A Salami Trade

The World According to Bella

Well my careful watch on the wildlife finally paid off! As I was sitting on the porch staring intently over my domain something caught my attention as it quickly ran by. I ran furiously to catch up with that rabbit who scurried around the corner of the garage. Let me tell you I was quicker and managed to clamp my jaws firmly on its neck. I was so proud of myself as I laid down in the grass and was just about ready to take a bite when I heard a blood curdling scream from my owner. "Stop, stop!"he yelled running towards me with something in his hand but I was not about to drop my prize. Yet the temptation was too great when I saw it was salami. So my owner managed to make a trade. I dropped that dazed rabbit and scarfed up the salami. I do not understand why my owner was making such a fuss over what I thought was the ultimate prize.

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This Tomato Basil Tart is the perfect way to celebrate your garden bounty. I have been looking for a recipe that uses ripened tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden. I posted a picture of my first raspberry crop. Quite small but fit nicely in a sherbet glass.

Ingredients:

• prepared pastry for a tart pan (I used Pappy product- 2 dough balls rolled thin)
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic-finely chopped
• 3 eggs slightly beaten
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 small onion thinly sliced and separated into rings
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 4 or 5 tomatoes sliced thinly and dried on a paper towel
• 1-1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese or Gruyere cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven 375 and press dough evenly into tart pan and up the sides-line pastry with foil on bottom and up on sides
• Add foil strip around sides to prevent browning
• Bake 10 minutes
• Remove foil and bake 4 minutes longer
• In a blender add eggs milk, salt, pepper and garlic
• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on the bottom, onion slices and add chopped basil on top of this
• Slowly pour liquid into shell
• Arrange tomatoes on top of liquid and sprinkle cheese on top
• Bake 35 minutes till center comes out clean using a knife