My last ditch, month-long guide, crusade if you will, of what you must do to soak up every juicy morsel of what is left of this amazing Sonoma summer.
1. Make “summer sauce.” There is not a summer day where a large Mason jar of my homemade, go-to ‘summer sauce’ isn’t gracing the top shelf of my fridge. It is a tangy, cooling, concoction consisting of a very imprecise mixture of buttermilk, sour cream, herbs, and a startling amount of fresh cracked pepper. It elevates everything. A simple plate of tomatoes or a bowl of dainty little gem lettuces becomes nothing less than legendary. A fancy Ranch dressing if you will, it is heavenly tossed with raw vegetables or drizzled over a cold poached piece of fish, and is the ultimate as a dipper for a thoughtful plate of crudités. My ‘summer sauce’ is truly never the same twice. I might loosen it with a bit of tarragon vinegar to dress greens, or thicken it with soft feta cheese to dollop a top a lamb burger. I toss in handfuls of whatever herbs I have on-hand; the best being tiny ringlets of peppery chives, dill is classic, and tarragon the ultimate. Adding grated cucumber or zucchini, salted and drained really well, is fun and brings the festive flavor of Greece to grilled meats or char-grilled veggies. It is simply summer. In a sauce. And yes, storing it in a Mason jar is essential.
2. Eat it raw. Don’t turn on the stove. I simply just will not do it. It is during these precious months of insanely gorgeous local fruits and vegetables that I most enjoy ‘cooking’ by not cooking. My ideal side dish, perfect for potlucks, picnics, or just dinners on the patio is nothing more than a platter of raw vegetables. Ultimately, my ‘salad’ consists of whatever I may have fallen in love with at the farmer’s market that day. I’ll teeny dice summer squash or zucchini, add ringlets of skinny onion, the thinnest slivers of beans of all color – the yellow ones are amazing this time of year! – handfuls of leafy herbs such as basil or Italian parsley, shave corn off the cob right onto the plate, and for color, I will get crazy and halve a few cherry tomatoes, tossing them right on. I truly adore those little multi colored ones! I have been known to spoon in a few salty green capers or slivers of wrinkly, black, oil-cured olives. Oh, and cheese. Cheese is always good here. Shaved Parmesan, crumbled Feta, anything sort of dry and salty is yummy. Leftover bacon crumbled up on top, is simply brilliant if I do say so myself. A drizzle of local olive oil and a squeeze of lemon is all you need, but here is the precise moment to pull out the Mason jar of summer sauce.
3. More tomatoes. You need to eat more. I promise, you’ll be sorry if you don’t. Be creative. Have them at every, single meal. Eat a B.L.T. everyday. A no-cook sauce of raw, juice-filled tomatoes is the epitome of tomato goodness. In the cool of the morning, chop a half dozen of any sort, filling an oversized jar with their meat and clear juices. Throw in a wee bit of smashed garlic and several good glugs of really good olive oil. Now comes the genius part. Place this jar, yes a Mason jar again the best vessel, in a sunny spot on the windowsill. And then? Just do nothing. Go to the pool. Maybe read that book for heaven’s sake. Come dinnertime, its done! Top gilled hunks of bread with it, a steak, or maybe toss with noodles. Platters of tomatoes, sliced, wedged, and halved make any summer meal more beautiful – insert shameless ‘summer sauce’ plug again right here. When your tomatoes get too ripe, pulse in the blender them with olive oil and plenty of salt. This makes for a spectacular cold soup. Dinner, with cheese and crackers. If I could pinpoint the most tomato-ey of summer tomato experiences, I would have to say that I probably consume more tomatoes sliced on a random piece of rustic bread, toasted in my cast iron pan, and topped with crunchy, coarse salt, eaten while standing over the sink. Salty, oily, tomato juice happily running down my arm. This is summer folks. Eat more tomatoes.
4. Forage in friend’s gardens. They will love you for it this time of year. Especially if they are growing zucchini. Those friends growing tomatoes may still be hoarding them, you know who you are, but I guarantee they do need help with those herbs that are skyrocketing, flowering, and going to seed faster than they can use them up. By late summer, green beans tend to grow a foot long without realizing it, lost in their vines which claw maniacally over the neighboring eggplant, also incredibly, the size of a baseball bat in just one night. Small gardens have a way of getting out of control. Help a friend out and go pick some zucchini.
5. Zucchini IS your friend. Speaking of too much zucchini now is the time of year to embrace this long, green guy. It is the quiet, super affordable, underrated star of the vegetable world. No, really I swear. Raw, grilled, sautéed, sliced, diced, or shaved it is always tender and tasty, particularly when you find it from local farms – I am obsessed with the always-impeccable ones from Paul’s Produce! – pulled from the vine just minutes before they arrived at the market. Zucchini is most delicious in its pure, natural form; raw and shaved in long ribbons, heaped on an oversized white platter, topped with nothing more than its favorite companions: rough torn leaves of mint and fresh, über creamy ricotta. Something magical happens to this lowly vegetable when sliced into fat rings, tossed in tons of olive oil, and charred on the grill. Be a good foodie and become besties with this nerd of the vegetable world.
6. Drink weird whites. Stop with the Chardonnay already. Please. I am obsessed with other whites. Weird whites. And, I am not really talking about Chardonnay’s somewhat tired friends Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris. Think weird. Think fun and crisp and delicate and unpopular. My love affair with dry Gewürztraminer might border on obsession. I crave its pretty honey flavors, amazed at how some producers have managed to bottle wild flowers. I have been sneaking around on Gewürztraminer and sipping some pretty amazing Viognier, locally a version from Imagery is prettiest. An Italian Malvasia blew my mind last week; it tasted of white peaches and honeysuckle, and was my favorite taste memory of an entire three days eating in NYC. Verdejo, Verdicchio, Chenin Blanc, Sémillon, wine wallflowers. It is so fun to search the wine aisle for these poor low-shelved dusty bottles, dropping no more then ten bucks, and falling in love with these beautiful summer wines.
7. Don’t go out. Well, this one probably won’t make me any friends in the restaurant community, but it is my last and most important summer maxim. This is the time of year when we can all channel master chefs by doing nothing more than slicing a tomato, by shucking an ear of corn. Our patios and parks are the most spectacular dining rooms in the world and our farmers our rock stars. Let the out of town visitors have that coveted bar seat and pay for a plate of tomatoes that they couldn’t possibly dream of ever finding in their own hometown. We shall slice our own, whip up some ‘summer sauce,’ tear off a hunk of [the bejkr] bread, light the grill – if we are feeling ambitious – and stay home. Pop open a bottle of something weird while you’re at it.
Kristin’s Summer Sauce
Makes one quart
This buttermilk dressing is an indispensable condiment to have on-hand during these warm summer months. This recipe is a vague guide and is delicious with many alternate additions. It keeps for a week or two in the fridge, but won’t last that long!
- Two cups of buttermilk (full or low fat both work fine)
- One cup sour cream
- One large handful of fresh, soft herbs such as dill, tarragon, or chives
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil (possibly more if using low fat buttermilk or sour cream)
- 1 Tablespoon of white wine vinegar (I like tarragon vinegar)
- Kosher salt to taste
- Coarse ground black pepper to taste (be sure to use plenty!)
Additional yummy options: soft feta cheese, smashed avocado, more vinegar to loosen, more sour cream to thicken, grated cucumber or zucchini very well drained of liquid.
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Store in a quart-sized Mason jar and use with enthusiastic abandon.
Kristin Jorgensen is one of Sonoma’s most passionate, food obsessed residents. In this weekly column, she covers all the delicious happenings, foodie events and restaurants in Sonoma, the rest of Wine Country and beyond. Email her with comments, questions, or your food related events at foodandwine@sonomasun.com.
