Today's Market Report
The Farmers' Market today was full of late-summer abundance. Excellent in price and quality were heirloom tomatoes; melons; grapes; peppers, both sweet and hot; cucumbers; sweet corn and succulent figs still attached to the branch.

I bought big into the tomatoes. I found them irresistible, even though I already have some in my kitchen, needing to be used. This means I will have to make lots of things with tomatoes.

So, I bought a bunch of fresh basil, and some red and yellow bell peppers. I will make a simple roasted pepper fresh salsa.

I also bought another type of pepper, sweet but intense, that I want to try with a south Indian cucumber salad. I'm not sure the peppers shouldn't be a bit spicier, but they shouldn't be too hot, and most of the other pepper varieties in the market were quite hot. So I will try these squiggly "sweet peppers" I bought from the Korean ladies' stall. Cucumbers and cilantro purchased to go in that salad, which is based on a favorite from my time living in India back in the '80s.

I bought the usual large bag of organic lettuce and a few late-summer peaches, very sweet and crisp. They would make a good addition to a salad as well, with tossed organic baby greens, a handful of chopped walnuts, some thinly sliced red onion, and gorgonzola dressing.

Those who have read earlier editions of this blog have probably heard me say it before. I love salads, have a gazillion favorites, and can make a great salad to accompany any entrée. Friends have called me the queen of salads. "Yeah, yeah, brag, brag. Get on with it."

Okay, okay, here goes.

Start by roasting the peppers. I put them right on the stove burner at the lowest level of flame, while I'm doing other prep. I lay out the tongs to turn them with and do my peeling, chopping and dicing with other ingredients. After the peppers are roasted, they need to be cooled, peeled, seeded and chopped.

There is something really sensual about warm, peeled, roasted peppers. Especially the red ones. They are one of my favorite ingredients for sauces or salads. As you work with them, hold them over a bowl to catch their intensely flavored juices. I peel the blistered skins off, trim the area where the peppers are attached to the skin and remove the seeds and ribs.

Starting with the tomatoes, add the other ingredients to the chopped peppers. The tomatoes should be skinned, which is easy to do with heirlooms, because they have relatively thick skins that peel off in big strips. Then chop them into small chunks. I don't mind tomato seeds and in fact like the crunchy texture they add to the sauce. If you like a more full-bodied sauce, you can puree all or part of the tomatoes before adding them, which also cuts down on the number of seeds that make their way into the sauce. I just mash the tomatoes though a seive with a wooden spoon. My heirlooms, like many, are dark red and look almost like pureed raspberries. They have an intense flavor of their own that stands up to the strong flavor of the peppers. The yellow and green peppers are attractive with the dark red tomato sauce.

Chop the fresh basil and stir it in, along with a clove of crushed, minced garlic. Season with a squeeze of fresh lemon, salt and freshly ground pepper; drizzle with the olive oil. Toss together and taste; correct the seasoning

This is a really simple salsa but wonderfully tasty. Because it does not have to be heated you can throw it together quickly, yet it's sophisticated and complex. I like it with cold pasta; either rotelli or farfalle. If you like it spicier, add a dash of tabasco sauce. Let the sauce sit for an hour or so before serving, to let the flavors mingle. Take it out of the 'fridge half an hour before serving so it can come to room temperature. Serve with flaked parmesan or powdered asiago.

Fresh Roasted-Pepper Sauce
Serves 4-6

4 medium red, green or yellow peppers, or mix them
2 large or 3 medium ripe heirloom tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste
squeeze of fresh lemon
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

We had our salsa this evening with farfalle, reggiano cheese flakes, and whole grain toast sprayed with virgin olive oil. T brought Dancing Bull Zinfandel. The wine was a good balance for the peppers and tomatoes. The sauce looked beautiful, with flecks of yellow, and green peppers in the dark red sauce. The evoo and the heirloom tomatoes gave a strong fruit overtone to the sauce, which was echoed by the fruitiness of the Zin. A healthy, low-calorie dinner on a late summer Saturday evening. We will follow up with a desert of low-fat vanilla ice cream with halved grapes and a sprinkling of ground flax seed. Normally I make deserts that are a bit more indulgent; just now, I want to maximize healthy food for awhile.

Unfortunately I was unable to take my usual "glam" shot of the pasta on the plate, wine to the side, ready to eat, because my camera battery died.

Time to get a new battery. Maybe I can add a picture tomorrow. There are leftovers.