Tomatoes, Blueberries and Tractor-Touching

Moving is always a hard thing to do.

It’s particularly hard when you’re happy in your current location, but feel as though the path of life is taking you elsewhere, as my family and I did this spring. Having spent the last half of last year in Johannesburg, South Africa, when we returned to our beloved Park Slope, Brooklyn, we realized that our apartment was no longer big enough for us. If I was bouncing off the walls, how could I expect my two-year-old not to?

So we left the brownstones, the hipsters, the restaurants and bars, concerts in the park and a bunch of great friends, and made the move to the ‘Burbs.

Obviously, there are a lot of things I’m going to miss, but Fairfield and the surrounding areas have so much to offer. I’ll be darned if I’m not going to squeeze every drop of life out of it, dragging the two-year-old with me and blogging about it on the way. So first off, thank you for reading. Thank you for indulging me when I say something like hot dogs are stinking great, something you already know and have known for years; it’s all new to me. Fantastic and sweet and new, and I’m so glad to be here. Thank you for having me.

Anyway, moving on.

Earlier this week, the aforementioned drops of life being squeezed were blueberry flavor, as My Girl and I headed out to the farmers’ market at the in Shelton.

The market is the kind of place Pottery Barn could shoot a catalogue: rustic chic, wildflowers in jam jars, a guy playing acoustic guitar. Sonoma in Connecticut, marketed very precisely for a particular audience, one that most definitely includes me. Nestled in a green space between the red-barn style winery and Harvest Kitchen were several local food vendors selling bread, honey, veggies and soup. Healthy, chirpy children in bright sundresses and rompers played with hoola-hoops and miniature farm buildings. My Girl ran around wide-eyed and screaming (hopefully with delight, possibly being chased by a bee, who knows). On a breezy, sunny-but-not-too-hot afternoon, it was a pretty great place to be.

My favorite feature was “Dinner in a Bag”; I gave them $7, and they gave me, well, dinner – a paper bag with fresh squash, zucchini, tomato, basil, garlic, and a recipe. On the way home I picked up a lemon, pine nuts & mozzarella, and we were ready to go. Well, my husband was ready to go; he cooks. I eat. Anyway, thirty minutes later he served grilled vegetable “lasagna” (the quotes being necessitated by the fact that there was no pasta), incorporating a tomato so ripe and fresh I wanted to kiss it. He declared the accompanying pesto a winner, and we were able to go one day this week without meat, as Oprah told us we should. Really, really lovely; recipe below.

Next week’s theme is pretty ingenious, if you ask me (and you’re still reading so we’ll assume you want to know): “Sweet Corn and Tractors.” Market Manager Allyson Angelini said it was to be a farm version of “Touch a Truck,” where kids can ogle the huge machinery used on the farm. Sit Elmo on top of one and I know a couple of little boys who would equate that with heaven. Add that to the offering of fresh sweet corn that would be perfect on a summer’s afternoon grill, and it could be pretty close to heaven for their parents, too.

Of course one of the main draws of the farm is picking your own berries; we’re nearing the end of blueberry season, so if you want to get some, you’d better get out there soon. Unfortunately the extreme heat and dry conditions are reeking some havoc on the berries, so call the Farmer Jones Daily Hotline (203-292-8425) before heading out; they’re having to close the pick-your-own fields a few days here and there to allow the berries to recover between harvestings.

And finally, if you have any interest in or knowledge of Scottish or Irish ancestry, please stop and have a chat with the farm’s greeter, Mr. Mannie Padin, who would love to discuss them with you, particularly the Lindsay and Whitney clans (I hope I spelled those correctly, Mr. Padin). He is a great greeter.

The Jones Family Farm Harvest Kitchen Grilled Vegetable “Lasagna”

(While of course you may not go out to the Jones Family Farm to get your dinner-in-a-bag ingredients, I think it would be relatively criminal to serve this recipe without a farm-fresh tomato.)

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 lemons, zested

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper

For the pesto:

2 Tbsp pine nuts (optional)

1 large bunch basil

1 large garlic clove

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the “lasagna”:

8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4’ slices

2 zucchini, sliced 1/4” rounds

2 yellow squash, sliced 1/4” rounds

2 medium tomatoes, sliced 1/4” rounds

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions

For the vinaigrette: Heat oil, lemon zest, and garlic in a small saucean until bubbling around the edges. Remove from heat, and let cool completely. Stir in lemon juice. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

For the pesto: Puree everything in a food processor or blender until it is well combined. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the “lasagna”: Heat grill to medium. Brush zucchini and squash slices with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill, flipping occasionally, until softened and slightly charred, about 8 minutes. Remove from grill. Whisk vinaigrette and drizzle generously over on top. Toss to coat.

Layer the vegetables and mozzarella cheese, alternating colors, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the pesto around the lasagna and serve cold or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 Servings

Also delicious with grilled eggplant or your favorite summer vegetables. Layer in individual stacks and make one pan to share.