You are what you eat

Bacon, tomato, and parmesan frittata

Summertime, and the dinners are easy ... made with lots of fresh veggies and herbs. After cutting some eggplants the other day, I just knew I had to make ratatouille. With all the eggplant fruits out in the garden, I have some other eggplant dishes planned. Eggplant parmesan, of course, but a couple of other dishes, too. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Pasta with fresh tomato sauce is a must once the tomatoes start ripening. Once you try this, you'll make it again and again.

Last night's dinner was a frittata with sides of fresh green beans dressed with herb butter and cucumbers vinaigrette. It just doesn't get any better than this--everything fresh and bright. Here's the frittata I made. Oh, I had organic eggs from a local farmer, so the sizes weren't uniform. You'll probably need four large eggs; I used five as they were a little smaller than what you get at the supermarket.

I use a cast-iron skillet for this so I can place it in the oven to brown the top. If your cookware can't go into the oven, you can try loosening the frittata, inverting it onto a plate, and then sliding it, upside down, back into the skillet to brown the top.

Double the recipe for four servings; I made this just for the two of us.

Bacon, tomato, and parmesan frittata

2 slices bacon, diced
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 a medium onion, chopped or sliced
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
4 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Dice the bacon and saute in a 10-inch skillet. When the bacon is crispy, remove it with a slotted spoon and set it aside. I didn't remove any of the bacon fat, but just sauteed the onion in what was there; if you're squeamish about fat content, judge for yourself and pour out some of the fat if you think it's too much. Sigh. Anyway ...

Saute the onion until it's soft. Whisk the eggs with the minced basil, salt, and pepper while the onion cooks. Then add the diced tomato to the skillet and cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies, using a spoon or spatula, if necessary, to evenly distribute the veggies and eggs. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top. Cook over medium-high heat until the eggs are almost set. Then pop the skillet into the oven to finish the top. Remove when the eggs are well set but before much, if any, browning occurs.

And there you have it! The spouse likes everything with a little Tabasco or salsa, including this. Suit yourself!

An abundance of herbs--what to do? (With pesto recipe)

If you grow herbs, you may be in the same quandary as I am: what to do with them all?

I have a food dryer, so I dry those herbs that retain some flavor after drying. While Mark Bittman claims that dried basil doesn't have any flavor, I beg to disagree. I have some basil in the dryer right now. I'm also stashing some pesto in the freezer--more on that later. I'll be drying thyme later today, and have already put by some tarragon and sage.

We bring our rosemary plant in every fall, so I don't dry rosemary. I just cut the fresh stuff whenever I need some, all winter long. Same with the bay plant. We just dig them up, pot them, and put them in the east windows. I should really try potting some other herbs to have a supply of fresh leaves in winter and early spring.

Herb-infused vinegars are a great way to use any surfeit of herbs. I made a batch of basil and garlic vinegar using purple basil--the color is a deep purple-red, just beautiful. Still to come are some herb combinations, as well as the classic tarragon vinegar.

One of the books I often consult about preserving our harvest is Stocking Up III, published by the Rodale Press. It claims that blanching herbs for a few seconds before freezing preserves taste and color better than freezing them raw. I haven't tried this yet, but with the many herbs in my garden, I just may. Get the water boiling, hold the herbs by their stems and swish around in the water for a few seconds, then blot them with towels and let them cool a bit before removing the stems and freezing. You can chop them or not, according to the book. I might just try some chives this way.

Have you tried compound butters? I like to use a whole stick of butter for this. Let the butter soften at room temperature. Finely mince about a quarter cup of herbs--a single herb, or any combination that appeals to you--and use a fork to mix the herbs into the butter. I like combinations: today I made a butter flavored with basil, oregano, thyme, and chives. This butter is great on cooked vegetables, and I also frequently serve it with freshly baked baguette slices. You can add lightly sauteed aromatics, such as garlic, scallions, shallots, etc., and also a splash of lemon juice, if you wish. I generally just stick to the herbs because I think it's more versatile that way, but go ahead and experiment.

And finally, pesto is a classic. I make a big batch and freeze it in two-tablespoon portions by using an ice cube tray. Once the cubes are frozen, you can release them from the tray and place them in a freezer bag. That way you can use a cube or two any time you want to boost the flavor of tomato sauce, minestrone, etc., or just thaw out enough to toss with pasta for a quick meal. I'm planning to try some with red wine vinegar as a cherry tomato-feta salad dressing.

Here's the recipe I use ( don't remember where on the web I found it), but you can vary the ingredients to suit your taste. I don't use pine nuts as they are so expensive, but walnuts work quite well as a substitute. Traditionally, a mortar and pestle was used to grind the ingredients; nowadays, the food processor is the equipment of choice. I haven't tried using a blender for this, so I don't know if that works efficiently or not. I double the recipe for freezing.

Several recipes I've seen say not to add the Parmesan if you're going to freeze this, but Parmesan actually freezes quite well, and I always add it regardless of whether it's headed for the freezer or not.

This will also keep in the refrigerator pretty well if you drizzle a thin layer of olive oil over the top to "seal" it (helps prevent oxidation).

Basil pesto

2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup walnut pieces
3 small to medium sized garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the basil and walnut bits by pulsing a few times in the food processor. Add the garlic and pulse a few more times.

Slowly add the olive oil in a stream while the processor is running. Stop to scrape down the sides with a spatula. You should have a nice paste. Add the grated cheese and pulse until blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.