Week 15 - TOMATO & BASIL SALAD

Saskatchewan Menu of the Week -- 26 July 2005

Breakfast -- Scrambled eggs with chopped tomato.
Lunch -- Cold sliced beef on a bun
Dinner -- Tomato and basil salad. Crusty bread.

TOMATO AND BASIL SALAD
No salad screams "summer" like a tomato and basil salad. Made with ripe tomatoes and fresh basil, it is the simplest and yummiest salad in the world. Basil grows like crazy in our climate, so I use lots.

Basil grows abundantly in our climate, so I always have a pot of basil close to the back door. My mom grows more basil in her garden on the farm, so I have plenty to preserve for winter cooking. I just love the aroma of basil in the middle of February - it sparks the distant memory of summer's heat. (See the recipe for BASIL CUBES on 19 March 2005.)

For the salad, slice or chop the tomatoes according to your preference. Chop or tear a handful of basil and sprinkle it onto the tomatoes. Make a vinaigrette with oil and vinegar (I use balsamic vinegar). Pour onto the tomatoes. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to your taste. For added variation, add tiny cubes of mozzarella cheese. Use the bread so soak up any vinaigrette left on your plate. Good to the last drop!

Week 14 - STRAW & HAY FETTUCCINI

Saskatchewan Menu of the Week -- 20 July 2005

Breakfast – Yogurt and raspberries.
Lunch – Chicken salad sandwich.
Dinner – Straw and Hay fettucini. Green salad.

STRAW AND HAY FETTUCCINI
This Italian dish is made with two colours of fettuccini – regular and spinach – which resembles the contrasting colours of straw and hay. It is traditionally made with peas in a cream sauce. Since peas are now abundant in the garden, it’s a good time to make this dish for dinner. We make our own pasta with farm eggs ,which gives it a nice straw colour.

Heat a bit of butter and oil in a saucepan and sauté 1/4 cup of chopped onion and one chopped clove of garlic. Add 1/4 cup of cooked diced ham. Stir for a few minutes, until the onion is soft. Add 1 cup of cream and cook until the cream thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add 1 cup of raw green peas. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Cook until the peas are soft. Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Toss it into the sauce, and serve with grated parmesan cheese.