One recent evening, friends and I had dinner at Filomena’s, outside under a big tent, and listened to the New London Big Band, minus about six members, play mellow jazz. The decibels of the speakers were just right, rain threatened but didn’t happen, and the food, as usual, was yummy.

At home, I cooked quite a bit on the grill and even in the kitchen, since my condo is air conditioned. I also spent some time at two different farm markets. At my CSA, I got carrots, green beans, some lettuces, some flowers and some cheese. At the Friday farmers market in Washington Park, I bought some cranberry beans, basil and tomatoes.

I asked whether the tomatoes at Whittle’s were local, and she said yes.

“We don’t have many yet, but these are our own,” she explained. I was very surprised; this is the first time I can remember when local tomatoes arrived before sweet corn.

When I got home I tasted one of the tomatoes and there was no doubt it was local. As I made myself my first summer BLT, I thought what I might make with some of my harvest and I found pasta e fagiole (pasta and beans) I wrote about in 2005. I found some canned cannellini beans, some ground beef and pepperoni in the freezer and a big can of fire-roasted Muir Glen diced tomatoes. I had frozen my own basil pesto and decided I would use that instead of parsley.

That Sunday afternoon, I made the pasta and beans. It was really good, maybe even better than before, since so many of the ingredients were so fresh. If you have air conditioning, make it now. If not, save that recipe for fall or winter.

Pasta e Fagiole

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

A handful of baby carrots, diced into small pieces

3 stalks celery, diced small

1 pound ground beef (optional)

½ pound pepperoni, thinly sliced (optional)

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

½ pound cranberry beans, cooked

½ pound green beans, cut into 1 inch slices

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (preferably Muir Glen but another will do)

1 small can tomato paste

2 tablespoons basil pesto (optional, but delicious)

2 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

½ pound pasta (ditalini, tubetini or small elbow macaroni), cooked

freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or romano cheese

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, brown onion. garlic and carrots in olive oil until light golden. Stir in celery and continue cooking until celery is tender. If using ground beef, add and cook until no longer pink. If using pepperoni, add now. Stir in beans, tomatoes, tomato paste and water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook about half an hour, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and parsley. Add pasta to soup and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve with freshly grated parmesan or romano.

On the Side

A couple of months ago, on Facebook, I found Tina Knowlton, a friend from high school. We "talked." She lives in Portland, Conn., and married her RPI husband in Groton, where he worked at EB. We decided, once we felt somewhat comfortable with the coronavirus pandemic, we would meet for lunch at Mondo in Middletown. She had eaten there once.

At lunch, we talked about our family and our adolescence in Troy, N.Y. Then we shared a Caesar salad, ricotta fritters and a sausage and pistachio pizza. The pizza was new to both of us and it was simply sensational: a white pizza, perfectly seasoned, the bits of sausage meltingly delicious and the nuts were actually in the sauce, not the sausages. I ate just one slice but wished I'd had more. Another of my favorite Mondo dishes.

Mondo

10 Main St., Middletown

(860) 343-3300

Lee White lives in Groton. She can be reached at leeawhite@aol.com.