GRAPES AND TOMATOES

We are intermittently busy in the vineyard harvesting grapes.  We spent 5 hours last Sunday morning harvesting the Edelweiss and then most of the afternoon delivering them to the winery.  We have been sporadically harvesting the table grapes in a 'pick-your-own' fashion, and plan on picking the rest ourselves next Friday and taking them to the Amish produce auction.  We still have the St. Croix, and the Sabre Vois wine grapes, to harvest and await word from the winery as to when they want them.

In the meantime, despite the onslaught of  blight that took all the leaves, my tomatoes are in high production.  (As is my basil, and I have harvested a good amount of garlic as well as onions.)  I have been canning every other day it seems, as early in the morning as possible, as I like to roast the tomatoes before canning...the heat precludes doing this during the day.

This is the year I grew my own plants, having found seeds for San Marzano tomatoes...Italy's primo tomato for sauce, and find that they are a truly wonderful plum tomato.

As homemade pizza (namely my own, however that may sound) is my favorite, it has been especially nice having freshly roasted sauce to top it.

Bread (pizza) dough rising.  This is enough for either 3 baguettes, or 3 pizzas or any combination there of.

Start with a very generous pouring of very good olive oil in the pan, brush it along the sides and leave a good amount in the bottom.  I do not measure anything, so it is...cut up washed tomatoes, do not peel, fill the pan; cut up onions...a good amount;  cut up two/three garlic cloves per pan; lots and lots of fresh basil; salt/freshly ground pepper; a touch of sugar; a good sprinkling of dried oregano ( I use dried instead of fresh as it seems to impart more flavor).

Put in a 375-400 degree oven and roast for two to three hours until it is the thickness you desire.  I like it mildly thick, but still with some of the tomato juice present.

Fill hot, sterile pint jars (with 1/4 tsp. of citrus acid in the bottom) and process for 45 minutes.

I now have canned 40 pints of pizza sauce, which is enough for 80 pizzas.  (I have canned whole tomatoes as well.)

So, last night being Sunday night, it was pizza/movie night at our house.

Just out of a 450/500 degree oven.  

In the tradition of my Sicilian family, we make rectangular pizzas, the size of a cookie sheet.  As I have adobe tiles on my oven shelf, I place parchment paper on the back of a cookie sheet, stretch the dough to fit to the ends...lightly cover with sauce, (too much sauce overwhelms the pizza and can make it soggy) add thinly sliced pepperoni, sliced from a large stick, not the pre-sliced kind.  Freshly grate Organic Valley's Raw Milk Jack Style Cheese ( I do not use mozzarella cheese, as it isn't a good eating cheese, and this serves both well)...and to end, freshly grate Romano Cheese over all... slip the pizza, with parchment paper, directly onto the tiles in the preheated oven.

Sunday night pizza always served with a huge side of fresh salad with homemade Italian dressing.