I am that person who swings in to September like it’s a fresh, new year. Full of hope and ready to chase my hopes and dreams minus my usual procrastination. My cup has been filled with pure Sardinian joy and sunshine and I am ready to tackle anything.
I arrived home from our vacation with a solid list of what 2024/5 holds for me. Making a start on my cook book book (the exact subject matter still to be confirmed), training for a half iron event (yet to choose to right event for me) and elevating my airbnb listings (surely tweaking dates to bounce myself to the top of the algorithm counts?). It’s quite portably a result of all my primitive years in an academic structure that has seemingly institutionalised me. Or the fact that I have long been a sucker for an academic diary.
So why is that just one week since usual life resumed, my enthusiasm and more importantly, my focus has begun to wane?
I have a few theories.
The weather - it has has turned faster than I (and everyone else) had hoped. Those annoying dry patches have already begun to appear on my skin and I sit now panicking about the glut of unripened tomatoes waiting to be picked.
The kids - packed lunches, after school club craziness, the never ending school comms. The big kid has been back at school for all of four days and today got sent home with a sickness bug.
The training - a super slow 2.5k run feels insignificant, I couldn’t even face saving it against my Strava. You know what they say, if it’s not saved, it never happened.
Theories, or let’s face it, simply excuses.
Yes, my vacation enthusiasm has perhaps slipped through my fleece and beanie hat combo. But all is not lost. That academic diary has a use. In it a solid plan is forming, one that looks achievable and I am ready to embrace it, along with the autumnal shift (perhaps not this last one).
Fresh Ingredient Heaven
For the past three weeks I have been in what can only be described as a culinary spoilt state. From the simplicity and freshness of Sardinian food to the producers and food stories behind each dish. Not to mention the deliciously strong coffee.
What I loved most was how much Sardinians care about sharing their food history as well as the sheer love that goes in to the produce they grow and the dishes they create. The entire food journey is what gives the dish meaning and a whole lot of love.
Our days were filled with the most grassy, fresh tasting ricotta cheese I have ever tasted (may have something to do with using sheep milk rather than cows milk), countless breakfast cakes containing very little sweetness making it all too easy to eat more than one slice and the sweetest slices of Campidano melons I have ever tasted (including those in gelato form…insanely good).
At the heart of many dishes was the humble tomato - from the fresh, bright tasting pasta pomodoro, to the oozy aubergine stack. Sweet and savoury in one bite. So it would have been criminal not to centre these fruits in my first recipe of this new academic year.
Thanks to our Airbnb guests who took taking great care of our small tear drop tomato plants whilst we were away, we arrived home to a bumper crop, making testing this recipe all the much simpler. To be honest, this recipe is so simple, testing wasn’t really required - although don’t tell my youngest, she’ll wonder why on earth I kept her pickings all to myself.
Whilst the tomatoes roast away in the oven dancing together with the garlic and thyme, I highly recommend you pour a glass of Sardinian red and park yourself directly in front of the oven. It’s the most transportive experience you’ll get without physically boarding a plane to the most magical island.
Quick Roasted Garlicky Tomatoes
Roasting allows for the natural sugars in the tomatoes to deepen providing the most wonderful deep, intense flavour. Here I lay mine on a bed of lemony yogurt served with a simple green salad and flat breads for mopping up. This is equally as good blitzed in to a Pomdoro sauce and served with a pasta of choice - Gigli for that real Sardinian authenticity.
Take 1kg of tomatoes, there or thereabouts, wash and place in a roasting tin large enough to lay in a single layer. Add 4 peeled garlic cloves, a bunch of thyme springs and half a lemon chopped in to chunks. Drizzle with a good lug of extra virgin oil and toss to combine. Place in a preheated oven set at 180º and roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway, until the tomatoes go all squidgy and a sweet aroma fills the room.
Serve immediately - alone, layered over lemon drenched yogurt, through pasta or dolloped on top of a piece of sourdough. All ways are equally delicious.
Sounds like a wonderful reset of a trip! 🥰