LOCAL & IN SEASON - SUMMER

EDIBLE FLOWERS
 

FRUITS:
 

Apples; Blackberries; Black, Purple, Red and Fall Raspberries; Cantaloupe; Currants; Everbearing Strawberries; Grapes; Gooseberries; Peaches; Tomatoes; Watermelon

VEGETABLES:
 

Asparagus; Bell, Hot and Sweet Peppers; Broccoli; Carrots; Cucumbers; Eggplant; Garlic; Green Peas; Leeks; Lettuces and Greens; Okra; Potatoes; Rhubarb

Tomatoes and basil. One of the world’s best combinations, always. Summer gives us both, fresh and flavorful right off the vine. For dinner parties, barbecues and even a light late-night dinner, I turn to bruschetta. Growing up in an Italian household with my father, it was a staple along with linguini spiced with garlic—a lot of garlic—and parsley. It’s so easy to make a classic bruschetta. Find fresh, vine-ripened plum tomatoes, the tinier ones that nestle narrowly in the palm of your hand. Gather basil—from your garden, ideally—with the leaves left whole. And then get some buffalo mozzarella. (I recommend the Italian grocery Carfagna’s.) Slice the tomatoes, pluck the basil leaves from their stems and cut the mozzarella into thin rounds. I go breadless with my bruschetta.

I can better taste the flavors of the fruit and herb and the bite of a good olive oil. Stack tomatoes, then basil, then mozzarella, arranging all three in a spiral on a round plate. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and serve with a fork. There you have it. My classic bruschetta. And a baguette can certainly accompany the plate.

WINE PAIRINGS:
 

Sangiovese for a red and an Italian Pinot Grigio for a white wine. Wine suggestions provided by Camelot Cellers.