Tomato Experiment: A Fungus Amongus?

About a week ago, I first noticed that the tomato plants I bought in Skaneateles in early June finally sprouted fruit! I Googled "tomato plants how long from fruit to harvest" and learned that I have at least another six weeks to go before I can pluck a ripe tomato off my fire escape. That is, of course, if I escape the dreaded late blight fungus that is making the rounds. Despite having purchased the plants from an organic farmer vs. a big box retailer, I am worried. One of the bigger green tomatoes has an ugly black bruise that I decided today is definitely some kind of fungus, but hopefully an isolated case of "contact fungus" (from the fruit brushing up against the wet leaves of the basil plant living next to it). So I did a bit of rearranging, pruned both the herb and tomato plants (probably a little too much) and have my fingers crossed for the best! In the meantime, I am buying tomatoes from the greenmarket. My new go-to breakfast is sliced tomato and cucumber on toasted sunflower millet bread with a schmear of cream cheese. With lots of fresh ground black pepper on top, this is the ultimate summer breakfast sandwich (McMuffin watch out). Something tells me I may be turning to the Union Square farmer Stokes Farms for tomatoes all season long. Check back in six weeks (mid-September) to find out.

Tuesday: Philharmonic Picnic in Central Park

One of my favorite New York City traditions is going to Central Park to hear the philharmonic perform. It's the one night of the year you feel safe in the park after dark since tens of thousands of people are crowded on the Great Lawn (and nearby areas) to eat, drink, relax...and, in some cases, actually listen to the music! While there are those that go low key -- a bottle of wine, perhaps a take out pizza -- others stage quite elaborate picnics, complete with tables, candles and an assortment of food and drink. My friends fall into the later camp.

This year, we schlepped blankets and mini coolers, along with citronella candles and a battery-powered lantern, and food...lots of food. From the standard cheese and crudités (gussied up in a Pampered Chef Chillzanne) to soppressata and tabbouleh. My contributions included mini cans of Sofia Blanc de Blanc (so cute) as well as a tuna niçoise pasta salad.

The beauty of this salad is that it's mayo-free, but still chock full of interesting flavors and textures. And although the recipe calls for some fresh ingredients, the others are easy to keep in your cupboard to have on hand when inspiration strikes...or when an impromptu picnic is on the agenda!

Tuna Niçoise Pasta Salad For this recipe, I used shallot, tomato and basil from the farmers market. The other ingredients were from, you guessed it, Trader Joes.

Ingredients

8 oz. Dried pasta (I used farfalle)

1 Can Tuna in water

1 T. Capers

3 T. Olives, quartered (if you cannot find niçoise olives, use Kalamata)

1 Med. Tomato, roughly chopped

1 C. Haricot vert, roughly chopped

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 Lemon, juiced

3 T. Olive oil

1 Shallot, minced

1/4 C. Feta cheese, crumbled

3 T. basil, Chiffonade

Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Method

Cook pasta to package directions; rinse drain and cool.

Add drained tuna with next four ingredients (capers to haricot vert).

In a small bowl, combine mustard, lemon juice, shallot and olive oil; blitz with immersion blender until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Toss dressing with tuna pasta mixture; add feta and basil.

Season with a little salt to taste (remember that capers, olives and feta are salty!) and ground pepper.

Container Garden Update: Mint Coup d'etat Imminent

My fire escape container garden is doing fabulous. The basil plants are hanging in, but the spearmint is growing like gangbusters. The herb must really like the weather we've been having -- a series of sunny and dry days followed by a series of gloomy and damp days. To avoid a mint coup, which I know is literally part of its plant profile, I've tried to be more diligent in "pruning" the bigger leaves and cutting some of the straggly bits. The good thing is that the leaves, when wrapped in a damp paper towel and stored in the crisper, last a long time -- up to two weeks. I recently used a "crop" harvested about two weeks ago in another salad variation -- this time a slaw inspired by one published on Simply Recipes. I've never been a fan of raw green or red cabbage, but really like the mild taste of napa cabbage. And I'm not really a fan of mayo-based coleslaw, but do like this slaw, which is lightly dressed with a combination of sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, fresh lime juice and soy. In fact, the dressing also makes a great marinade if you have any chicken or steak or even shrimp to grill and serve alongside. Cool, refreshing and a good way to use some of those summer herbs and leftover vegetables lingering in your fridge.

Asian-Style Slaw

I had some wasabi oil from Trader Joes in the cupboard, so I substituted half of the wasabi oil for half of the sesame oil. If you don't have wasabi oil and still want an extra kick, add chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes or Sriracha (basically, whatever you have around) to taste.

Ingredients

For the dressing:

1/2 c. sesame oil

2 limes, juiced

2 T. rice wine vinegar

1-2 T. low sodium soy sauce

1 t. brown sugar

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 T. fresh ginger, grated

Red pepper flakes, hot sauce, etc. to taste

For the salad:

3 lb. napa cabbage, "knife shredded"

3 scallions, chopped

1 1/2 c. snow peas, strings removed and julienned

1/4 c. shredded carrot (or 1-2 carrots, shredded)

2 T. slivered almonds, toasted

2 T. basil, chiffonade

2 T. cilantro, chiffonade

2 T. spearmint, chiffonade

Extras: diced red pepper, radish, cucumber etc.

Method

In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. The goal is to strike the right balance of sweet, sour, spicy and salty that suits your taste, so adjust amounts accordingly.

Toss dressing with vegetables and almonds and serve.

To prepare ahead, keep dressing, vegetables and nuts separate and toss right up to an hour before serving. This salad keeps for a few hours but does get a bit soggy as time passes (particularly if you use cucumber or another watery veg!).

Summertime in the City: Urban Gardening

Perhaps it was a little overly optimistic of me, but I planted a container herb garden this weekend. Union Square's Saturday market was awash with plants of all kinds, so I figured now was a good time. And figured weekend temperatures in the 80s and 90s couldn't hurt either.

With full-sun Southern exposure, I have had great success growing herbs in the past. I typically stick with those that "keep on giving," like basil, mint and chives as opposed to things like cilantro and parsley, which don't tend to keep growing new leaves throughout the season (at least in my container). My other tip? Miracle-Gro (I use the kind formulated for tomatoes). I always buy a mint plant, since they are apparently harder to grow from seed. And although I was tempted to try growing basil from seed this year (and even purchased a packet), by buying two $2 plants at the green market, I also got instant gratification: a small handful of the bigger leaves perfect for rounding out an Asian-style noodle salad. Now if those smaller leaves would just start growing... In this heat, I could really use a mojito or basil-infused cocktail.

Peanut Noodle Salad

This is a nice variation of the standard summertime pasta or macaroni salad and goes great with all types of protein - chicken, shrimp, steak, tofu. Feel free to make the dressing in advance but don't toss with the noodles more than a few hours ahead as the acid will sometimes break down the pasta.

Ingredients For the dressing .5 c. Lime juice 1 T. Peanut butter (creamy or chunky is fine) 2 T. Sesame oil 2 cloves of Garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 1 t. of Ginger (fresh grated or fresh from a jar, not powdered) 1 T. Low sodium soy sauce 1 T. Tomato paste (or sauce or whatever tomato product you have around 1 packet Splenda or 1 t. brown sugar* Hot sauce or Sriracha (to taste) *Depending on how acidic the dressing tastes, and what kind of tomato product you used, you may want to add a bit of sweetness for balance For the salad 8 oz. Soba or whole wheat spaghetti, prepared to packaged directions, drained and cooled .5 c. Snow peas or sugar snap peas, julienned .5 c. Zucchini, shredded and drained/water squeezed out .24 c. Carrots, shredded .5 Red bell pepper, julienned 2 Scallions, thinly sliced .25 c. Unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped 2 T. of Basil leaves and Spearmint leaves, cut into long thin strips (chiffonade) Method For the dressing, using a standard or immersion blender, blitz the first seven ingredients (lime juice through tomato paste). Sample and add sweeter and hot sauce to taste. For the salad, combine pasta and vegetables. Toss with dressing a few hours before serving. Serve chilled with hot grilled chicken, shrimp, beef or tofu.