The February That Wasn't

Is February over yet?  Let me see.  March 1st.  It's finished!  Hooray!

February was the month that wasn't in our house.  Our youngest got hit with an illness late in January and it monopolized our lives for a full month.  We did very little, accomplished nearly nothing, got behind on other things and generally fell off the face of the Earth for a while.

But now it's March!  Look at that.  Sunshine!  Hello Lamb of March.  Let's hope the Lion is a nice thunderstorm after a balmy Spring day and not a snow storm.

So let's see, what lies ahead this month?  Our gourmet group finished off it's year with a lovely dinner based on the final dinner on the Titanic.  This month we start the next year with three fewer people and one new person.  So we've gone from 9 to 7.  I don't host for another few months, hopefully in the summer, since I have no space in my house for 7 people to sit comfortably at this point.  On the plus side, we can do some fun barbecued dishes.

Speaking of space in our house, my husband began tearing apart the basement before the sick hit.  We're converting the largest space into a family room, with a storage room.  The rest, excluding the laundry/furnace area, will be a recording studio.  My husband is something of an audio geek.  I've never had a family room before.  I grew up in a house with an unfinished stone/concrete basement that had a couch and chair.  Not exactly cozy.  My bedroom was down there too.  Next to the furnace.  Again, not cozy.  LOL  Having a family room will more than double our "entertaining space" which right now might comfortably seat 5, if you count the computer chair as being comfortable.  LOL

Look at that.  It's still sunny out.  If it were warm at all I'd open some windows.  We could use some fresh air in here.  For now it's -1C.  Pretty to look at, not nearly warm enough to bask in.

I should start on supper.  Pasta, with a nice sauce that will simmer all afternoon.  We have pasta nearly once a week.  It's Little Mister's favourite.  Sometimes I add meat to the sauce, though never ground beef, as he's not a fan of meat with his pasta.  Today I'll add slices of kielbasa, a nod to my late grandfather, whose father was from Italy and brought with him the knowledge that you use what's available when cooking.  He moved to an area surrounded by people from both Italy and Poland, and thus his pasta sauce often contained meats reflecting both.  Kielbasa, pepperoni, hot sausage, pork hocks, spare ribs...  Maybe even squirrel, though I can't say for sure (my aunt has done that).  I tend to keep it simpler, with only one or two meats flavouring the basic sauce of tomato, garlic, onion, oregano and basil.  Now I', getting hungry...

It's good to be back.  :-D

Tomatoes. Ah, tomatoes

Tomatoes make summer a bit more bearable for me. There is something magical about that moment when the first slice of a still warm from the sun tomato touches the tongue. Before the flavour takes over, there's the physical awareness of the tomato. The brain notices the decided lack of chill in the fruit (yes, it is technically a fruit), the soft, yielding texture that isn't remotely mealy, and the juiciness. Oh yes, the rush of juice over the tongue from a slice of freshly picked tomato is a sensation to savour.

Then comes the taste. The delightful acidity tickles the taste buds first with a wonderful tingle that wakes up the tongue and sparks the yum receptors in the brain. Depending on the variety it can be subtle or sharp. But either way it's just the prelude for what's to come. For all of their savoury applications, tomatoes can be amazingly sweet. A great tomato has a lovely balance of sweet and sour, with intense umami. The succulent meatiness against the almost sugary, tart intensity creates a depth of flavour that one does not find in a store bought winter tomato (or those imports cramming the shelves in the summer).

And there is seemingly no end to what you can do with tomatoes. I stumbled upon a page yesterday that boasted 100 ways to use a tomato. Growing up I remember coming home from school in late summer and being greeted (knocked over) at the door by the smell of tomatoes stewing. My great-grandfather was Italian and my mother always stewed down vast quantities to freeze for the winter. I never cared for the smell back then, but now it is inextricably tied with the coming Autumn (though with the relatively early harvest this year there is a stark contrast between my memories and the reality of the summer heat that still abounds).

I like to roast my tomatoes. I've done them both at high heat and low, and like the results of both. Roasting them really emphasizes the sweetness and concentrates the flavour. On the weekend I bought, halved and high heat roasted some Roma tomatoes. And last night my husband and I picked several (huge) heirloom tomatoes which had split on the vine. I cut into slices the still usable parts and roasted them overnight in a low oven. I pureed both batches together and they, along with a generous amount of garlic, are the basis of a lovely tomato sauce that we will enjoy for dinner tonight with some basil from the back step. The essence of summer in a nourishing plate.