No doubt, this has not been a banner harvest. Indeed, for the first time in my 12 years involvement, our wine making group may go without any opportunity to pick grapes. Tomato and pepper plants offer meager rewards if at all. Another huge miss for me was a second year of missing out on the annual late summer sea hunt where a dedicated band miscreants gather to reap the bounty of the sea: abalone, cod... all kinds of sea critters - anything that lives off the coast is fair game. Wolf Eal? No problem - unagi. One person actually had 2 cans of Japanese plum sauce used for grilling the eal. A hardier band of foodies I've rarely come across. Apologies to Lisa and Mike for my no-show.
Yet still, there is bounty to be had and now is the time to take advantage. A recent blast of summer heat has brought what will assuredly be a brief glimpse of what we have taken for granted for sometime. With a prediction of a moderately hot day, Mrs. Gastro Hound and I set out to the Farmer's Market to secure the ingredients for a late afternoon repast. Our treasures in hand, we set off for home to relax and escape the summer heat in the shade of our yard - a bit of Provence on a local level. The result was a pleasing plate of tasty bites highlighting the best of what is especially good this time of year. But nothing speaks to the moment of harvest like the squash blossoms. At best, they are only at market for about 6 weeks. So delicate, they must be picked, sold and consumed all on the same day. The reward for such attention to detail is a truly unique bite. Stuffed with a combination of cheeses including chevre, battered and deep fried, nothing else comes close - except maybe for the rest of what's on our plate.
Franco's Sausages - always good. The Merguez is killer, but today we found a new favorite: Hawaiian-Portuguese Linguica. Pineapple replaces sherry to supply acidity and tropical sugar.
Crescent Moon Farms produces some tasty, hard to find chilis. Bright yellow Ajis and my personal favorite: Padrons - a tiny Spanish frying pepper. A classic tapa offering.
The quality of the produce can't be matched. These squash blossoms were destined for my fry-o-later.
Did I mention I love peppers?
The finished plate: stuffed squash blossoms, fried Padron peppers dusted with sea salt, grilled Hawaiian-Portuguese Linquica, and cherry tomatoes (courtesy of Sean's garden. Thanks Sean!). I don't know how you roll, but this is how we roll on a hot summer afternoon.
A big shout out to MamaRoux for her hand made kitchen towels featured in the photo of our tapas plate. Also check out her summer salad recipe here. This has been a favorite of mine for sometime. She offers up her recipe and some great photos as a showcase. A must. And of course, a big thanks to the Gastro Pup for the bacon n cheese crickets. A tasty n crunchy treat.
I give it a score of 3 out of 5. Great crunch and savory cheese flavor... the bacon flavor was lacking.
Much more to come soon: new BBQ Sauce recipes, and competitions as well as the best damn canned tuna I've ever had.
