White Pumps, Tomatoes and the Summertime Blues

"Sometimes I wonder
What I'm a gonna do
'Cause there ain't no cure
for the Summertime Blues"
Summertime Blues - Rockapella

I can’t believe it. Summer is almost over, and I haven’t written about two of the best things about it: tomatoes and white shoes. Worse yet, I’ve only worn those ridiculously expensive white pumps I bought back in April twice. I can’t decide which is worse.

I love white shoes, (well any shoe really), pumps in particular. Did you ever wonder who decided you can’t wear white shoes after Labor Day? And just why not? I’ve done a thorough Google and come up empty. Anybody? (My vote is somebody in the shoe business. You know, sales were lagging sometime way back in the day, and some cobbler, somewhere, wanted to goose the trade and started a smear campaign. White shoes after Labor Day, bad, get black plague, die. Things like that can catch on in the strangest ways.)

It was one of the basics the women in my family had drilled into their genes. Always wear clean underwear, (in case you’re in an accident), safety pins are for diapers, not bra straps, don’t wear open toed shoes to a funeral, only tramps wear red nail polish, and don’t wear white before Memorial Day or after Labor day. And it seemed to apply particularly to footwear. I promise you, my mother never wore a white shoe after Labor Day in her life, and I’d lay money she never knew why either.

More importantly, I'd like to know what happens if you do? (Provided you don’t believe in that black plague stuff.) Are the fashion police going to haul you off to bad taste prison or is it just going to be a stiff fine? (“It’s September 21st, m’am. You can wear those white shoes if you want, but it’s gonna cost you.”) Wearing white open toed shoes with red toenails to a funeral in October? Hang ‘em high.

As for the tomatoes, I decided to grow a few plants in my backyard this season. With a yield of about two dozen fruits (yes, the rumors are true, the tomato really is a fruit - a giant berry, actually), I figure, what with the cost of fertilizer and bug spray, broken fingernails and ruined manicures, each tomato cost me about $2.00. That’s not counting the initial investment of the plants, the shovel, the topsoil. I call them my caviar tomatoes, and from now on I’m sticking with the farmer’s market.

Still, it was nice having my own tomatoes for two of my favorite summer recipes, either of which goes beautifully with white shoes. And everybody knows, white shoes and tomatoes are the only sure cures for the summertime blues.


Insalata Caprese

We discovered Insalata Caprese in Italy last October, and it’s the reason I decided to grow tomatoes this year. It’s so easy it should be criminal, and so elegant it’ll class up any meal. The key is to buy the very best ingredients you can find -- fresh (preferably vine ripened) tomatoes, real fresh mozzarella (Italian Mozzarella Fresca preferred, although there are some very good American brands) and top quality extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. Skimp on the meat.
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, (two 4 oz. balls, packed in water), sliced
1 bunch fresh basil
Salt & pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dress

Line salad plate with largest of basil leaves.

Layer sliced tomatoes, each topped with a basil leaf and a slice of the fresh mozzarella. Salt and pepper each layer to taste.

Top with reserved basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Great with a medium rare Tuscan style steak, a glass of Brunello, and white Chanel Espadrilles.


Nancy's Tomato Pie

I can’t believe it took a nice southern girl like me so long to discover tomato pie! This recipe for comes from a friend in Mobile, and it is totally killer. Trust me, you’re gonna love this one.
1 deep-dish 9-inch pie shell (purchased or make your own)
4 medium sized ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large or 2 medium sweet onions, coarsely chopped
10 to 12 large leaves fresh basil (optional)
3 tablespoons sauce & gravy flour (or plain flour)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt & pepper to taste

Prebake pie shell in 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool.

Reduce oven to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, slowly sauté chopped onion in olive oil over medium low heat for about 10 minutes, until caramelized, seasoning with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Peel tomatoes by dipping quickly into boiling water (the skins will slide right off) and slice.

Mix cheddar cheese with mayonnaise. Set aside.

Build pie in shell with two layers each of tomato slices, caramelized onion and 5 or 6 basil leaves. Sprinkle top of each layer with salt and pepper and half the flour.

Top pie with cheddar cheese/mayonnaise mixture. It should seal the pie and be about an inch thick.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Cool for about a 1/2 hour before serving.

Makes a great luncheon or light dinner served with a green salad, a crisp white wine (Viognier, Riesling or a dry Sauvignon Blanc), and white Bettye Mueller pumps.