One Local Summer, Week 12: New England

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Sorry for my tardiness today.  I work at a school, and like many others directly affected by the yearly migration of teachers and kids, I’m feeling a little pressed for time.  Teachers show up tomorrow, whether we’re ready or not!  AND, it’s just now getting to high tomato season here, and I have some anxiety about getting sauce in the freezer and tomatoes and salsa in jars!  Not only that but next week is the last week of this year’s OLS!  Okay, New England, let’s go out with a bang!

So, my apologies for the less-than-stellar visual nature of this post, but please go visit these fine folks and see what they’ve been up to this week!

I decided to spotlight a pasta dish this week (again?).  We enjoyed spaghetti with sweet italian sausage, pesto and roasted tomatoes.  It was deeeelicious!  Even better for lunch the next day, I must say.

Erica is way more creative than I am, and her local meals make eating local look like a gourmet delight (which, it actually is, no matter how plain the meal...).  She has challenged herself to try one actual “Recipe” each week.  Like others, she often relies on methods rather than exploring new dishes.  This week’s result of her own challenge is kefta mkaouara (meatball, tomato and egg tagine), and it turned out to be a homerun!  Her challenge is off to a good start.  Inspired by Erica, this winter I may take on the same project.

Vegetable soup with pistou was on the menu at Leslie’s.  She’s got an excellent recipe for the soup up on her site, as well as for a low-fat pistou.  Soup is such a great idea this time of year, with vegetables of all sorts vying for attention in the crisper drawer.  Great idea for these end-of-summer cool nights.

Laurie’s meal came from the sea: she enjoyed scallops with succotash and parsley drizzzle.  The herbs and the salad all came from her own garden, and she even had some vinegar from Maine that she bought while on vacation.  Great reminder to check for those local ingredients wherever you travel!

Have a great week, everyone - let’s make the last week a big one!  I look forward to hearing from you, even if you haven’t been blogging regularly.