The First BLT of the Season

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One of our favorite traditions revolves around the very first home grown tomato of the summer. We typically see this special tomato somewhere around the Fourth of July. This year, we saw it the week before that.We watch our plants in anticipation, awaiting the ripening, and planning it around a Saturday afternoon. As it ripens we evaluate. Picking it too soon ruins the entire event. We don’t know what would happen if we picked it too late, because that, somehow, has never been a problem.When it reaches just the right ripeness, we sping into action. We buy the best fresh loaf of hearty bread that we possibly can. We have a nice goat cheese on hand. We make sure that there’s arugula…. and then we put together the best BLT of the year.

Served with a bottle of wine and a bit of jazz while sitting on the back deck and enjoying the summer, it is something that we look forward to all year long.

Penne with Grilled Beef and Arugula

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One of the shows that I still try to catch on Food TV is Everyday Italian. It never fails that something is prepared on that show that is sure to make me very hungry. We sit and watch it on Saturday mornings, and comment on the fact that “the skinny Italian chick” obviously doesn’t eat her own cooking.We don’t mean to be disrespectful of the skinny Italian chick by calling her that. But let’s face it. She’s skinny. She’s Italian. And it is a whole lot easier than pronouncing her name: Giada De Laurentiis. Perhaps the chick part is inappropriate, but skinny Italian chick has a lot more color than “the thin Italian lady”.

And I stand by the theory that she does not eat her own cooking.

Recently, I made a dish that was inspired by one of her shows. Here’s what I did:

• Grill a sirloin steak to taste.
• Make a bunch of Penne.
• Whisk some whole grain mustard with some basalmic vinegar , olive oil, grated parmesan cheese and chopped garlic.
• Tear up some arugula and basil.
• Slice the steak into bite-sized pieces
• Toss everything in with the warm, drained pasta.