Ah, Tomatoes

You know, an heirloom tomato variety must have been developed at least 50 years ago to qualify as an heirloom. Fifty years. All that time, just the red ones in the stores. The lies, the ugly, ugly lies.

Let the truth be revealed. Preferably with some fresh mozzarella, basil leaves, a bit of balsamic, coarse sea salt, cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of damn good olive oil.

Honey and Vinegar

We had a play date over a couple weeks ago. Let's just say, the other kid was having a rough night. As I went to serve dinner, he screamed "No! I don't want that!" at me, and growled. The rest of the evening went about the same. I felt really bad for his mom. Having a run through the Terrible Threes is no picnic, much less a peaceful weeknight dinner.

When it was inevitably time for time out, the kid would not go. To up the ante, the mom's tactic was to put a bit of vinegar on her finger and give him a taste. I guess like soap, but without all the chemicals? I dunno. This is the point where I had a quiet chuckle, "Ah, that would so not work around here." I thought.

Around here, the Kiddo will darn near drink any kind of vinegar. I blame it on that whole theory that kids like what they get exposed to in utero. I ate salad with balsamic vinaigrette nearly every day.

When I put this recipe together, my helper was in the kitchen with me. She likes to use the whisk to emulsify the dressing. Once she stuck a finger in and found out it was lemon, vinegar, and honey, it was all I could to keep her from drinking the stuff.

The rest of the ingredients are a great way to use the arugula, herbs and spring onions that are fresh right now. In late summer, the cukes and tomatoes will be available locally as well.

Lemony Couscous Salad
Dressing
2 large lemons, juice plus the zest from one of them
2 tbs. honey
1 tbs. white balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Salad
1 lb. grape tomatoes
1 large cucumber, seeded, and diced
2 spring onions, white parts and 1-inch of green parts, sliced
2 cups, packed, arugula leaves
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 tbs. mint, chopped
2 cups couscous, prepared
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the salad ingredients together, pour on the dressing. Lightly toss ingredients again. Chill and let the flavors marry at least two hours before serving.

Tomato Tart and Cantaloupe-Pecan Salad with Honey Viniagrette

Ah, September. Possibly my favorite month because of the weather. It's one of those times of the year where being outside is far more comfortable than being indoors. You get up early, head out, eat outdoors, play outdoors, and, as the sun fades, seriously consider a hammock, pillow and blankie.

September is also the best of summer's bounty fading into autumn's rich, earthy harvest. Fresh corn and tomatoes can be found alongside the first pumpkins and butternuts. A second small harvest of lettuces. And the last of those sweet, delicious melons from late summer. It is the best time to be a locavore.

Recently, I attended the Sustainable Table's Eat Well Guided Tour lunch here in my home town. The menu featured a selection of dishes nearly all made with local ingredients. I loved the salad; made with peppery greens, fresh cantaloupe, pecans and a honey viniagrette. The main course was a Tomato Tart with bacon and goat cheese. I did not get the actual recipes from the chef, but I took a shot at reproducing the menu here at home.

Salad with Cantaloupe, Pecans and Honey Viniagrette
4 cups fresh mixed greens or arugula
1-1/3 cup diced cantaloupe
1 cup pecan halves
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (fig or pear infused is lovely)
1/4 cup honey
salt and pepper to taste
optional: bleu cheese crumbles

Whisk the dressing together and serve over salad. It's fantastic with a sprinkle of blue cheese and a nice white wine. I had the Kiddo mix the dressing for me. I turned for a moment and when I looked back, she had the bowl up and was drinking out of it. The dressing is pretty good.

Tomato Tart with Bacon and Goat Cheese
1 recipe tart dough, rolled and placed in tart pan
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
1/2 pound bacon
4 oz goat cheese
2 tbs. fresh, chopped basil
2 tsp. fresh, chopped mint

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook bacon until browned, but not crisp. Remove from pan and let drain on paper towel. Crumble bacon. Discard all but 1 tbs. of the fat in the pan. Saute onion until golden. Assemble the tart with the onions and bacon first. Place tomato sliced on top. Dot with goat cheese crumbles. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Top with chopped herbs.

Tart Dough
For the crust, you will want to make this first because it has to chill:
1 and 1/8 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. Sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup ice water
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes, cold

Place all the dry ingredients into the work bowl of your food processor. Drop in the cubes of butter, pulsing a bit each time to combine. Easy on the pulsing, though. Too much and you make the crust tough. Something to do with the glutens in the flour. Add the cold water and pulse until it just comes together. Remove from bowl and form into a ball. Store in fridge for 20 minutes. This chills the butter again, and helps the crust to bake up flaky. You can do your prep work for the tart filling while you are waiting for the crust to chill.

Here’s my bit: when you prepare to roll out the crust, put down some plastic wrap, then place sheets of wrap over the dough as well. Roll the dough out between the plastic to about 10 inches diameter. It will not stick to the rolling pin and is easy to reposition if needed. Place the crust into a 9-inch tart pan. Be sure to prick the crust with a fork a few times. Place back in fridge to chill.

Perfect Summer Tomato Soup

After dueling with the mandoline while trying to make a zucchini gratin, (the mandoline won), I figured comfort food was in order.

I like the gratin recipe, but am not in love with it. I'll be working on that one next weekend! Hopefully, I will keep all of what's left of my thumb next time.

"Okay, ER or dinner? Hmmm, got company coming. Stitches are expensive ..."

Brilliantly cruel piece of kitchen gear that mandoline.

Okay, so comfort food! This recipe requires just a handful of ingredients, but a bit of time. You will need to peel the tomatoes. The easy way to do this is to cut a half-inch by half-inch "x" in the bottom of each tomato. Have a large pot of boiling water and a larger bowl of ice water ready. Drop the tomatoes in the boiling water (tongs are handy, no need to add burns to other disfigurements). Bring back to a boil by putting the lid on as this helps get the temp back up. Remove the tomatoes (tongs, please) and put each immediately into the ice water for at least one minute. The peel will pull away easily from the flesh.

At this point you will want to core, seed and dice the tomatoes. Coring removes the hard whitish center, which is important to do. Seeding is also important to get rid of the excess moisture and seeds. Left in the tomato, this "goo" will make the soup runny instead of thick and creamy. You want to just have the meat of the tomato. You can seed tomatoes by cutting in half, and scooping out the seeds and gel, and also giving it a gentle squeeze. Will splatter, could stain, be warned.

Seems like a lot of prep work, but it is well worth it. The only other chopping is a third of a cup of fresh basil. Here's the ingredients:

Perfect Summer Tomato Soup
4 lbs. ripe, red tomatoes (peeled, cored, seeded, diced)
1/3 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 oz. parmesan for shaving on top

So, the tomatoes are in the pot now. Turn on medium heat. When the tomatoes are gently simmering, add the cream. Bring back to simmer. Stir, salt and pepper to taste. Use a stick blender to blend just part of the tomatoes, giving the soup the right texture. You can use a blender or food processor as well. Be careful blending hot liquids.

After the soup is blended, you can stir in the basil, or just garnish on top. Serve with the shaved parmesan on top.

My child will drink two helping of this recipe. I cheat a bit and call it "pizza soup" since her favorite pizza is Margherita with fresh tomatoes and basil. Served with crusty bread, it's about as close to pizza soup as you can get.

Papa al Pomodoro, Bread and Tomato Soup

Tomato season has arrived. The last two bags from our CSA have held 4-6 pounds of heirlooms. Heirlooms are a big deal for tomato lovers, but can be confusing for those new to the idea. Heirlooms come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, textures and flavors. Some are ugly, bulgy even with cracks in them. Don't judge an heirloom by its cover. Some of the ugly ducklings are the most intesely flavored tomatoes you will ever eat.

By definition, an heirloom must be saved from each season's fruit, "true to type." It must also have been available as a seed variety at least fifty years and each variety must have its own unique history or story. Heirlooms are not often found in the grocery store since they do not generally ship well, and taste best at their peak of ripeness. To find these "beauties," I'd recommend a trip to the Farmers Market between mid-July and early September.

The biggest problem we have during this peak season is the volume of tomatoes we get in our CSA. It's a good problem to have. We just have to work quick to cook and eat all of them before they go bad.

When you have the finest of ingredients, my philosphy is to keep things simple and let the flavor of great ingredients speak the loudest. I find myself making these kinds of simple recipes over and over, and I never get tired of them.

Bread and Tomato Soup
3 lbs. deep red-fleshed heirloom tomatoes
2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 loaf of good, rustic-style bread (French Farm, Rustic Italian), crust removed and bread cut into 2-inch cubes
1-1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Grated or shaved parmesan

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Core the tomatoes and cut into wedges. Do not peel. Place tomatoes and onion in large, oven-proof pot. Cook on stove over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes until the peels begin to brown and wrinkle. Add the garlic, olive oil and rosemary and mix.

Place the pot, uncovered, in the oven and roast for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place back on medium heat on the stove. Mix in the bread cubes and chicken broth. Cook for about another 10 minutes until the juices and broth are absorbed and the texture of the soup looks smooth and creamy. Season to taste. Remove from heat.

You can either use an immersion blender or a food processor. The latter does the job best. You want to just pulse the soup in the processor until it is a bit smooth, but not total puree. The soup will need to chill for an hour at this point so the flavors marry. You can serve this cold, or rewarm gently. Serve with grated parmesan.

It is really important to use good, handmade bread. The flavor and texture of the soup rely on simple, quality ingredients. This is one of my favorites.

Taking on the "Tater"

I've posted a few times about some of the more questionable entrees on the menu at my Kiddo's school. Hot Dog Tacos, Beanie Weenies, and the one I have tried for the longest to figure out — Tater Tot Casserole. Try as I might, I just can't figure out what kind of casserole you could make with mushy tater tots and soup base as the centerpiece.

A friend over at Mother Talkers solved this culinary riddle for me. She posted the link for the Duggar family's favorite Tater Tot Casserole recipe. The site is located at www.jimbob.info, and that is not a joke url. See, first I thought it was a joke. And then, when I read the recipe, I REALLY thought it was a joke. Three 2-pound bags of tater tots. Two cans cream of mushroom soup, two cans cream of chicken soup, 2 cans evaporated milk ... it sounds awful. Wait a minute. THREE TWO-POUND BAGS? SIX POUNDS of tater tots? What the ...

Then, I read the site. The Duggar family has 15 kids, with number 16 on the way.

Now, I love kids. I'd like to have a couple more running around. I really would. But, I am sure I could not handle 15 of them, much less 16.

Mrs. Duggar has spent nearly 11 years of her life pregnant. Which, between the being pregnant, getting pregnant, and just been pregnant, doesn't leave much time for cooking, I'd guess. Or much of anything else.

When I am trying to get through a busy day with one munchkin, (and not pregnant), I think, wow, how does she do that? If I had 15 kids running around, I'd be half crazy (or more) and afraid to stray too far from the bathroom because I'd be in there every time I felt a sneeze coming on. Or a laugh. Or a blink. Believe me, if you've ever been pregnant, you KNOW what I mean.

As for Mrs. Duggar, who seems perfectly sane, she may just need a quick way to get all those kids fed. So, I thought I would try and come up with a better way to do a potato-based casserole. Something a bit lighter, with some veggies in it, more protein, but still an easy, one pot dish. While I probably won't be volunteering to babysit for the Duggars anytime soon, I can offer up the following recipe and my best wishes.

Hashbrown, Chard, Tomato and Ham Frittata
1 cup Roasted Tomatoes (recipe below)
1 bunch chard (about 8 leaves, stems removed washed, drained and chopped)
1 large shallot, chopped
1/4 pound diced turkey ham
6 large eggs (pastured)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup grated Gouda
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (1-lb) bag frozen hash browns, thawed in a microwave oven
black pepper to taste

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Whisk together eggs, milk, pepper to taste, and salt until combined, then whisk in ¾ cup of the cheese mixture.

Heat the oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Sauté shallot, until just golden, about 3 minutes. Add hash browns and cook, stirring occasionally until golden. Remove from heat and mix in the turkey ham, chard and tomatoes. Pour in the egg mixture. Sprinkle top with remaining cheese. Bake until set 2 inches from edge but still slightly wobbly in center, about 25 minutes. Cheese on top should be golden. Feeds a much smaller family than the Duggars.

Kitchen safety note: Eggs should reach 180°F in order to be cooked through.

Roasted Tomatoes
24 ounces cherry tomatoes (about 4 cups), stemmed
1/4 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
1 1/4 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
1 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Toss tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and marjoram in large bowl. Place tomatoes in single layer on baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes are blistered, about 35 minutes. Top with chopped basil. Great for using in other recipes.