Fresh Tomato Garlic Pasta

My sister moved to the Tampa Florida area 22 years ago and one of the first gifts she sent me was this great cookbook.

Ya gotta love Junior League cookbooks!


I found one of my most favorite dishes to eat in it.

In the Summer when the tomatoes are fresh and local, this recipe comes to mind. Think Caprese salad meets chunky pasta….yum!

It is the perfect meal to make when you want something fast and easy, light and fresh without too much stove time.

You do have to remember to make the sauce early in the day to give it time to blend.

I like to use this pasta that I found at Walmart. The sauce collects in all the twists and turns.

Fresh Tomato Garlic Pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes            Cook Time: 10 minutes

4 large ripe tomatoes, diced

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large sprig fresh parsley, chopped

½ cup chopped fresh basil

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed

1 pound pasta of choice

Grated Parmesan cheese

Night before, or early in the day:

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except pasta and Parmesan; 

stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but not more than

a day. Stir once or twice while in the fridge.

When ready to serve:

Prepare pasta. Coat with sauce and serve hot or cold with

Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

P.S. I like it best cold!

AnnMarie 
xoxo


I am linking up with these great blog parties:
Cooking & Crafting with J & J
Wonderful Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday
Share Your Cup
Home Sweet Home
Best of the Weekend
Anything Goes Pink Saturday

Garlic and Grapes in the Finger Lakes

If you have lived in Upstate New York all your life, or more specifically in the Finger Lakes area like I have, did you know that the Finger Lakes are known for their garlic as well as their wine? I must admit that I did not!

Drive along any of the Finger Lakes....Keuka, Canandaigua, Seneca, Cayuga..... and there is that familiar sight of grape vineyards rolling down the hillsides.....dotted with a barn and fences. The grapes are clustered on the vine, almost ready to pick.

It is quite beautiful.

But where is the garlic grown? I never knew until two years ago when I came upon The Garlic Festival, held every year in August at Fox Run Vineyards on Seneca Lake. I thought it would be a nice drive down Rt. 14 S along the lake to see what it was all about. We were pleasantly surprised to see the abundance of garlic, garlic scapes and garlic products that were set up in tents to taste and buy. We have gone back twice since then and it seems to grow every year.....

It seems that the climate is ideal for Northern European varieties of hard neck garlic. Just as Vitas vinifera grapes thrive here, so do these specialty garlic varieties. There are many garlic farms dotted throughout the Finger Lakes taking advantage of the perfect conditions of water and air and sun to grow their special garlic. They make their garlic into butters, salts, braids and wreaths to buy.....

There were tents set up for festival vendors such as homemade soap, jewelry and flowers. There were cooking demostrations by area chefs and a flameworker from the Corning Museum of Glass. There was a tent full of any spice you could dream up to use in cooking or baking.

I couldn't resist buying a handmade silver ring made out of an old fork.

And I got the last bunch of silver dollars from a flower vendor....I could have sold them 3 times over to others that were sorry they missed out! That's me, my husband Frank and son Michael.

My daughter Jena, her husband Britt and baby Chloe joined us for the day.



Lake breezes, sun, garlic slices on crackers, gourmet food, family and entertainment. A very nice way to spend a 90+ degree day!



How have you been spending these hot, hot days of summer?

AnnMarie :)

 

Linking up with this great blog party!

Tuesday Trivia