By this point of the summer, meals at the Foodie Tot house tend to become simple variations of mixed grill or summer salads. To say I am obsessed with the pairing of summer tomatoes and peaches would be an understatement. This Italian bread salad, incorporating the two plus sweet corn, is the perfect showcase for summer’s peak ingredients and is a quick, no-cook, one-dish-meal that’s perfect for busy summer weekends.

Recipe: Tomato Peach Panzanella

Ingredients:

• 4 slices day-old hearty Italian bread or corn bread
• 2 large very ripe tomatoes
• 2 large very ripe peaches
• 2 ears corn, shucked
• several basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces aged white cheddar, cubed

vinaigrette:

• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions: Toast the bread slices and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Cut the tomatoes and peaches into 1/2-inch cubes as well. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs. In a bowl, layer the bread, tomatoes, peaches and corn. Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to make vinaigrette. Sprinkle vinaigrette and basil over salad and toss gently. Stir in cheese and let stand for 10 minutes before serving to allow flavors to blend. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

Farms of Origin: peaches, Bigg Riggs (WV); tomatoes, basil, sweet corn, Potomac Vegetable Farms CSA (VA); cheddar, Tom the Cheese Guy (PA); bread (dinner rolls), Valentine’s Country Bakery & Meat (VA); from the Alexandria Upper King Street and McLean Farmers Markets.

More peach & tomato recipes:

• Roasted Peach & Tomatillo Salsa
• Grilled Nectarine Tomato Salad as seen on Cookie magazine’s One Little Bite!
• Chesapeake Corn, Peach & Tomato Crepes
• Pork Tenderloin with Tomato-Peach Compote from Gourmet

What’s your favorite peach/tomato recipe?

One Local Summer is an annual challenge in which people around the world join together for 13 weeks of seasonal eating, supporting local farmers and exploring their local foodsheds. Visit FarmtoPhilly on Tuesdays for the weekly round-up; here’s what my neighbors in the Southern region cooked up this week.

We were out of town again over the weekend, so our local foods eating was partly an effort to use up market and CSA produce before we left. This colorful pasta creation used a rainbow of locally-sourced ingredients, starting with a favorite staple at our house, fresh pasta by Nancy of Smith Meadows. Nancy uses their wildly popular free-range eggs and herbs and vegetables grown at neighboring farms to make these delicious pastas. The flavors range from oat and wheat to herbed fettuccine and mixed greens or blue cheese pecan ravioli. Nancy has also expanded her offerings to include sauces, for an even more effortless “fast food” meal you can feel good about, too.

This week, I used bacon, cherry tomatoes and chard for a “BLT” (subbing chard for the lettuce) pasta dish, a flavorful and quick weeknight dinner, with a side of green and yellow string beans for good measure.

Recipe: “BLT” Fettuccine

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh sun dried tomato fettuccine
• 4 slices nitrate-free bacon
• 1 bunch chard, rinsed and cut into thick slices
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 pound string beans, ends trimmed
• several basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions: Bring large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat cast iron skillet over medium high heat and cook bacon until crisp and brown, 6-7 minutes. Remove to drain on paper towel lined plated. Drain excess grease, leaving a light coating in the bottom of the pan. Add chard and season with a pinch of salt and pepper; reduce heat to medium low and cook until chard just begins to wilt. Remove from pan. Add cherry tomatoes to pan, increase heat back to medium high and cook until tomatoes begin to blister, 6-8 minutes.

While the tomatoes cook, blanch string beans in salted boiling water just 1-2 minutes, then use slotted spoon or pasta skimmer to remove beans and rinse with cold water in a colander. Set aside and boil pasta for 2 minutes (or according to package instructions if using boxed pasta). Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of cooking water.

In a large pasta serving bowl, gently stir together cooked pasta, tomatoes, chard, bacon, and basil. Press gently on tomatoes to release their juices. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil and reserved pasta water until moist. (Optional: grate parmesan cheese over top.) Arrange string beans around the side of the pasta, and enjoy! Makes 6 servings.

Farms of Origin: Cibola Farms (bacon), Potomac Vegetable Farms (chard, basil), Three Way Farm (beans, tomatoes), Smith Meadow Farm (pasta) — all in Virginia.

One Local Summer is an annual challenge in which people around the world join together for 13 weeks of seasonal eating, supporting local farmers and exploring their local foodsheds. Visit FarmtoPhilly on Tuesdays for the weekly round-up; here’s what my neighbors in the Southern region cooked up this week.

I have been eagerly hoarding the last of the peaches and tomatoes at the market. On this final weekend of summer, I picked up lovely nectarines (Papa’s Orchard) and golden cherry tomatoes at the West End market. As is probably evident by now, I love the combination of peach and tomato. This time, I grilled the nectarines and made a sweet, tangy salad with the cherry tomatoes, basil, feta and a lemon vinaigrette. The smoky flavor of the nectarine is a great complement to these perfectly sweet cherry tomatoes and salty, fresh feta.

Recipe: Grilled Nectarine Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 nectarines, halved and pits removed
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 6 large basil leaves, torn or sliced
• 4 oz. sheep milk feta
• vinaigrette – I mixed together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper

Instructions: Brush the cut side of the nectarines with olive oil and grill over medium high heat until just charred. Remove from grill, chop, and toss with remaining ingredients. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

Submitting this for Ramona’s “You Say Tomato” round-up at Houndstooth Gourmet.

The fresh tastes of early summer are equally good in cocktails as they are in meals … here are some of my favorite beverages so far this summer.

Rhubarb Mojito

To make a pitcher, muddle 2 limes and a handful of fresh mint at the bottom. Add 2 c rhubarb syrup, 2 cups rum, ice and top off with seltzer. Garnish with a rhubarb stick, of course.

Strawberry Basil Mojito

Muddle two berries and a basil leaf at the bottom of your glass. Add 1 T basil syrup*, ice, 1.5 oz rum and top with seltzer or club soda.

*Basil Syrup

Bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil, add a cup of fresh basil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain, cool, and refrigerate.