Tomato Ricotta Tart, fresh from the garden

It was a hot, humid, tropical morning. The kind where I already had one shower under my belt and was getting ready for my next. The Mister was hauling away some branches he had cut from low hanging trees, and I was to be on look out for the township building inspector who was scheduled to stop by and check on some of our living room construction. I had just finished picking berries and my skirt was stained with enormous red splotches- like maybe I had been butchering chickens. So as I stood sweating helplessly in my bloodied berry-juice skirt, that was the moment the building inspector pulled into the driveway. I smiled, made some jokes and invited him inside. Within two minutes of his visit, the poor guy managed to step on our weakest floor board, the one that promises to drop you down underneath the house. "That's okay, we do that all the time," I told him truthfully, and he chuckled. Then he pointed out a wall we had torn down but forgot to tell him about and asked about some of our other rooms. Overall, the inspection went very well, even though a puddle of sweat was forming at my feet. The inspector signed off on our permit and said he'd be in touch by phone.

Which reminds me that we are still without phone and internet service, a situation that is supposed to be remedied by a repairman today. Meanwhile, the garden is nearly weed free, squash is ready to be picked, and a many pints were processed this weekend. Here are some other things we have been enjoying...

A lovely display of sunflowers and canna lilies in the front garden.

Peppers, tomatoes, and what is left of the corn.

Not bad from one seed, and there is plenty more between the rows.

For supper we had this delicious and suprisingly filling Tomato Ricotta Tart, which is actually a family recipe created by my cousin's cousin (who is a very good cook.)

You need: a 9-inch spring form pan (that thing you use to make make cheesecake.)
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk or skim ricotta
a handful of fresh basil
a small package of either frozen spinach or cut broccoli (defrosted)
1.5 lbs. beefsteak tomatoes (or one large one)
coarse bread crumbs
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, italian seasonings and a little olive oil

Preheat over to 450

Grease the bottom and sides of your spring form pan well. Press your bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs, but you could make some coarse ones in a food processor with your own bread, and it would probably work with your plain old garden variety bread crumbs, too) into the bottom of the pan. This is your bottom crust. In a food processor, mix the ricotta, basil, eggs, parmesan, and seasonings together. At this point you can either add some spinach or broccoli to the mixture. Spread the mixture evenly over the crust. Finally, place thinly sliced tomato slices over the filling and brush with a little olive oil. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until edges are browned. Let it sit for ten minutes before unmolding. At this point, you can brush the top with a little more olive oil, and if you want to be fancy, garnish it with basil. Serve with a salad for supper.