There’s nothing that signals summer more deliciously than seeing the colorful varieties of heirloom tomatoes making their way onto tables at the farmer’s market.

From Cherokee purple to striped Zebra and sweet 100’s, the only thing more beautiful than seeing a pile of tomatoes on the counter, still warm from the dirt, is to slice them up and serve them in a classic Southern tomato sandwich with a swath of mayo on both sides of the bread and a generous pinch of salt.

For a more Southern Italian style, there’s nothing more refreshing and flavorful to start a meal than a classic Caprese salad: sliced ripe tomatoes, burrata or mozzarella, torn fresh basil leaves, a drizzle of the best olive oil you can afford, and a generous sprinkle of salt. For a heartier salad, I love to cut tomatoes into chunks and add to a baked focaccia crouton Panzanella salad. The beauty of this salad is the crispy croutons, a riff on the traditionally soaked style bread used in Italy. I also love layering in Piccolo Tomatoes Antipasti, already marinated and flavored with olive and white balsamic that becomes the dressing for the salad. Toss in a handful of chopped cucumbers and you have the perfect light lunch. Add grilled chicken or shrimp and you’ve just made an easy and quick no cook summer supper.

To get yourself one of summer’s finest Tomato & Mayo tees, you can visit our friends at Bitter Southerner.

To get the recipe for my simple summer panzanella salad, visit HERE.

Share Notes from the StudiO | Alisa Barry

From a culinary perspective, late spring and early summer is a favorite season of the year. Perhaps it’s the anticipation of something other dark leafy greens, bolder colors, more abundant farmer’s market offerings, and the finally warmer weather that this season brings. There’s a gentle buoyancy and you can feel it in peoples moods. Nature has a way of doing that.

So do fresh berries and summer stone fruits. At least for me. I’m not by nature a dessert person, both making and eating, but if it includes sweet and tart fruits, you might see me reaching for the mixing bowl or a fork. I only have a few dessert recipes I come back to again and again, most of them coming from desserts I learned, or ate, at Chez Panisse, where i apprenticed, or Cafe Fanny, the sister cafe, where I cooked for several years.

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Weekends for me mean shopping at my local farmer’s market. We have a few to choose from, thankfully, so if I miss my Saturday market for some reason, or need to fill a few gaps, there’s a Sunday market I can rely on. I love how each market has their own distinctive vibe, with uniquely selective growers, gatherers and prepared foods vendors. I rarely go to the market with a recipe in mind. I let the seasonal offerings inform and inspire what I want to make - like an improvisational cooking experiment and exercise.

This is one of those recipes that you can change up throughout the year using whatever seasonal ingredients are available at the farmer’s market.

I love when baby celery is in season at the market. It’s tender delicate stems and slightly bitter leaves can be used for every thing from egg salad to stews to seasonal frittatas, like this one. When sautéed, the celery becomes sweet and tender, adding an herbaceous flavor to any dish. Add a few eggs, cheese and a spoonful of pesto and you have a quick weekday breakfast, lunch (I love a wedge tucked in two slices of baguette) or as simple dinner with garden greens salad. It’s a dish that is respectable enough as a weekend brunch recipe to serve to friends .

I’ve used a few Bella Cucina products in this recipe, but you can easily substitute with whatever you have on hand.

SHOPPING LIST: ⁠

1 bunch baby celery, with the leaves if possible

2 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Wild Oregano & Sage Salt

8 organic eggs

1/4 cup whipping cream

2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil Pesto

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

⁠PREPARATION: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Coarsely chop the celery, reserving some of the leaves for garnishing the top. If your celery doesn’t have leaves, you can use Italian parsley leaves. In an 8 or 9 inch non-stick pan, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the celery and salt. Cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring often, until the celery is tender. Remove from the heat and place in a non stick or oiled oven-proof casserole dish.

Whisk the eggs with the cream, then add the pesto until blended. Pour the eggs mixture over the cooked celery. Top with the parmesan and reserved celery leaves. Place in the oven and cook 25-30 minutes, or until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and the frittata puffed up in the center.

Cool slightly. Cut into wedges and serve warm or snack all day long at room temperature.

VARIATIONS:

Substitute with seasonal vegetables from the farmer’s market.

Here’s a few combinations to try:

• Sweet 100’s tomatoes, basil pesto and mozzarella

• Spinach and fontina cheese

• Sautéed rainbow swiss chard (stems and leaves) and stracciatella cheese

• Butternut squash and caramelized onions

Whenever I come home from travels, and because I haven’t had a chance to shop and restock the pantry, I find myself doing my favorite thing- cleaning out the fridge to make something “good” to eat. I put good in quotations because I am not sure if I would make the dishes I do if I had time to think about it. They’re a bit scrappy and not so pretty, and because I am hungry, I find these are sometimes the best meals of all.

There’s always a few staples on the counter, like onions and garlic and olive oil. In the fridge, there’s most likely some celery and carrots. And if I go the farmer’s market and have not used up all the veg before I leave, and depending on how long I am gone, some may make it through to my return, if only a bit shriveled or bruised or too soft. There were plums and a pint a figs, some candy grapes and apples, always apples. A lemon, a few mandarins. Into the pot they went: figs quartered, grapes and plums whole, apple coarsely chopped and citrus juiced, but not enough juice to make a decent liquid, so I finally used up the single bottle of Phony Negroni that has been sitting in my fridge since I received it as a sample. A bit bitter, but it did the trick. Had I thought about it at the time, I might brewed some rooibos tea. Next time. As a finishing touch of flavor, a vanilla bean saves the day. Bean slit and paste removed, then all of it tossed into the pan, covered and cooked in the oven for 45 minutes. I thought I couldn’t be happier. That is, until the next morning when I spooned some of the cooked compote over a Weck jar filled with overnight oats made with fresh almond milk. Breakfast. Big enough to hold me over for lunch. Now I’m dreaming of eating the rest of the compote with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a sprinkle of granola. Happy indeed.

Clean out the kitchen compote:

This is by no means a recipe I would normally publish, but the idea here is to use it as inspiration to experiment in your own kitchen, by necessity or simply for fun. I’m more of a savory girl, so if you like your sweets sweeter, feel free to add some sugar.

Ingredients:

6 whole plums

1 pint of figs, quartered

1 cup of whole grapes

1 apple, cored and chopped coarsely

1 bottle of Phoney Negroni (or 1 cup of apple or grape juice)

Juice of 1 lemon and 2 mandarins

1 vanilla bean

Place all the ingredients, except the vanilla bean, into a baking dish or pot. Slice the vanilla bean and scrape out the pods. Toss the pods and the bean into the pan of fruit. Cover and cook at 375 degree F for about 45 minutes, or until the fruit is soft, but still has texture. Eat with a dollop of ice cream, a bowl of yogurt, a sprinkle of granola, or overnight oats.

I'm one of the rare ones who don't need a cup of coffee first thing in the morning to get the day going. That said, I do love an occasional morning cappuccino and the ritual of a Sunday latte, but even then, it's (gasp!) decafinato. My nerves simply can't handle the caffeine.

And yet, when in Italy, something feels different. Like pasta for most people, I can handle the real thing there. Why is that? Maybe it's the quality of ingredients. Maybe it's because I linger a little longer at the table, people watching and talking. Time feels a bit more liminal and don't feel the additional anxious rush that I normally do at home.

When in Italy, I seek out neighborhood cafes, preferably tucked away in quiet corners, not over run with tourists. One exception is

a little corner café in Rome called Sant'Eustachio Il Caffè. You can smell the coffee wafting into the piazza before you see it. The café has been around since the 1930s, and it's a Roman institution, beloved by locals and travelers alike. No Starbucks-style choices or sugary syrups on the menu. Just good coffee, pulled by the seasoned barista who has made tens of thousands of espresso with a steady, practiced hand. You can grab a seat on the sidewalk cafe tables, though you may have to wait, or you can stand at the counter, al banco. It's how the locals take their morning espresso and catch up on the local gossip, and it will cost you less. In Italian culture, coffee is more than a beverage; it's a social affair. One of the many daily rituals the Italians indulge in as a way of living a beautiful life.

As the warm weather approaches, I can't help think of one the most iconic coffee desserts. Affogato, meaning “drowned” in Italian, is an Italian dessert, or afternoon treat, that pairs a shot of espresso with vanilla gelato (or ice cream). So simple as is, but made extra delicious and rich with a generous spoonful of Bella Cucina Dolci di Latte Caramel Sauce. This is definitely one recipe and ritual I'd show up for anytime, anywhere. Get the recipe HERE.

Mangia Bene,

x Alisa

photo credits: pintrest