My basil, tucked inside my raised tomato bed, is doing awfully well this year, staying a step ahead of powdery mildew (I know it’s coming) and growing both tall and bushy. I pinch the flowers off of some of the stems, but not all, because I love to use the buds scattered in salads and stirred into veggie sautés.

I’ve got so much basil that I've even been using it in flower arrangements. I pick it early in the morning when it is well hydrated and plunk it right into a container of water. I love my Thai basil, too, with its deep purple veins and flowers and anise-y scent. I use it in Thai Coconut Curry Mussels and more.

I’m not a huge pesto person, but I love it with green beans, something I also have a lot of in my garden. I also have plenty of cherry tomatoes thanks mostly to my North Tabor Farm CSA share. Enough, that is, that I feel like I can luxuriate in a whole pan of roasted cherry tomatoes. 

So last night we threw together a dish of green beans, roasted cherry tomatoes (and that yummy oil left on the pan after roasting), a very small amount of pasta, an even smaller amount of leftover roast chicken, basil pesto, and plenty of coarsely grated Parmigiano cheese. It was tasty, so I offer you a so-called recipe for this “Improv” Pasta with Basil Sauce, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Green Beans, and Parmigiano. I'm including the link to the basil sauce in this scallop recipe, because I regret not having blanched my basil before making pesto — it really does give you that bright green color.

If you lean towards a bigger portion of pasta and really love those roasted cherry tomatoes, you could keep things simple and just make Spaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Spicy Garlic Oil.

But I think one of my favorite tomato-basil-pasta recipes is based on a technique I learned years ago from an Italian cookbook author. Raw chopped tomatoes are deeply seasoned with capers, olives, and basil and left to sit before being tossed with warm pasta and feta cheese. Served room temperature, this simple summer dish, Cool Pasta with Tomatoes, Feta, Olives, Basil and Capers is perfection.

Lest you think I’ve forgotten the meat (I do have a tendency to do that), remember these two most awesome destinations for your cherry tomatoes (and baby potatoes): Crispy Sheet Pan Chicken with Baby Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, and Smoked Paprika and this versatile baked fish: Fluke with Parmesan Crumbs, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Bell Pepper & Thyme.

And speaking of family favorites, you should know about a new restaurant in Oak Bluffs: Sarah Brown’s Comfort Food. We talked to owner Ken Brown for the latest edition of the Vine (published by the Vineyard Gazette and in everyone’s mailboxes this week).

The Vine also featured a cover story on chef Spring Sheldon and her new taco truck, El Gato Grande, which is located at The Cove Golf & Grill in Vineyard Haven.

Bravo to those who forged ahead with their dreams in the face of a pandemic.

See you on Instagram @cookthevineyard.