Tag: tomato

NO FUSS PASTA

Best to beat the heat.

I had not planned to write this, hence the paucity of photos but with the heat wave upon us, I changed my mind. This is the easiest pasta sauce imaginable. It requires a minimum of ingredients and even those can be switched out to suit the taste of the chef. I had a box of grape tomatoes, some basil and a box of medium shells. Red wine vinegar, olive oil. That’s it.

dDirections? 1/2 hour before you plan to put the water on to boil and depending on whether you are using cherry or grape tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in either half or quarters. Add to a bowl along with a splash of red wine vinegar and salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit. Boil the pasta according to box instructions. Drain. Add olive oil to tomato mix and toss. Add pasta and basil and eat. Can even be served at room temperature. If you want, you can add things like chopped anchovies, chopped capers, chopped onions, but all that requires more work and when you are too wilted to cook, chopping just becomes another heat producer. Swap out tomatoes for grated zucchini if that is your pleasure. You are only limited by your imagination!

Isn’t this a picture? I prefer the shape pastas to the long pastas for this recipe. And I love the way the shells capture the tomato pieces. Enjoy!

PAN TOMATE

A variation on a theme

After spending a wonderful and food filled 10 days in Spain, I find that I am drawn more than ever to small bites. Not that I needed that much in the way of encouragement, but the Spanish seem to have developed the final word on yumminess in small plates. So with that in mind, I give you my spin on Pan Tomate. Normally, Pan Tomate is a piece of toast rubbed with some tomato and topped with something. This is an upgraded riff on that-easy, involves no cooking unless you call toasting bread cooking, only a bit of hands on time (think less than 5 minutes) and can be used in a myriad of ways. Perfect for your next happy hour nibble. What you need are these items:

Notice, two of the 6 items are “utensils”. I had a beefsteak tomato that was sitting unused and decided to employ it for this appetizer. Also shown are salt, bread, and oil. I am using Spanish olive oil, use what you want or what you have. The bread is an olive loaf, again, use what you want or have. For you gluten free folks, substitute the olive bread with your gluten free fave. Grate the tomato on the largest holes of the box grater. It may smush if you have an overly ripe tomato, if that occurs, you can chop down the larger pieces, but by and large the tomato will grate easily and you will end up with this.

Pour your what is now tomato puree into a strainer placed over a bowl , salt lightly, and allow the tomato to drain. Like so.

The more liquid part of the puree will seep into the bowl below and you will be left with a spreadable product. Don’t worry about the seeds. In Spain, I saw seeds everywhere, even in a 2 Michelin Star restaurant surrounded by the gelatin which holds the seeds in place. They are delicious. A bit tangy.

Now the fun part. Take your bread, toast it slightly, and and then “butter it” with the tomato. I will show you two different iterations. The first was part of a tapas dinner on a Sunday night. The second was a breakfast toast with avocado.

In Madrid, they call this a matrimonio. A combination of white and grey anchovies for anchovy lovers. I love anchovies, but admit that there are haters out there. Maybe you should give them another go??

This is tamer. Both were delicious. Topped with a bit of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Pepper if you want. Parsley or cilantro.

So what else can you use? Top with thinly sliced manchego. Top with tinned tuna or another tinned fish. Top with a slice of sweet onion. You can even top with a fried egg. You are only limited by your imagination!

Now what to do with the tomato water that filtered out. Martini lovers, I am looking at you! Add to some chilled Vodka, skewer a small piece of Mozzarella and a leaf of basil. Not your grandmother’s Caprese!

I hope you make this. Like I said it is so easy to prepare, inexpensive, and so many ways to enjoy!

PROVOLETA/PROVOLONE

It’s a cheese and a dish!

Provoleta is a type of cheese. It is akin to provolone. But since I do not know what the name of the process to cook it is called, I have taken literally license and called the finished cooked process Provoleta as well. And I use provolone for the cheese. Got it? It’s ok, it isn’t going to change the world if you don’t “got it”. Just try it.

I had this once before years ago, and made it and forgot about it until I had it again in Madrid for lunch after a visit to the Prado. We were starving and saw it on a menu in an off the way place and ordered it. It was served in one of those cool ceramic cazuelas which, of course, I went on a mission to get, and found. It is a very simple preparation, but so quick and easy and great for a last minute invite for nibbles and Happy Hour.

I used just two ingredients, cheese and pimento, but more on that in a bit. You can buy the provolone in a chunk at a deli department, you want it to be as thick as your finger. Notice the cute little cazuela. You don’t need one, if you have a small cast iron pan, it works just as well, just be sure to oil it so the cheese does not stick as it melts. The cheese should fit the dish in which you are going to serve and any oven proof vessel will work….

like so…..

Preheat your oven to 400F. Grease your dish and place the cheese in it. If you want, you can sprinkle some dried oregano, or fresh pepper, or a mix of dried spices according to your taste. I used oregano. Pop the dish into the oven and cook for about 20 minutes. The cheese will melt and bubble. Raise the temperature to broil to crisp the top. When browned to your liking, remove and serve on a trivet. The dish will be hot so watch your hands. Here is how my most recent finished product appeared:

Notice the green plastic trivet, it worked really well, but use whatever you like, even folded towels will give a pretty rustic look to the presentation. I topped mine with chopped pimento. You can top with any manner of items such as chopped olives, chopped vinegar peppers, Calabrian chilis (for a heat kick), tomatoes for ideas. Serve with either little toasts as I have here or sturdy crackers, you are going to pull the cheese out of the bowl and eat it on the toast or cracker and you don’t want the cracker to break into the dish or pan. If the cheese starts to harden, just pop it back into the oven for a few minutes, it melts beautifully. Don’t have provolone? Try Mozzarella! Have fun with it and enjoy with a glass of wine!

Taking a time out from posting nibbles to give you a recipe for all those end of season tomatoes that are still available. Most vendors now will bag the round or sometimes Roma tomatoes and sell in bulk. Really cheaply. At my market, 4 pounds for 5 dollars. So this is a fool proof idea for tomato sauce that can be made in bulk and frozen in baggies for the winter when the tomatoes are not really good and the jarred sauce is just too expensive. For this recipe which uses 4 pounds and will make roughly 6 cups of puree, you will need tomatoes, freezer quart sized baggies, a covered pot large enough to hold the raw tomatoes, a big bowl, a food mill, some wax or parchment paper (or a silpat if you have), and a cookie sheet. You really do need a food mill for this. You can use a blender, but the seeds will be incorporated into the finished product and make the puree bitter. No one likes bitter tomato sauce (or soup or Bloody Marys). No seasoning whatsoever, you will do that later when you actually put the puree to use. Quarter the tomatoes and put into the pot. The tomatoes will give off enough water as they steam so you do not need any additional liquid which would only dilute the puree. Cover and put on medium heat. Stir occasionally to make sure the tomatoes don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. They will melt down into kind of mush as shown. When done, place your food mill over the large bowl and mill the tomatoes in batches. Include the tomato water. Allow the puree to cool and put 2 cups into each baggie. Lay a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet (so the baggies don’t stick) and then lay the baggies flat on top. Add another sheet of wax paper and repeat until all the puree is used. Place sheet into freezer. When the sauce has frozen, remove from the cookie sheet and place upright to store (doesn’t take up much freezer space that way). For extra protection, if you want, you can place the bags into a larger baggie. This puree can be used to make your favorite sauce, as a base for tomato soup, and for those boozy brunch Sundays, Bloody Mary mix. It keeps well and the taste of fresh tomatoes in January, when summer seems to be an eternity away, is bliss.

Tiny Tomato Tidbit, with a seafood twist. The farmers’ markets are filled with beautiful grape tomatoes of all colors. This bite calls for their use. In addition, you will need Panko, a pinch of garlic powder to taste, a pinch of dried oregano or thyme to taste, olive oil, smoked oysters or clams or mussels (you make the call), and salt and pepper to taste. To begin, add some olive oil to a pan. Combine the panko, garlic powder, oregano or thyme and add to oil to toast. Be mindful, it cooks fast, you want it browned not burned. Set crumble aside to cool until ready to serve. This can be done in advance. Slice your tomatoes tomatoes in half, toss with a bit of olive oil and some salt and pepper to taste. This can also be done in advance. When ready to serve, you can prepare in two ways. My favorite is to make a tomato sandwich. Toss the tomato in the crumble, add the smoked shellfish of your choice as a filling and skewer. Option B is to top the prepared tomatoes with the shellfish and crumble and skewer as well. Same taste, different look. You don’t like or can’t eat shellfish? Ok, do the same thing with a piece of smoked salmon and if you do that maybe a pinch of onion powder in the panko crumble in place of the garlic. The main thing is to keep it stress free and use what you love. And a nice big glass of icy Rose doesn’t hurt.

Tis Tomato Time. What is the first thing you think of? Yep, Caprese Salad. But just simple Caprese Salad. No balsamic, no onions, no capers, no bread on the plate. Great in season tomatoes, Heirlooms, different colors and shapes. Best mozzarella. Torn basil. Olive oil. Flaky sea salt (Maldon if you can find it) and pepper to taste. Period. Cut tomatoes into rounds, quarters, slices–vary the shape, they look beautiful on the plate. Then take the mozzarella and tear it into pieces, don’t cut it. Next, olive oil to taste. Scatter torn basil pieces over top. Finally, add the sea salt and pepper to taste. Too hot to cook? Make the salad bigger and serve for dinner, maybe with some fresh bread on the side and a plate of prosciutto and cheese. In any case, don’t forget the wine.

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