I seem to be reliving my past this week, lol! First, I run into a guy I haven't seen in almost twenty years (that was sooo neat!), and right now I'm in the middle of reliving a memory from France.
I've been waiting for this day since March 16th. I can remember planting the tomato plants with this vision in my mind. I'm so excited right now (it's nothing big, really; so don't get too excited yet! It's just something I haven't done for years.).
When I lived in France, I would go home (from the university) every day for lunch because we had a good two hour break in the middle of the day. I would walk to the "Halles", which is the marketplace--tons and tons of fresh produce at reasonable prices. I would get fresh tomatoes, basil, and parsley, and walk home. There I would make myself fresh, homemade pasta sauce and have pasta for lunch. Yum! I did that almost every day for about four months.
When I came back here after my year was up, I would buy tomatoes at the store and make fresh sauce, but it's just not the same. Those tomatoes are so bland. So I told myself that one day ... one day ... I would plant my own tomato plants and make myself a real pasta sauce. Well, "one day" has finally arrived.
I went to the backyard to my very sad-looking tomato plants hoping I had enough tomatoes to make sauce (it takes a ton because the sauce really cooks down). Well, I had way more than enough. It was so satisfying to pluck those very red tomatoes from the vines. It was not satisfying to wash them all, trim the ends and put them in the blender to make sauce, though! That was work. As I was making it, I could see myself in that kitchen 15 years ago. It was so cool!
But it's all worth it because the smell of fresh tomato sauce is wafting through the air, and if I close my eyes--and drown out the noise of Carlos and the next door neighbor playing in his room ;) I am back in France. Just for a couple of hours.
Can't wait for dinner tonight! Bon Appetit, tout le monde! ("tout le monde" means everyone.)
You can't know how desperately I'm missing my camera today. I totally wanted to take pictures of the red-ripe tomatoes in the bowl, and the sauce (it's even a different color when it's fresh) to show you guys, but "c'est la vie." I'll just have to do it again next year and take pics.
Edit: I was so excited to serve this dinner to my husband, and he didn't detect any difference between regular sauce I make from tomato sauce and this pasta sauce! :) oh well. I still liked it!
I've been waiting for this day since March 16th. I can remember planting the tomato plants with this vision in my mind. I'm so excited right now (it's nothing big, really; so don't get too excited yet! It's just something I haven't done for years.).
When I lived in France, I would go home (from the university) every day for lunch because we had a good two hour break in the middle of the day. I would walk to the "Halles", which is the marketplace--tons and tons of fresh produce at reasonable prices. I would get fresh tomatoes, basil, and parsley, and walk home. There I would make myself fresh, homemade pasta sauce and have pasta for lunch. Yum! I did that almost every day for about four months.
When I came back here after my year was up, I would buy tomatoes at the store and make fresh sauce, but it's just not the same. Those tomatoes are so bland. So I told myself that one day ... one day ... I would plant my own tomato plants and make myself a real pasta sauce. Well, "one day" has finally arrived.
I went to the backyard to my very sad-looking tomato plants hoping I had enough tomatoes to make sauce (it takes a ton because the sauce really cooks down). Well, I had way more than enough. It was so satisfying to pluck those very red tomatoes from the vines. It was not satisfying to wash them all, trim the ends and put them in the blender to make sauce, though! That was work. As I was making it, I could see myself in that kitchen 15 years ago. It was so cool!
But it's all worth it because the smell of fresh tomato sauce is wafting through the air, and if I close my eyes--and drown out the noise of Carlos and the next door neighbor playing in his room ;) I am back in France. Just for a couple of hours.
Can't wait for dinner tonight! Bon Appetit, tout le monde! ("tout le monde" means everyone.)
You can't know how desperately I'm missing my camera today. I totally wanted to take pictures of the red-ripe tomatoes in the bowl, and the sauce (it's even a different color when it's fresh) to show you guys, but "c'est la vie." I'll just have to do it again next year and take pics.
Edit: I was so excited to serve this dinner to my husband, and he didn't detect any difference between regular sauce I make from tomato sauce and this pasta sauce! :) oh well. I still liked it!
Comments
and Debbie, maybe I will, NEXT year (because that's the next time I'll be able to make this again!).
I'm catching up on you! :)