In any language, it is a beautiful life. Maybe it’s fresh from the garden tomatoes on top of fresh from the garden aromatic basil … on top of fresh from the bakery sourdough drizzled with Val di Mazara PDO olive oil lightly roasted … a touch of fresh ground Mediterranean sea salt … yum.

It’s usually just the little things that bring beauty to life. Tortuga says: “Bella.”

Tortuga stops at many “bella” places in the great Pacific Northwest … and we eat at each one. Sometimes at a little cafe …

… oh, lets look closer at that …

… or my driver cooks in our tiny home. A light touch with Wagyu brisket off of a friends grill, with our own style of bruschetta … garden tomatoes, garden hungarian peppers, sweet onion, chopped basil, heated over sourdough baguette drizzled with olive oil of course.

It is late in the summer, so fresh tomato dishes are on the menu. Below a couple variations of tomato basil soup (one with chicken sausages sliced inside) … made by roasting sweet onion, hungarian peppers, sliced red potato (to thicken) … then by roasting lots of tomatoes with spices … then combining and blending it smooth … then adding lots of basil (and chicken sausages, when desired) while it blends together on the stovetop. Topped with sour cream and garden green onions if that hits the spot.

Tortuga does not starve. Bella! Or how about noodles with chicken, garden carrots and hungarian peppers (again … we have plenty), celery, green onion …

… or stir fry chicken with garden fresh green beans …

… or …

… a variety of things from fresh summertime ingredients.

So, wherever you’re at today, tortuga wishes you: “Bella vita!!!”