, red wine and pepper. Add the herb bundle in the center of the pot, making sure it is covered with sauce. Transfer the pot to the oven. Cover and cook until the sauce is dense and thick, 1 to 1 ½ hours.

6. Make the basil puree: Bring some water to a boil (you can use the left-over tomato water, if you’d like). Place basil in a colander and rinse with boiling water. Drain well. In a blender, combine all basil puree ingredients. Purée at medium speed until smooth. Set aside.

7. Once the sauce has finished cooking in the oven, remove the herb bundle to a small bowl and let cool. Check the sauce for salt and add as needed. When the herb bundle is cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess liquid back into the sauce. Throw herb bundle away.

8. Serve sauce with whole grain pasta or polenta. Top each serving with some of the basil purée and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Fact check please

Last night I tuned into the Republican National Convention in order to listen to Sarah Palin's speech. I have to say that I was underwhelmed. I tuned in because I wanted to learn more about this relatively unknown woman, and after almost an hour of brilliantly staged speechifying I came away thinking that I still knew precious little about her.

However, before Palin took the stage Rudy Giuliani spent a good amount of rhetorical energy whipping up the crowd, and he left me stunned when he railed against liberals who would dare to challenge whether Palin would be able to uphold her VP duties while being a good mother to her children. I thought, "Wow, he's right, that's a stupid thing for someone to say."

So today, I put on my reference-librarian hat and decided to find out which bloody idiot said this. Problem is, I can't find where it happened. At least, I can't find where any liberal said it.

I did, however, find the following quote, thanks to Commondreams.org and an article from Salon.com by Glenn Greenwald.

I’m stunned - couldn’t the Republican Party find one competent female with adult children to run for Vice President with McCain? ... But really, what kind of role model is a woman whose fifth child was recently born with a serious issue, Down Syndrome, and then goes back to the job of Governor within days of the birth?

I am haunted by the family pictures of the Palins during political photo-ops, showing the eldest daughter, now pregnant with her own child, cuddling the family’s newborn. When Mom and Dad both work full-time (no matter how many folks get involved with the children), it becomes a somewhat chaotic situation. Certainly, if a child becomes ill and is rushed to the hospital, and you’re on the hotline with both Israel and Iran as nuclear tempers are flaring, where’s your attention going to be? Where should your attention be? Well, once you put your hand on the Bible and make that oath, your attention has to be with the government of the United States of America.

And, guess who wrote this? Some liberal pundit? Some university-funded uber-feminist? Nope, this comes directly from the blog of Dr. Laura, that icon of right-wing radio and the "family values" set.

Mr Giuliani: Shame on you.

*****

And, for more fun, read the full article by Greenwald for a report on Palin's attempted firing of the Wasilla library director after the librarian refused to remove books that Palin found objectionable. Palin did fire the Wasilla police chief and possibly others as part of a "loyalty test" for her newly elected mayoral administration.

I lost count of how many times Palin, in her speech last night, referred to a McCain administration as one that would bring about positive change in Washington (so much so that she sounded like an opposition candidate -- isn't that wierd?). But when I read this article, my initial thought was that we've had enough Justice Department firings for this decade. I'm sick of having politicians abuse their power once in office by firing people over questions of "loyalty" instead of competency.

Back to the school year routine

Well, it was 54 degrees at 6:15 this morning when my sweet, grumpy Gabi left for work. At least she had a great breakfast to look forward to, thanks to the Elk River Bank. The school district can't afford to treat the teachers to goodies, so they call on various businesses to pitch in. It's so great that they rally.

I got up about an hour later, ate a small breakfast and then took my walk around Lake George, passing by the new St. Cloud library. Workers were busy, busy, moving in boxes and crates of something. After looping the lake I came back and looped the library and saw three or four children's program staff standing among the browser racks at the front of the library, looking intently at some piece of paper.

I am so happy not to have anything to do with the big move.

We moved the Royalton library a couple of years ago, just a block, and it was a hectic, chaotic, nerve-wracking few months of buildup and then an utterly exhausting weekend of moving and reshelving and setting up in the new location. And the Royalton library is about 1/100th the size of HQ/St. Cloud Public Library. I just can't imagine.

But back to my original thread... yes, the school-year is back on, and the old routine is calling. Tomorrow it's back to my writing and the endless joy/struggle/excitement/exhaustion/etc. of following characters and plot lines as they weave into something (I hope) meaningful. Also, I weighed myself this morning and I have successfully lost all the weight I gained on the marital bliss road trip, plus 1/2 pounds more. So, yes, we're back on the calorie counting wagon as well.

And, truth be told, I'm feeling quite content.

I doubt, however, that Gabi would say the same.

The Perfect Glass of Iced Sun Tea

A recipe in honor of the last day of summer vacation.

1) Sleep late, taking extra time to snuggle with your sweetie.

2) Once you get up, do it slowly. Listen to the birds singing outside, pet the cats (don’t forget to feed them too). When you get dressed, make sure comfort is more important than style. But wear cute shoes.

3) Start the sun tea: fill a one-gallon glass jar with filtered water. Add 8 bags of Nestea, regular or decaf, and 4 bags of Constant Comment, also regular or decaf.

4) Place the tea jar in the sunniest place in the garden, next to the basil and garlic chives. Talk to the chickadees while you take down the feeders to refill them, and enjoy when they talk back when you return with full feeders. Be sure to put out some peanuts and sunflowers for the chipmunks and squirrels, and pass through the garden looking at the new blooms, encouraging the recent transplants, and enjoying the very last daylilies of the summer.

5) Pull a few weeds with your sweetie. Water any dry garden beds and all transplants. Putz around the yard before having a light lunch.

6) Load up the kayaks in the back of the truck and go to a favorite lake or gentle river. Enjoy time in the sunshine, counting eagles and kingfishers and turtles. Stop and rest if you get tired. Eat a snack if you get hungry. Talk about anything that pops into your minds, or just enjoy the silence.

7) Head back home. Take in the tea. Remove the tea bags and refrigerate.

8) Do one productive thing from the to-do list that’s still too long.

9) Get a book and sit on the porch or the patio, reading out loud to each other. Or talk about what a great summer it’s been. Call each other Mrs. Laugh. Smile a lot.

10) Pour a glass of tea over ice. Add a slice of lemon or a little sugar if desired. Watch goldfinches eating sunflowers that the sparrows planted in the spring. Watch chipmunks run through the yard with perfectly peanut-shaped cheeks. Talk about school plans, weeding the library, and projects that need to be completed before fall. Feel completely happy and right with the world.

Photo credits: this is a picture of Crimson Shadows, the last great bloomer of the season. I purchased the plant from Oakes Daylilies a few years ago. Highly recommended.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper is a goddess

Okay, maybe a demi-goddess, of food and hospitality, naturally.

We just finished another brilliantly yummy dinner at our house. Our friend Steph joined us, and she said she just had to have a copy of this recipe. Since I was going to be putting together a copy for Steph, I figured I'd share it with everyone.

BTW: I raved about this cookbook a couple of months ago in the "Cookbooks I'm drooling over" column to the right. I couldn't stand to give it back to the library so bought my own copy. It will be one that I turn to often.

We served this with fried rice and a very light (not oak-y) chardonnay. I don't know if this is the pairing that our local wine-guy would recommend, but it worked great for us.

Almond Chutney Chicken in Lettuce Roll-ups

Chicken Salad

One 3-pound roasted chicken
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
Juice of 3 large lemons, or more to taste
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced, or hot sauce to taste
One 9-ounce jar Major Grey Chutney, cut into bite-sized pieces if necessary
1/2 cup mayonaise
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
3 large celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup whole salted almonds, coarse chopped

Lettuce cups and herbs

1 large head Bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried
1 large bunch fresh basil, washed and dried
1 large bunch fresh coriander, washed and dried
8 radishes, thin sliced
1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced into thin rounds or 2-inch sticks

1. Pull the meat from the chicken carcass, discarding the skin and bones. Cut it into bite-sized pieces.

2. In a large bowl combine the onions, lemon zest and juice, jalapeños, chutney, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. Fold in the chicken. Taste the mix for lemon, mayonnaise, and herbs, adding more as needed. Let it stand for 20 minutes to blend flavors, or cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. To serve, blend the celery and nuts into the chicken mixture. Mound the salad at one side of a big platter. Pile up the lettuce leaves at the other side, and cluster the sprigs of herbs in the center. Tuck the radishes and cucumbers next to the herbs.

4. Put a few herb leaves in the bottom of a lettuce "cup," top them with a spoonful of the salad, add a slice each of radish and cucumber, and roll up.

READ - seriously!

I feel like jumping for joy ~ the summer reading program is done! It finished Saturday, and today I compiled all my stats, did all my prize drawings, put away the left over prize books until next year and directed my aide to tear down all the posters and bulletin boards. It's officially done.

Please don't get me wrong, I love the Summer Reading Programs. Nothing is more fun that working with the kids who are so excited about reading, geared up for programs, and just looking to have a good time at the library. But it is a lot of work. Sort of like the holiday season... lots of joy and good memories but it's a relief all the same when it's over.

We broke some records again this year. Over 200 kids participating, which is awesome for our little town of not-quite 1000 folks. Of course we pull kids from nearby towns as well, but I'm still impressed. And all these kids read a lot of books. So phenomenol.

Just to make it an even better day, while playing around online tonight (during commercials while watching The Closer) I discovered the new ALA READ poster generator. It is so fun. I'll have to get some pics of Royalton kids to make some local posters. What a hoot.

Check out the Flickr READ posters here. Lots of great ideas out there, from library folks and book-lovers alike.

Blooms in my garden, rum in my salad

It's been a blissfully lovely last couple of weeks here. Highs have been in the mid 70's to 80's, and the humidity has been low (at least for Minnesota). It's hard to be indoors, knowing that this gorgeous weather is going to be all too short-lived.

This morning I took advantage of the weather to do lots of transplanting. Last year I started coreopsis, rudbeckia and other perennials in a nursery bed. Today I transplanted several of them into the beds at the back of our lot where the plantings were pretty thin and anemic looking. It made a huge difference.

The big garden story of late, however, is the back corner.

The mess we started with... an old, icky sandbox, piles of old branches and yard waste, and views into the neighbors back yards.

This neglected spot of our yard has been the "this is the year" project for the last several years, but somehow we never got around to it and it just kept getting messier and more neglected looking. Finally, we spent some time on it (less than I imagined it would take, frankly) and now it looks like it belongs with the rest of the yard.

We cleaned up upwards as well, culling out crossed and low-hanging branches and dead wood from the trees along the property line. It's amazing how much more open the space feels.

It's a little premature to call it finished, but it looks so much better now that we've taken out the old sandbox (it was a great thing to have when the nephews and niece were little, but for the last four or five years no one has used it but local cats). We also made a firewood holder using cinder blocks and the recycled 2x6's from the sand box. In addition, we pruned trees and put up reed fencing.

The beginning of (work) day two: still a long way to go.

We're planning to put in pavers, a fire pit and seating area, and adjust the plantings to bridge the area better, but most of that will likely have to wait until next year. For now, I'm just thrilled to have it cleaned up. We had Jane and Nancy over last weekend and enjoyed a fire after a great dinner. It was so nice!

With a light reed fence, the corner still feels airy but more private. Still more to do to make it "lovely," but at least it is tidy now instead of being the corner I'm embarrassed about.

We fixed the sun-dried tomato burgers that were in last year's cookbook as well as a Mojito Salad from the New York Times Country Weekend Cookbook (2007). It was fantastic! The recipe says that the rum is optional, but but I would really recommend you use it. Also, the recipe makes a very big bowlful and does not keep well ~ the fruit gets mushy after it sits in the fridge overnight. It should be served within an hour or two of mixing together.

MOJITO SALAD

For the salad:

1/2 cup red onion, halved and thinly sliced crosswise
Juice of 1 lime
1 medium jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 seedless hothouse cucumber, sliced 1/4-inch-thick crosswise
1/2 seedless watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise
1/3 cup packed fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

For the dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 1/2 limes)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3 tsp light rum

1. To make the salad: marinate the onion in the juice of 1 lime for at least 2 hours or overnight. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.

2. To make the dressing: whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad*. Toss. Serve or transport to a picnic.

Yield: 12 servings.

* I used about half the dressing on the salad and saved the rest to be served on the side. It was delicious on the left-over watermelon a couple of days later.