The Last of the Summer Wine.

Tomato and Sausage Ragu with Pan Pugliese

I  was reminded, watching the program of this name on PBS, how much I miss just plain ordinary folk and just plain ordinary places.
Our lives are filled with images of so called superstars playing in televised roles about ordinary people, and not one of them has a scab, deformity or any other affliction that might make them seem real.
Thanks to the good old BBC, our affectionate Auntie Beeb, for creating a series about ordinary (and delightfully eccentric) people played by actors who look like ordinary people.
The indomitably scruffy Compo, mild and thoughtful Cleggy, Truly of the Yard, people that you could meet in your local on an every day basis.
The wives too, good old plain talking women who will give you a piece of their mind whether you want it or not.
And the delightful setting in the Yorkshire Dales, no studio sets of overpriced & over furnished Manhattan apartments here.
What brought all this to mind was that I am just harvesting the "Last of the Summer Veg".
Cool evenings are starting to creep slowly in and the summer plants have pretty much given their all.
Time to gather the last of the tomatoes, pole beans and such and consign them to simple folksy Al Fresco recipes.
A casserole or two, tomatoes slow cooked with game sausages, zucchini with pasta.
All brought to the table with slabs of freshly baked crusty Pugliese bread.
Ordinary food can be so satisfying if cooked with passion (and a wee bit of talent).