Bringing out the Natural Sweetness

It's funny how often I discover new recipes because I have to use up something that is at its expiration date. I had a big container of sugar plum tomatoes that were just starting to show wrinkles, but tasted fine. I decided to slow roast them and make something that I could have with eggs for a simple, healthy and comforting Sunday supper. It has been raining most of the day, and somehow I crave acidic foods with loads of Vitamin C during this kind of weather, like oranges and tomatoes.

Slow roasting brings out the natural sugars in the tomatoes, which are wonderfully sweet to begin with. The minced garlic becomes chewy and so fragrant, but does not burn. At the end, I threw in a little bit of Parmesan cheese for texture, as the original recipe was meant to be used on bruschetta. Great with soft scrambled eggs and a mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

Oven Roasted Sugar Plum Tomatoes

• 2-3 pints sugar plum tomatoes or grape tomatoes
• 1 T. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 1 t. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 t. dried basil, or fresh basil, chopped
• 1 - 2 t. grated Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees

Combine tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper

Spread on a baking sheet lined with foil

Roast in the oven for 45-55 min

Allow to cool

Toss with vinegar, basil, and cheese

The BEST Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

This is seriously one of the best salads that I have ever had, and it's so simple you will want to make it all of the time. I made it a lot this summer when corn was in rich supply at the Farmers Markets, but if you can find fresh corn on the cob at your grocery store, go for it. The reason that the corn has to be fresh is that you use it raw, so you want the best quality possible.

It's fantastic for a picnic or potluck, because all of the lime juice in the dressing keeps everything fresh and crisp. It actually gets better as it sits, so make it 4 hours or so before you actually want to eat it. That doesn't mean you can't sneak in a bowl or two right when it's done - I always do.

Make the dressing a little saltier than you think - the flavors will blend nicely once the salad is tossed together.

The original recipe calls for diced mozzarella - I just use the small mozzarella balls callled bocconcini or ovolini, which saves some time cutting up time and looks nice next to the tomatoes.

Removing kernels from corn is really easy - just stand up the cob in a wide-ish bowl, and run a sharp knife in a straight line along the edge, going top to bottom, to loosen the kernels. Don't worry if they come off in clumps - those are easy to separate with your hands or with a spoon when mixing.

From the Food Network.

Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad

Dressing:

• 1 1/2 C. packed fresh cilantro
• 1/2 C. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 t. finely grated lime zest (from 1-2 limes)
• 2 T. fresh lime juices (about 3 limes)
• 2 t. Kosher Salt
• pepper, to taste

Salad:

• 4 ears corn, kernels removed
• 1 1/2 lb. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 lb. mozzarella diced or mozzarella balls
• 2 medium avocados, diced

Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender, process until smooth

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing

Let sit at least 15 minutes before serving, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Moroccan Tomato Soup

I caught a cold earlier in the week, and remembered seeing a recipe for Moroccan Tomato Soup in the Sunday New York Times. It sounded like the perfect thing to allow me to load up on Vitamin C, and eat something interesting and flavorful at the same time. I had all of the ingredients, so I quickly threw it together, and boy was it good. You toast the spices with the garlic as a first step, and then there is no cooking after that. The recipe calls for you to pass the tomatoes through a food mill, which I do not own (does anyone?). Instead, I simply peeled the tomatoes by boiling them and then plunging them into an ice water bath, then seeded and chopped them. This gave the soup a chunkiness that I loved. The flavors really developed after a day in the fridge. This would be excellent for a picnic with crusty bread and a cold roasted chicken.

Moroccan Tomato Soup

• 5 medium cloves garlic, smashed peeled & minced
• 2 1/2 t. sweet paprika
• 1 1/2 t. ground cumin
• large pinch of cayenne pepper
• 4 t. olive oil
• 2 1/4 lb. tomatoes, peeled seeded and chopped
• 1/4 C. packed chopped cilantro
• 1 T. white wine vinegar
• juice of one lemon
• Kosher salt
• 4 stalks celery, diced

In a small saucepan, stir together the garlic, spices, and olive oil. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix the chopped tomatoes with the cooked spice mixture, cilantro, vinegar, lemon juice, 2 t. salt, celery, and 2 T. water.

Add more salt as desired. Refrigerate until cold.

Serve garnished with cilantro leaves.

I'll Have the Tomato & Salmonella Salad, Please

Summer without tomatoes? Have I landed in Hell?? Is this the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, for real?

I don't know which I find more shocking about this summer, the tomato recall, or the fact that it costs $99 to fill up my gas tank. Both run the risk of making me sick to my stomach, that's for sure.


I stopped to use the bathroom at La Salsa in Pacific Heights today, and there was a sign on the salsa bar saying "None of our salsas were made with raw tomatoes". Yup, this thing is real.

So, say no to Romas, Plums, and round red tomatoes. Say yes to cherry, and still on the vine tomatoes, as well as homegrown ones (which includes those from the farmer's market, I believe).

Well, I guess if we start growing our tomatoes at home, we're going to save on all of that gas, too.