July Babies

Global warming- my behind! You will have to excuse my irreverent behavior. I am at my wits ends with mother nature. Summer is most closely identified with hot days filled with dreams of quenching lemonade or something a little stronger. The Summer of 2009 has had none of that. Frankly I sit in an office for the majority of the day and rarely get to enjoy the nostalgic benefits of summer. However, what really screams summer is tomato season. Even with my not so green thumb, I know these babies require sunlight, water and heat. For reasons that escape me and all politics aside, my tomatoes are not growing at the typical pace, and that makes me an unhappy cook!!

My father in his infinite wisdom convinced my husband to plant a variety referred to as July Babies. These plants yield smaller tomatoes and ripen in July. It's early August and finally I get my first taste of fresh tomatoes. At this rate, I will share my favorite tomato recipes during tailgating season. Instead of Brats we'll serve tomato pie, briam and tomato salads . I hope you hang in there with me.

BB: Pasta with Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Food snobs have any number of coveted spectacular ingredients where the premium price reflect the reputation. Sun-dried tomatoes are such an item. While the concept of preserving tomatoes by drying in the sun and then soaking in olive oil sounds tasty, the chewy texture does not please my palate. Even with such a skeptical perspective on the key ingredient, I was pleased when Cat of Delta Whiskey chose Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes for the first July Barefoot Bloggers recipe.

Substituting oven roasted grape tomatoes mimicked the flavor of sun-dried tomatoes while creating a more pleasant texture with a price that fit my budget.

This recipe was a winner and is an excellent addition to any summer dinning table. The flavors were rich while still light for summer, with a bit of tang. Below is my adaptation, for the original recipe visit The Food Network or buy Barefoot Contessa Family Style.

Pasta with Oven-Dried Tomatoes
Adapted from Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Family Style pg. 58
Serves 4

1/2 pound Gemili pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced (half-pint grape tomatoes)
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced

For the oven roasted tomatoes:
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved long wise and seeded
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of sugar

For the dressing:
Oven roasted grape tomatoes
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon capers, drained
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes and mozzarella.

For the oven-roasted tomatoes: pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine, sliced tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on sheet pan and sprinkle with sugar. Cook for 30-40 minutes until almost burnt. For the dressing, combine the oven-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, olives, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth. Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley, and toss well.

A Not So Basic Tomato Sauce

I brought the leftovers of this dish to the office for lunch, and so many people came to my desk and asked, "Your lunch smells so good, where did you buy it?". When I confessed it was tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes one person called me a food elitist. Now I hate to classify people, but if using the fresh version of a readily available staple ingredient makes me a food snob, then I am guilty as charged. When did a fresh tomato become an elitist product? Have we as society so embraced jarred tomato sauce that we have forgotten the taste of real tomato? There is nothing wrong with using jarred sauces when in a pinch, but such convenience should not be mistaken for the real flavor of a tomato. There are some very good brands of canned puree that make a decent sauce, but nothing compares to fresh vine ripened tomatoes from the garden. Now it's April in Michigan with no tomatoes in sight. I have a stash of puree from last summer in the freezer. I am too lazy to can and find that freezing the juice, pulp and seeds is just fine for this sauce.

When using real tomato products that haven't been processed, you need less fillers and dried herbs which means a more pronounced flavor. This sauce relies on the natural tomato flavor and is very easy to make. I like the mild flavor that the shallot and garlic bring as these flavors complement the tomato rather than over powering it. What I like best is this sauce actually adheres well to the pasta. It coats the noodle without overpowering the pasta. With so many people pressed to cut corners, why not leave the overpriced jarred stuff at the store and pick up the real thing and experience a simple tomato sauce?

Fresh Tomato Sauce
Yields 6 cups

8 cups pureed garden ripened tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 shallots, minced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

In a large sauce pan heat the olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until fragrant for a minute or 2. Add red wine and cook for an additional minute until alcohol burns off. Mix in the tomato puree. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Cook until sauce has reduced in half about 30-45 minutes. Check the seasoning, add additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve with pasta or rice.

BB: Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

My husband loves goat cheese, I mean he has an unnatural love of goat cheese, not unlike my love for Ina Garten dishes. This dish for Barefoot Bloggers was selected by Anne of Anne Strawberry, pleased both members of the household. I must say this is my most favorite Ina dish and I have made many Ina dishes, even prior to joining Barefoot Bloggers. My only complaint, if you could call it that, I wish tomatoes were in season. Other than this it was perfect, buttery, tart, smooth, crunchy and above all elegant. Ina always seems to bring a touch of elegance to the table and I really respect that about her as I am sure there are plenty who are better chefs or cooks but no one has her ability to take a dish that sounds hoity and make it accessible. I made one tart with goat cheese (photo above) and the other with feta (feta below). Both were excellent but the goat cheese prevailed. I omitted the basil as I forgot to acquire off my shopping list.

Many thanks again to Anne Strawberry for a great selection, please be sure to visit her blog which, by the way is loaded with wonderful pictures and great dishes, for the recipe.

Chicken Feta Pockets

Weeknight meals are tough for me. I along with most of the free world leave the house in the early morning only to return in the late evening. Most of the time I have no energy for a assembling a big meal. Most of our weeknight meals are simple and fresh as I am not a big fan of processed foods, planning ahead helps keep our daily meals simple and fresh. I know many prescribe to the 30Mminute Meal but that's not really my thing. This dish was borne out of necessity to clean out my fridge. I enjoyed all these ingredients on their own well all except the raw chicken so the combination created a great meal that came together pretty quick. Now this could be served with whole chicken breast either in a pocket or served open-faced. Enjoy!

2 Servings

Ingredients

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper

2 pita bread

1/4 cup pitted, chopped Kalamata olives or any black olive

1/4 cup feta cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pam spray

1 tsp. sugar

Salt and Pepper

Heat grated cast iron grill or large skillet on medium heat until smoking spray a bit of Pam. Add season chicken and grill for about 8 minutes per side or until internal temp. is 180 degrees. While chicken is cooking heat olive oil in small sautee pan and add cherry tomatoes along with a little salt and pepper and sugar. Cook until tomatoes are golden and break down a bit. Combine feta, olives and tomatoes. Slice chicken and stuff in to cut pita break, top or bottom with feta, olive, tomato mixture.

Barefoot Blogger: Real Spaghetti and Meatballs

Pasta is one of my favorite things and I am always looking for new tricks. One of the best new tricks is trying a different approach to a classic. This recipe is very similiar to my usually spaghetti and meatballs and I found the flavors really fresh and simple and sometimes that's all you really need. I found the meatballs a little on the bready side but that allowed to soak up a really mild sauce. My guests and I really enjoyed and I followed the recipe to the tee.












Recipe: Ina Garten from Food Network Website

Ingredients

For the meatballs:
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For serving:nocoupons
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.
Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.
For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Sauteed Eggplant with Garden Tomato Relish

My husband planted a garden this past summer and I had a ton of garden tomatoes sweet enough to eat like an apple. This recipe calls for a small variety of eggplant but certainly the larger variety will do. These ingredients can be found anytime of year but certainly the flavor would be best when using in season ingredients.

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. small eggplant
- 4 tbls. good olive oil
- 2 cups freshly chopped garden tomatoes
- 1 tbls. fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 small shallot
- 1/4 cup of Marsala wine
- Salt and Pepper

Directions:
For the tomato relish:
-Saute shallot and garlic in 2 tbls. of olive oil
-Add Marsala wine and lemon juice and cook for 1-2 minutes or until alcohol evaporate
-Add chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for 7-1o minutes until sauce thickens.

- Cut cleaned eggplant in 1/2 inch dice
- Heat olive oil and saute until golden brown
-Serve warm with tomato relish

Artichoke Lemony Chicken

A super easy recipe that can be adjusted to suit ones taste. Kali Orexi!

Ingredients:

1 boneless chicken breasts halved

1 8 oz box of frozen artichoke hearts

1 cup chicken broth

1 large shallot minced

1 half pint of cherry tomatoes

1/4 of dry white wine

4 Tablespoons olive oil divided

1 tablespoons flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

-Thaw artichoke hearts

-Wrap washed chicken in heavy plastic wrap and flatten with heavy skilled to 1/4 inch

-Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet

-Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side.

-In separate saute pan heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and saute tomatoes

-Remove chicken and deglaze with white wine, add chicken stock and flour and bring to a boil

-Add salt, pepper, artichokes cook until thickened, add chicken and tomatoes.

-Serve on platter with Italian parsley.