The heirloom tomatoes arrived at the Clayton Family Farmstead later than usual this year. Weather issues, they told me. A couple of weeks ago, they were ready. A baker’s dozen!
Documenting the evidence:
I bought this colorful assortment:
They also grow heirloom cherry tomatoes. I always buy those as well.
Putting this bounty to good use:
I dressed the heirlooms with a good sprinkling of sea salt, a light application of extra-virgin olive oil, and some fresh basil. Yes, lusciously delicious!
With the closure of Stattel’s Farm, there is just one farm left close to our house, C & J Farms. Their stand is located on Route 9 North, about 5 minutes away. (I regularly pass their growing fields along Tennent Road when driving to Route 9.) Though I’ve always known the stand was there, I wasn’t a regular customer. That is about to change.
As you can see by the sign, they open at 9 a.m. But C & J’s hours have always puzzled me because I noticed that they always close sometime in the afternoon. So, I asked the young woman at the register if they had “regular” hours. (Stattel’s was open 9 to 6 daily except Wednesday during the summer months). She told me their afternoon hours depend on when they run out of their daily corn harvest. During the week, that’s usually between 2 and 3 p.m. But on weekends, around 1 p.m. Since they have lots of other produce, I asked why it depended on the corn supply. She replied that they have many customers who get very upset, even nasty, if there is no corn. Seems a mighty strange way to determine your business hours, don’t you think?
I was thrilled to see that they grow fairytale eggplant which I’d been getting at the Clayton Farm in Freehold. Shelves along the walls (which I didn’t photograph) hold lots of vegetables, including their own hot peppers. Michael loves them! A whole basket cost $1, way cheaper than buying then by the pound at Delicious Orchards. We had the corn at lunch yesterday. So sweet!
It’s pretty rare to have a totally cloudless sky around here. I first noticed it when driving back earlier from doing an errand. Even on days when, as today, the weather couldn’t be more perfect — low 80’s with no humidity — there are usually some clouds. But not today. Definitely needed to document the evidence.
For sure, this is “Rozy Weather”!
Salade Niçoise is one of our favorite salads. Restaurants often use fresh tuna (here’s an example), but I use canned. It is a French salad, and whenever we ordered it in France, it always came with canned tuna; therefore, I think it’s safe to surmise that canned tuna is considered traditional. Lettuce, tomatoes (here I’m using local Jerseys), hard-boiled eggs, and potatoes are also traditional. I did, however, depart slightly from two other traditional ingredients. Haricots verts were unavailable, so I picked out the thinnest regular green beans. (I actually did such a good job, the cashier at Delicious Orchards first rung them up as the much more expensive haricots verts.) As for the olives, I use Kalamatas because they’re more readily available than Niçoise. For the dressing: a classic vinaigrette. I dressed the lettuce separately in a bowl, plated everything, took the photo, and then spooned vinaigrette over the rest.
I’ve always believed we eat first with our eyes. This colorful, eye-catching salad definitely said, “Eat me!” And it was as delicious as it looked.
Summer seems to be taking a bit of a hiatus. It’s been unseasonably cool along with lots of rain. Today, the temperature barely made it above 70 — about 15 degrees below the norm. It was the perfect day for some fish chowder. I used this recipe. As written, it makes six servings, but I cut it down to two. Delicious!
NJ Peaches & Heirloom Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella, Balsamic Vinegar, Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Basil
They’re from Fralinger Orchards, in Bridgeton. Bought them at Wegmans which carries them every year. A peach of a peach!
…was in June 1999. No iPhones back then. I used my iPhone to snap these photos which were taken with a regular camera.
On Monday, Jen came out to the house by herself because unlike her, Louis did not have the day off. Lunch was Hebrew National franks with the usual accompaniments — Batampte deli mustard and sour kraut — along with Busch’s vegetarian baked beans. I didn’t take any photos.
Jen spent part of the afternoon sketching.
(More about her art work in a future post.)
Dinner started with Chilled Strawberry-Watermelon Soup I’d made earlier in the day.
For the main course, Beer Can Chicken. (The previous post, Beer Can Chicken Without the Can, is here.) This time, instead of beer, I filled the canister with white wine.
Accompaniment: Jersey Bi-Color Corn.
Dessert: Breyer’s Vanilla and the last of my Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream using pick-your-own strawberries.
The next day — the 4th — lunch for Michael and me started with homemade Yellow Squash Soup.
We then had some of the leftover chicken served at room temperature. To go with it, I made Macaroni Salad.
The weather during the entire holiday was perfect for dining al fresco and relaxing on the patio.
April
New York City
Dinner:
Gotham Bar and Grill
italienne Taverna
Union Square Café
Toloache (Passover)
Rotisserie Georgette (Passover)
Maxwell’s Chophouse
Lunch:
Benoit
Turkish Kitchen
Daily Provisions (Take-out)
Morini Ristorante
Great Northern Food Hall
Late Supper:
Dog & Bone
New Jersey
Dinner:
Tillie’s
Lunch:
Jersey Shore BBQ
May
New York City
Dinner:
Fusco
Majorelle
Maialino
Made Nice
Lunch:
Made Nice
Dog & Bone
Morini Ristorante
Supper:
Made Nice
New Jersey
Dinner:
Aarzu
June
New York City
Dinner:
The Beatrice Inn
italienne Dining Room
Union Square Café
Eleven Madison Park (Anniversary)
The Grill
Fowler & Wells
Nur
Rocco Steakhouse
italienne Taverna
Aquavit
Upland
Korali Estiatorio
Dog & Bone
Lunch:
Made Nice (Take-out) – 2
Le Coq Rico
Tocqueville (Anniversary)
NoMad
Street Taco
Indian Accent
Gramercy Tavern Dining Room
Augustine
The Modern Bar Room
