Monday Menu: Caprese and Ice Cream

Harvesting is in full swing, this weekend was an abundance of tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapenos, and my second zucchini. Yes, you read that right, only two zucchini so far this year. For reasons only nature knows, zucchini bounty alludes me. Which is sad, because the dogs love it and it makes a good addition to their meals.

The plethora of cucumbers led me to make refrigerator dill pickles and a batch of Oi Muchim (Korean cucumbers) – stay tuned for those recipes.

On the board today is one of my favorite summer garden recipes and an ice cream so simple it’s going to be dangerous going forward. Let’s start with the main course:

Pasta Caprese

• 9 oz linguine or fettuccine
• 2 -3 large tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 6 oz cubed mozzarella
• salt & pepper to taste

saucepan and large serving dish

Prepare pasta according to package directions. While it’s cooking, mix the remaining ingredients together. Drain pasta completely (dab with paper towels, if necessary) then add to tomato mixture. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors blend. Serve warm or you can refrigerate and serve cold.

I use a fairly expensive mozzarella for this dish because it’s softer, tastier, and absorbs more flavors. Any locally produced mozzarella would work. Also, my local farmers’ market has a pasta vendor, who hand-makes many flavors of pasta. This dish works very well with flavored pastas – fire-roasted chili, lemon pepper, tomato basil, red bell pepper – the list goes on. You can also change up the cheese to a Queso Blanco (again, use a fairly expensive or locally produced one), use cilantro instead of basil, and use a chili flavored pasta for a whole new dish. The possibilities are endless.

Serve with homemade French Baguettes

Now, how about a quintessential summer dessert? Five simple ingredients to make a delicious, creamy treat.

Simple and Delicious Vanilla Ice Cream

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract* or 1 vanilla bean split in half lengthwise

Pour 1 cup of the cream into a saucepan and add the sugar and salt. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pot and then add the vanilla pod to the pot. Warm the mixture over medium heat, just until the sugar dissolves.

Remove from the heat and add the remaining cream, milk, and vanilla extract (if using extract). Stir to combine and chill in the refrigerator.

When ready to churn, remove the vanilla pod, whisk mixture again, and pour into ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

It’s going to be soft serve to start, but transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the freezer until ready to serve, it will be firmer.

*Fun vanilla extract facts: use the best extract you can find for the best ice cream. Only add extract AFTER heating – this applies to most recipes – simmering or boiling vanilla extract dilutes the flavor.

Enjoy!