#AperitifAugust Starts in the Potager
Drink & Eat your Garden Together this weekend
Cool off! Chill out! Calm down! And keep harvesting!
As we swing into French August on another hot wave of scorching days and barely balmy nights, I have relinquished all control of the kitchen to my refrigerator. I have become a hound in hell seeking only one thing… ice. And it shows in my ‘cooking’ and in my ‘entertaining’; neither are very warm and hospitable at the moment; just the bare essentials as friends and family have to fend for themselves as we hunker down in the marginally cooler stone walls of Camont.
Although I managed a night market or two and a few evening meals outside in July, thanks to boxes and boxes of local, well-chilled Rosé wine, I am switching to nothing but chilled salads with cold meats, platters of tomatoes (amazing this year, merci), Vietnamese-style sandwiches on soft supermarket baguettes with home-made French pâté (prepared in the darling, cool, and rainy April time) garnished with pickled vegetables, and buckets of ice cream—homemade, of course!
In this too-dry, no-rain-for-weeks hard season, the tomatoes are the stars of the garden. Thanks to a free-flowing well just 4-meters deep in the middle of the raised beds, I can water the potager generously as I begin to stretch my newly rebuilt knee with a bit of early morning weeding and harvesting. Green beans are still producing enough for a couple of meals a week plus some dilly beans, and I harvest an armload of Swiss chard every couple of days. The scallions/green onions I planted in an old zinc basin alongside some golden beets are now pencil thick and I start to pluck a few to chew on as soak all the pots, every day.
It seems fitting that the first apéro hour of August begins with a more savory “plant-forward” approach- a homegrown twist on a Bloody Mary that doubles as a gazpacho substitute—with or without the alcohol. Here’s my recipe as featured on Forest Collins's inspiring website 52 Martinis along with some other great ideas- like the Champagne Stiletto with Rye, bitters, and Champagne.
The Garden Mary
For each tall glass full of ice:
1 very ripe tomato, grated into a juicy pulp or a handful of very ripe cherry tomatoes. Add some extra tomato juice or lemon to thin if needed. I squeezed my tomatoes using an old fashioned orange juicer.
Thai basil
1 stalk of lovage
Fresh Cornichon or cucumber
Fresh green guindilla pepper (or a pickled one)
Small green onion, roots and all
Pickled green coriander seeds
Put all ingredients into a tall glass, mix and add a dash of your favorite clear spirit (vodka and tequila get my vote) and lots of ice. Garnish with a fresh cornichon.
Now that you have a “plant forward” drink in hand what will you serve with it as the the ‘Eat ‘ part of the Apéro hour? Remember those gorgeous and meaty Coeur de Boeuf tomatoes? Since it’s way too hot to bake a tomato tart this late in the day, how about a simple Tartine Catalane or Pa amb Tomaquet? I like the doubling down of the savory tomato fruit in peak season. Here’s a picnic version of Apéro August on the beach.
When I proposed to Saveur magazine a road trip inspired by Honey from A Weed, a favorite book by Patience Gray into the Empordá area of the Costa Brava that I frequent, Saveur test kitchen pal Kat Craddock joined me and a few friends for a weekend jaunt around my favorite places—L’Escala, La Bisbal, Llança, and winding up with a beach picnic in Cadaqués. Over the week we haunted every tapas bar and restaurant for the best pa amb tomaquet. No matter your favorite technique—rubbed, grated, smashed, a ripe tomato and raw garlic is dragged over the rough surface of a slice of country-style bread or coca*, with a generous drizzle of good olive oil, and sea salt. That’s it. It is somehow a magic combination that is served at every meal in this part of Spain- from breakfast to tapas before dinner.
Next, I’d contrast the sweet and bright tomato cocktail--herby with sage or basil and maybe a dilled haricot vert from a batch I made earlier in July-- with something creamy and rich. Think of a crème fraîche/onion dip thinned out with pickle juice and buttermilk totally trending on point with the new pickle flavor trend featured in this week’s NY Times. Crudités (carrots, celery, thin slices of kohlrabi) or good potato chips would work to carry the dip to your snackish mouth in between sips of the Garden Mary.
If tomatoes aren’t your thing and you are still graving an Apéro a la Française, why not make a long iced Champêtre, my version of a spritzer with dry rosé wine, a shot of white armagnac by Delord , and an elderflower fizz like SurO made by my dear friend Lucinda Pryor. Or A Elderflower Mojito like the one above. Once again, Forest at 52 Martinis squeezed all the info about elderflower drinks from Lucinda on her podcast this month- take a lesson and get inspired to weave more botanicals into your aperitif hour.
With this sort of bright, citrusy wine-based cocktail, I’d cut some melon cubes, slice some saucisse seche onto the bowl, and maybe a dusting of Piment d’Espelette or black pepper. I also love melon and anchovies (subbing for prosciutto-- the salty with the sweet!) and red pepper slices with anchovies I call Barques Catalanes. Or maybe just anchovies. Can you tell I love those little fish?
Okay, this should get you started. Shake up your usual glass of wine or cold beer and make the effort to serve a tasty fresh drink with a few platters of delicious summer food.
Coming next for Supporting Paid Subscribers, one of my favorite savory tarts to make for Aperitifs— Chard, Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onions, Olives, and Pine Nuts in an Olive Oil pastry. Sign up now to get the recipe this week….
That’s it for today… 19:30 the perfect time for an Apéritif!
Kate
Links:
*Here’s a simple recipe for Coca- the regional Catalan flatbread like a French fougasse-- https://spanishsabores.com/catalan-coca-recipe-delicious-homemade-flatbread/
https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Spanish-Style-Toast-with-Tomato/
https://www.saveur.com/cookbook-club-honey-weed-mediterranean-adventure/
People:
I made your cornichons last week. Well, an american version using Kirby cucumbers cut into small spears. We tried them last night with a charcuterie platter and they're so delicious! Thank you!
Love Pa amb tomaquet! Always a winner.