San Marzano Harvest

It's been two months and I just picked my first batch of fresh San Marzano tomatoes. They are very similar to Roma tomatoes, but originating from San Marzano in Southern Italy. San Marzanos have fewer seeds, the flesh is meatier and the taste is a bit sweeter. This variety is gaining in popularity stateside and are more readily available at local markets.

By the way it's National Farmers Market Week.

To further awareness of farmers markets and of the many important contributions farmers make to daily life in America, I, Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, proclaims the week of August 5-11, 2012, as National Farmers Market Week; encouraging the people of the United States to celebrate the benefits of farmers markets and the bountiful production of our Nation's farmers with appropriate observances and activities.

These gorgeous heirloom plum tomatoes are ideal for a fresh quick sauce, gazpacho or bruschetta. If you don't have access to this variety fresh picked, I also use San Marzano brand canned for sauces. But, only use fresh for bruschetta.

George's Quick Spicy Tomato Sauce

Makes 4 cups |chefgeorgehirsch.com

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup chopped pancetta

10 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1/2 chopped onion, chopped fine

1/4 cup prosciutto, chopped fine

2 cups canned plum San Marzano tomatoes, crushed

1/4 cup dry white wine

2-4 teaspoons hot pepper flakes

10-12 fresh basil leaves, lightly torn

Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a saucepan and heat the olive oil.  Add the pancetta and cook until it becomes light brown.  Add the garlic, onion and prosciutto and cook 2-3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, white wine, hot pepper flakes, basil and black pepper, stir well and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  You can regulate the spiciness of the dish by adding more or less hot pepper flakes.

Suggested Pasta: 1 pound Bucatini

Heat a large pot of water and cook the Bucatini according to package directions.  Make sure to drain the pasta very carefully, shaking the colander to discard any water remaining inside the Bucatini.

Return the pasta to the cooking pot, add the sauce, mix well and serve in deep bowl.  Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Red Moon

This Wednesday, August 1st at 11:28PM (EST) the moon will be in it's full phase. The August full moon is aka "red moon"; referring to the moon's glowing red color during August. Before you nod off under the brightness in the sky, you may want to consider the magical occurrences that take place during a full moon. I'm not talking folklore like werewolves or the loony effect on human or animal behavior—I'm referring to the making of a great artisanal cheese.

One Monday night in February under a full moon, using milk just coaxed from the cow, Tim Welsh and Pat Ford decided to skip the pasteurization process and stay up late to make cheese, while the milk was most fresh. After letting it age 60 days (a federal health requirement for unpasteurized milk cheese) and giving it a final approving taste test, they named the cheese Beehive's Full Moon Cheddar and hit the market running. The cheese is made with clean, raw milk from Wadeland South Dairy. Full Moon Cheddar carries earthy flavor undertones that reflect the unique four season climate of their farm in Utah.

Celebrate this lunar phase with a full moon late night picnic. Serve Beehive Full Moon Cheese—a Good Stuff pick—with my spiced nuts, a good crisp rose, and sliced crunchy baguette bread. Just kick back and enjoy the magical power of the summer solstice.

Entertain, Made in Spain

How about entertaining with a bit of Northern Spain/ South of France influence? Stock up on Olives and Anchovies. Tip: Give Arbequina olives a try - they are grown in Catalonia, Spain and have a buttery flavor with hints of pepper.

Tapenade comes from the word tapeno which means capers in Provence. The addition of sun dried tomatoes adds a little sweetness.

Olive Tapenade

Recipe by George Hirsch | Makes 1 cup

2/3 cup black oil cured olives (Kalamata or Nicoise), pitted and finely chopped 

2 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and finely chopped 

4 cloves caramelized garlic 

2 Tablespoons capers, drained, rinsed under cold tap water and finely chopped 

2 small sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped 

4 Tablespoons virgin olive oil 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

3 basil leaves , chopped

In a bowl, mix together the olives, anchovies, garlic, capers, sun dried tomatoes, oil, pepper, and water. Spread Tapenade on toasted French baguette bread, top with fresh basil, or serve with your favorite sandwich. 

Paumanok

The Indians called Long Island "Paumanok" - which means "land of tribute". FYI, by the year 1643 there were were thirteen different American Indian Tribes living on Long Island; Canarsie, Rockaway, Matinecock, Merrick, Massapequa, Nissequoge, Secatoag, Seatauket, Patchoag, Corchaug, Shinnecock, Manhasset and Montauk. 

Original Map Drawing of Paumanok

I also am native to Paumanok (Long Island), nearer to where the Shinnecock Tribe settled. It's funny, most people think that I’m from Florida, maybe because that is where many of my shows have been filmed. While others have the impression I’m originally from Canada. That's definitely because of the stories I have shared on-air about the great influence Canada has had on my life with most of my childhood summers spent there. But I am truly a Long Islander.

Long Island New York is such a beautiful place, encircled by water. And yes, it is an island! Extending west to east 118 miles and 23 miles at it’s widest point. Enough for the geography lesson, now back to Paumanok.

Ursula and Charles Massoud - Paumanok Vineyards

I recently had a different kind of Paumanok experience. One of my long time friends had a dinner party at his home. It was a wonderful reunion, catching up with some top people in the foodie biz. The food, was over the top. Guests including top chefs, and long time friends and owners of Paumanok Vineyards, Ursula and Charles Massoud. Well, that wonderful evening was capped off with Paumanok's 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest. 

Since the spring of 1983, the Massoud's 103 acre estate, located on the Nork Fork of Eastern Long Island, has been operated by Ursula, Charles and their three sons, using old world traditions. Basically, the same ways they were born and raised with.

About Paumanok Vineyard's 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest

WINEMAKER NOTES

The summer of 2006 got off to an unusually humid start. This made vineyard management challenging, but we proactively worked to keep an open canopy and protect our crop. By August, the relentless humidity finally abated as the Sauvignon Blanc grapes began to ripen with ample sunshine and heat leading up to harvest. This allowed for complete ripening of the Sauvignon Blanc grapes, with the subsequent development of botrytis, the “noble rot”. The grapes were carefully hand-harvested and whole-cluster pressed. This wine was barrel fermented in French oak (Vosges) barrels. Fermentation was kept very cold (50F or lower) and thus, slow, to preserve fruitiness. 

TASTING NOTES

Concentrated fruit flavors range from hints of citrus to distinct tastes of pineapple, mango, quince and litchi. The wine is rich and sweet, and has ample acidity to balance the sugar, resulting in a sensational, full-bodied, dessert wine with a long finish. The oak embellishes the wine by imparting a subtle nutty flavor and by increasing complexity.