SOLA GINA nella CUCINA: Cooking on my own: MEMORIES OF SUMMER: Life changes; the food is forever

We all have memories of summer. They grow and change with us as we mature, but the seasonal harvest remains the same and is a continuous part of our lives. My childhood memories are of endless days of sun, sea, the beach, fresh fish and produce from the gardens of my grandfather and later, my Dad. My Dad fished for sport and loved to grow veggies, fruit, herbs and flowers as a hobby. We were never wanting for anything luscious in the summertime! My Mom preserved or froze much of our summer harvest for use during the long winter and kept the memories alive. I was probably the only kid in my class who snacked on Lobster Pie, Asparagus Soup, and Fresh Peach Cobbler when I returned from a day at school! Those were the days of the Twinkie and the Devil Dog for others!

My Handsome Dad on the High Seas in the Old Days..

Two Perfectly Steamed Maine Lobsters

(my Mom would freeze the meat from 2 dozen of these to make her Lobster Pies for the winter)

Later, after I married, we moved to what had been my summer home and brought up our children with the same kind of summer memories. My husband loved to garden as did his grandparents and mother, and he sometimes fished for sport. He tried to pass the passion on to the girls, but we all preferred to eat and cook the fruits of his labor!

Here, Emily seems interested in discovering gardening work..

Jennifer decided that if digging in the dirt was good, it must be good to eat it, so she tried feeding it to Amanda (without much luck), and Amanda picked and ate some Lily of the Valley Berries (poisonous!) while "helping" Bob garden, and was rushed to the hospital. She's the dramatic one!

None of us carried on the gardening tradition, but we continued eating and cooking summer's bounty with great enthusiasm!

Wild Salmon, Striped Bass, Bluefish, corn and tomaotes, basil, blueberries, watermelon, peaches and raspberries, what would summer be without these things?

Wild Sockeye Salmon

(my favorite is Coho or King, but Sockeye comes into season first)

Basil, Corn, Tomatoes and Zucchini, some of summer's best bounty

Tomato Basil Tart

One of the things you can make of Summer's Bounty

Zucchini, now there's a veg that brings back some "mixed" memories. Truthfully, I do love zucchini and my Dad grew it well, so it was often prepared on the grill alongside the fresh fish he had caught.

Grilled Zucchini, Citrus Sockeye Salmon and Sunflower Sprouts

Oh, summer, how I love thee..

Because zucchini is so prolific and easy to grow, everyone was growing it in the '70's. Recipes crowded the magazines and newspapers and neighbors passed along their "favorites" with a few of their home-grown prizes. Soon, it was best to hide as a neighbor or friend approached with a wrapped loaf of zucchini bread or a tin of muffins. They were good, but ubiquitous and soon became a dreaded object, almost as much as Christmas "fruitcake"!

I even included a recipe for Zucchini Cake in my newspaper column. It was made the same as Carrot Cake and was actually very moist and tasty. Any Carrot Cake recipe with cinnamon and vanilla will do. Just substitute shredded zucchini for the carrots or do half and half! Cream Cheese Frosting, of course..

I still have two favorite zucchini dishes, one is from Patricia Well's, Trattoria, Tagliatelle with Fresh Parsley and Zucchini. Her recipe can be found online. It involves either buying or making homemade tagliatelle, which are noodles a little less wide than fettuccine, but you could use them or linguine if necessary. The other is for my Zucchini Basil Curry Soup from the White Rainbow. I'll leave that for another post. It was and still is outstanding! Inexpensive and a soup for all seasons.

I have found a way to make a satisfying version of the pasta dish, and have some tasty zucchini left for a salad or vegetable accompaniment to meat or fish.l

GRILLED ZUCCHINI AND PASTA

1 or 2 zucchini

olive oil

minced garlic (optional, necessary for me!)

lemon zest

salt, coarsely ground fresh pepper

fresh parsley or basil

grated parmesan

linguine or fresh fettuccine

Wash and cut zucchini in half and then into "fingers". Generously season with salt, pepper, oil and garlic. Let marinate for 15 minutes or more. Add some lemon zest. Just grate it over the zucchini.

I used Penzey's Trinadad Seasoning here, a blend of lemon zest, garlic, pepper and spice

Next grill the zucchini slices on a hot grill until browned, but still crisp. Cut about 1/2 zucchini into pieces and toss with hot pasta adding more oil if necessary, basil or parsley, and grated cheese.

Save the rest of the zucchini to grill again with fish or meat or add to a salad or just eat cold!!