Summer Tomatoes

I woke up yesterday morning racking my brain for a dinner that would require no cooking and use our leftover pesto. I decided it would be wonderful to have sandwiches with fresh mozzarella, tomato and pesto. We could get some bread and cheese from around the corner, but finding GOOD tomatoes is a little bit more difficult. I never used to like tomatoes. I blame it on those mealy, unripe tomatoes that show up in the grocery store throughout the year. I have now decided that I don't hate all tomatoes. I just hate bad tomatoes.

I got to work and learned that one of my coworkers had brought in some home grown tomatoes to share. What luck! She offered me a beautiful, deep red tomato. She said that she will be bringing some in most days... I'll have to be careful to not get too greedy, and I'll have to think of a way to thank her.

We enjoyed our simple supper of bread, fresh mozzarella, tomato and walnut pesto. It was so good that we had it again today for lunch. The tomato was perfect and complemented the creamy mozzarella and the basil and garlic of the pesto. It was the essence of summertime in a sandwich.

Homemade Pasta with Pesto and Summer Squash

We were starving when we got home from work yesterday. We had thought of making stuffed zucchini, but it was much too hot to turn on the oven. We decided to have a snack of bread and cheese to tide us over and allow us to come up with a plan for dinner. We wanted a quick meal that would use up vegetables with limited heat. We had a big bunch of basil so we decided to make walnut pesto, and somehow we made the leap from there to homemade pasta to accompany it. My husband - who hates flour because of the mess - even volunteered to make the pasta. So dinner wasn't so quick after all, but it was worth the time investment. Homemade pasta has a rich, buttery taste which pairs nicely with the herby, garlicky flavor of the pesto. I was sad when I felt full because I just wanted to keep eating.









Pasta serves 3
1 C flour
1/2 t salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 T water

Mix flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg and water. Mix together. Mixture should form a stiff dough. Pour out onto a well floured counter, and knead for 3 to 4 minutes. Roll out to desired thickness and cut into strips. Place over the rim of the mixing bowl. Let rest. Drop into boiling water and cook 3 to 5 minutes.



Walnut Pesto inspired by kiss my spatula
2 C loosely packed fresh basil leaves, rinsed and dried
1/4 C coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
1/2 C olive oil
1 large garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Store any leftovers in an air tight container.

We tossed the pasta with some sauteed summer squash and pesto, and added a dollop of pesto on top.