A favorite snack has long been uni on crisp pumpernickel w/ yuzu & chili at JG Vongerichten's Jean-Georges. Last night a new variant: bread replaced by a folded crisp buckwheat crêpe. Even better than the original, which I wouldn't have thought possible. Thank you, Joe & your team.

For some of the afternoon, the house was perfumed by a batch of confit pork belly. Enticing, but when it was time to decide on dinner, something milder seemed necessary: a frittata of new fingerling potatoes and new onions, with delicious, well-grilled bread and plenty of butter.

Along the lines of risi e bisi, but the bisi were Sea Island red peas from Anson Mills. Also, inter alia, an italianate sausage from Buon'Italia and a handful of cherry tomatoes. A meal that would have been unthinkable had it not been for air conditioning.

Meat and potatoes: Confit pork belly (Ox Hollow Farm); steamed yukon gold potatoes (Juquilita CT Farm) halved and crisped in the confit fat; salsa verde (the color isn't as green as usual because there are a few @stokesfarm cherry tomatoes in it).

Swiss chard stems masquerading as a Chinese vegetable in a good stir-fry with beef from Ox Hollow Farm rather than the more obvious pork. I was thinking of Fuchsia Dunlop's mapo doufu recipe, which gives beef as an option.

This morning I made a small batch of ratatouille in one of its many personas. And this evening it occurred to me that if reduced in a frying pan some of it could well be used as the sofrito in a Spanish-type rice dish. It worked. Quite well.

Picture One: The foundation of a delicious summertime dinner. Picture Two: A delicious summertime dinner comprising new onions, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, herbs and lots of olive oil. In three words: Ratatouille on toast.

This Spanish mackerel from Catch of the Hamptons made the excessively hot and humid walk to the Dag Hammarskjöld @grownyc market entirely worth our while. Ratatouille made an excellent sauce-cum-side dish. (There were also a few steamed new potatoes.)

Tomatoes and eggs. Taught to us by a Chinese friend >20 years ago as a "Beijing bachelor" meal. This and a bowl of rice make a mood-enhancing dinner.

Stuffed peppers - little ones, but of great intensity of flavor and perfume, from Toigo Orchards . Pic 1: Sofrito for the stuffing under way. Pic 2: Peppers stuffed and crumbed. Pic 3: Ready to eat.

Our first eggplant/aubergine/melanzane alla parmigiana of the season. Such a wonderful dish! For the past ten years or so I've always spooned it onto grilled bread, and I'm convinced there's no more enjoyable way to eat it. Mostly from the Dag Hammarskjöld @grownyc Greenmarket.

Beet risotto. Carnarolli rice from Riso Acquerello; guanciale from Buon'Italia; everything else from @grownyc farmers' markets. Oh - a tablespoonful of lemon juice was from the supermarket.

Lovely mackerel from Catch of the Hamptons at today's Dag Hammarskjöld @grownyc market (which we got to this morning even though the temperature was already in the 90s Fahrenheit) set on a hash of corn, tiny potatoes, Tropea onions & several colors of peppers. A harmonious dish.

I'm not used to boys' (or mostly-old-geezers') nights out, but I had great fun with a couple of pals last night. We went to Sunn's, where we had a delicious dinner full of little surprises. A most welcoming and hospitable restaurant. Good wine, too.

If my calendar has been accurately maintained, it appears that we ate steak only three times in the past year. Our nice-weather walk to Dickson's @eatmeaty the other day yielded this ~two-month dry-aged beauty, which we ate tonight - and between the two of us finished it!

After years of not having eaten at JG Vongerichten's JoJo we've been there twice in the last few months. Still has a neighborhood feel, though it's inevitably become a destination restaurant. Tonight, delicious lettuce tuna wraps and extraordinary lobster. A lovely evening.

Another doggie-bag dinner: Lobster from Monday's excellent meal at JG Vongerichten's JoJo became a risotto this evening with corn and peppers from our nearby GrowNYC farmers' market.

It takes a bit of tinkering, but one CAN make something like gnocchi with leftover mashed potatoes already containing milk, cream and butter. These (made with semola rimacinata) were delicious, and very nicely accompanied by a cold sauce/salad of tomatoes, salt and mint (no oil).