Tomato Festa

The Picky Eater appears to be happily installed at college with no complaints (so far) about the cuisine. She did evidence a certain degree of envy on a recent Skype call when informed that the tomato crop had come in and that we were in the midst of a "Tomato Festa." The momentum (mine) flagged after about three days, but hope springs eternal that it will revive this weekend. We certainly have a bumper crop this year- cherry, yellow, and huge beefsteaks. What, no Roma pomodoros? Sadly, they suffer some sort of wilt in our garden, and have been banished forever.

1st tomatoes, the start of a lifelong love affair!

The Daddy (his preferred title) has been growing tomatoes annually since the Picky Eater was a toddler. (See adorable picture of the P.E. with her 1st tomato crop.) All in all it's wonderful, but as often with the Picky Eater there's a complication- the fresh full bodied taste of homegrown tomato sauce has put her off most anything made from a can, even when it is heavily doctored up. So, by and large, with one huge exception which will feature in another post, the Picky Eater rejects tomato sauce out of season, eschewing the pallid stuff you get from Mexican tomatoes in January.

And then there is the basil. Basil can easily overwhelm. Just one plant, which is probably as much as you actually need over a season if you are not of the preserving persuasion (and I am not!), seems too risky; but the inevitable three or four plants make what at the time seems like a lifetime supply. And, while a touch of basil is divine, the obligation to use it all, every day in everything savory for three or four months, is not.

Just one last word about basil before I move on. The best way to use it right off the plant is to snip some leaves, rinse and dry. Then remove up to about four leaves at a time, stack them, fold the stack in half lengthwise and snip thin strips with a pair of kitchen scissors.

Hopefully I haven't over-billed the so-called "Tomato Festa," which consisted of me cooking a series of tomato dishes meal after meal for about 2 1/2 days. The results do offer some recipes worth sharing. Initially it started with pizza. Pizza with a fresh tomato topping, naturellement. What, use canned tomato sauce? Mais, non! So, I began with an unbelievably easy and yummy sauce from Vegetable Harvest by Patricia Wells:


Rustic Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce
"Garden-fresh" (her words, not mine; farmers' market tomatoes would be fine) tomatoes
Salt
Oregano (dried)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Core and halve the tomatoes horizontally. Put them cut side up in a baking pan lined with aluminum foil. (I didn't use any foil and it was a mess.) Sprinkle generously with salt and oregano. Roast until the tomatoes are very soft, about 40 minutes. When cool, puree the contents of the baking pan in a food processor until smooth. Can fester in the refrigerator about one week, or in the freezer for six months.
I am planning to throw another batch in the oven as soon as I finish here.

I will not burden you with the pizza recipe. Despite detouring to Sur la Table for an Emile Henri baking stone, and using the delicious sauce, fresh tomatoes, smoked and plain mozzarella, basil, and proscuitto, it had limited success due to crust issues which I hope have been resolved. But, the photo looks like something right out of Bon Appetit, doesn't it?

To compliment the pizza, I put together a corn and tomato salad. In a rush, I was franticly looking for the recipe, which I was sure was in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Not finding it, I went ahead on my own, and didn't locate the recipe until the next day- mainly because it turned out that her version was for a hot pasta! Just goes to show the versatility of veggies.

Fresh Corn and Tomato Salad
2 ears fresh corn
3-4 largish tomatoes
2 scallions or 1/2 small red onion
1 jalapeno pepper
2 Tb chopped cilantro
1 Tb slivered basil
olive oil
salt/pepper

Cut the corn kernels off the cob and dump in a medium size bowl. Core and dice the tomatoes in large chunks and add to the corn. Chop and add the onion, jalapeno (watch your eyes and wash your hands after handling), and cilantro. Stir together and douse lightly with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Serves 2-3.
We decided to forego adding anything acidic to the dressing, but a Tb or two of lime juice might be nice if you have it lying around.

Just took a look at the Picky Eater's Facebook page. She claims that she has joined a cult of naked girls- I think that it's time to stick my head in the sand! Boy, I'm feeling way too sedate. Back to tomatoes.

Later in the week I threw together a batch of Julia Child's Provencal stuffed tomatoes. (Mastering the Art ... , vol. 1, but also usually found in any respectable French cookbook.) They are quick, yummy, and a great way to use up stale bread, in addition to your extra tomatoes.

Tomates a la Provencale (excuse the lack of punctuation, too lazy to figure out how to insert it)
for 6 people

6 large, firm (3" diameter) tomatoes
salt/pepper
2 cloves mashed garlic
3 Tb minced scallions or shallots
4 Tb minced fresh basil & parsley or just parsley (I used just basil)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
3/4 c. or more fine dry bread crumbs (Julia calls for 1/2 cup, but I really like to mound the filling)
A shallow, oiled roasting pan to hold the tomatoes in one layer

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Core the tomatoes and cut in half through the middle. Poke and squeeze out the seeds and juice. Sprinkle the tomato halves with salt and pepper. Stir together all the other ingredients except the baking pan (haha!!) Stuff portions of the filling into the tomatoes, filling the crevices and pressing down a nice mound on top. Arrange them in the baking pan without crowding. Bake on an upper rack for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender but haven't collapsed and the filling is browned on top. (If it isn't browned, briefly run under the broiler before serving.

These are delicious with grilled meats and good leftover, either warm or cold.
Disclaimer: This recipe text was reworded from the original.

Tomato discussion to be continued with a recipe for my current obsession- Panzanella. Stay tuned.