We don’t have fireflies in Texas. This makes me sad for Lone Star children everywhere. It makes me sad for me, even. Because what’s summer without badminton, pitchers of sweet tea, and magical bugs that resemble burning embers at a campfire?
Nothing beats a plated Jersey tomato, kosher salt, a big fat chiffonade of basil, Olio Santo olive oil, and 12-year barrel-aged balsamic vinegar from Modena–trust me. It’s simple, but such a summer pleasure. Now’s the time to skin your tomatoes, pass them through a food mill, and freeze up a few batches of sauce to enjoy in the butt-crack of winter. And nothing is better matched with raw tomatoes than my favorite wine: Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Second place is a Gewurztraminer from Pfalz or even a dry Vouvray with a touch of sugar. It’s because tomatoes are a fruit with high acidity, so you need a wine with high acidity to make a good match. Adding more kosher salt to the tomatoes lowers the acidity.
And then there are pleasures we can only enjoy now: a Late Harvest Sylvaner wine. I’m all over it. In particular, I love semi-sparkling (frizzante) wines.
A YEAR AGO: End of Summer Salad
3 YEARS AGO: USO Behaving Badly
