MARCH A TIME TO PREPARE FOR THE SPRING GARDEN

Along with making a large pot of ragu sauce to go with the fresh gnocchi I made on the weekend, I have been busy seeding some tomatoes and other plants for the Spring garden. Snow is still on the ground but underneath lies the soil waiting for the good weather. I have a little spot by the back door in the kitchen with a good southern sun. Oh the gnocchi was a feast for my girls as well as keeping a meal or two for Barb. I am dieting so avoiding too many carbs but making pasta fills the need to have some fresh pasta in the house. With the weather slightly warmer, there is a pull to go outside and work. However two feet of snow gets in the way. Soon!

END OF SUMMER CLEANUP FOR THE COOK

As the garden winds down, time to pick the remainder of the beans and tomatoes. Bagged a bushel of tomatoes from the store to use in soups and sauces during the winter. Too many tomatoes in the garden so have been bagging those too. Some Italians are busy making their homemade bottles of passata di pomodoro.

I bought two dozen for $.99 for each bottle and no effort. I think I will go back and buy some more but don't know if I can do all that work!!! I also like to use the canned tomatoes- crushed for some recipes and diced for others. The whole tomatoes can be used in stir fry meals. The red peppers are in abundance so have been enjoying roasted, fried and fresh in several dishes. Rapini will grow until the frost comes several times. Lots of home grown garlic and onions being used now. I love the fresh vegetable but will not miss the work of the garden. Oh yeah then there is snow removal! Garden versus snow removal- I guess I like the garden better!

SUNDAY DINNER AFTER A DAY IN THE GARDEN

Working in the garden works up an appetite so I put on a nice chicken broth to make some straccitella zuppa-using the broth, adding an egg and parmiggiano  formaggio scrambled putting it in the broth- to go with dinner. A simple meal with salad and chicken will be enough for a Sunday night. With all the bending and cleaning, 3 pounds lighter it was a good workout. At least I can bend now. Of course my sous chef Barb did quite a bit of the work. Too early to start the vegetable garden but the prep work has began.

I can't wait for the fresh items from not only the garden but many of the trips to markets that Barb will drag me this summer.

GRANPA'S HEALTHY BEANS!

My sweet grandson, Damiano loves granpa's healthy beans. This year my garden has been full of these pole beans so there have been lots of meals with this delight. Last week Barb and I babysat him and his big sister. They had some penne with meat sauce and were eating it. When Barb brought the dish of beans-a little olive oil, some garlic, salt, pepper to taste-, Damiano's eyes lit up! Granpa's healthy beans saved the day!

SUNDAY A BUSY DAY FOR THE COOK!

A busy Sunday making a chicken broth for Barb who has a cold and can do with the soup. A hearty meat sauce/sugo for the week is simmering on the stove. I will share with my two busy working daughters. Of course more healthy beans from the garden are ready to be cooked. One of my little grandsons loves granpa's healthy beans as he calls them. So far the garden continues to produce. An eggplant or two has been added to one of my weekend veggie mixes. The smell of the soup and sauce has made our home smell good!

THE GARDEN NEEDS WORK

Every cook loves fresh produce. It just makes the meals tastier. So with the arrival of April, some small containers are started with seeds to grow some cucumber and zuchini plants for the coming vegetable garden. The soil is too cold and can not be ready for planting until May. I was busy this week with a minestrone soup for my daughter sick with a cold and some Bolognese meat sauce for a rigatoni dish for Barb. No time for a recipe as I am busy outside-puttering, trimming branches and the usual yard work that most people are starting to do once the snow has melted. The garden needs work!

BASIL-BASILICO GREAT FRESH FROM THE GARDEN

I use basil in my cooking. It is supposed to have some medicinal uses but I just love the taste it gives to food. So I get some of the benefits anyway whatever they are. A variety of basil plants are grown worldwide. My Mom grew it so I carried on the tradition. It was used in each bottle of the homemade pomodoro passata. One little leaf per bottle!

I like to use it in simple ways. Fresh basil on slices of tomatoes drizzled with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to taste is a simple addition to the menu. At lunch or dinner it is good! Or just in a Canadian style tomato sandwich!

A simple summer sauce is using fresh tomatoes,  by crushing them in a pot with a few pieces of garlic diced and adding many pieces of fresh basil leaves and letting it simmer for about an hour. It is a quick sauce to use on spaghettini or regular spaghetti or any pasta of choice. Barb actually likes it on penne with some hot peppers added to give some kick!

If you do not have fresh tomatoes- a can of crushed tomatoes can work year round with some fresh basil.

I grow my basil in a container, handy to the kitchen on the back porch.

There is lots of information and history about the herb you can research. For me, I just like to eat it! And yes it smells good too!

MY CANADIAN VEGETABLE GARDEN-GIARDINO ITALIANO

Good meals come from good fresh food. Italians always use the vegetables and fruit in season to make their meals. I have been busy- digging then planting my summer vegetable garden. So I am Italian and need tomatoes. I planted several different kinds. Lettuce, beans, eggplant, cucumbers and swiss chard are some of the other vegetables in my little plot. My herbs- oregano, rosemary,basil and parsley are in my little pots. Over the next few months I will share my summer recipes with you. It will be fun showing you the fresh vegetable then the dish it will become. For today, I want to rest my sore old muscles from all the gardening activity. Maybe a nap or two! Il bello giardino! Troppo lavoro! Sono stanco!