I was recently on vacation with a Roman friend of mine. We made a joint dinner in which I made a small side of Marcella Hazan's Tomatoes with Garlic scented vinegar. Basically you marinate a couple of cloves of garlic and salt in red wine vinegar and drizzle it over fresh tomatoes, top with olive oil and basil. It's a dish my family loves. My friend turned her nose at them and said that Italians would never mix vinegar and tomatoes. I told her it was a Hazan recipe and my recollection was that her father had made it. She insisted it would never happen in an Italian kitchen and that she never thought Hazan knew what she was talking about anyway. Now my bruised first generation Italian American ego could stand the criticism on its own, but to disrespect Marcella, well them's fighting words. In her defense, I later asked my Italian relatives if they mix the two and they also said no. But come on! It's delicious and Marcella told me to do it! Seriously, no one in Italy mixes vinegar and fresh tomato? This can't be true, can it..?
4th of July