Recipes: Fresh Summer Tomatoes!

Heirloom Tomatoes, click on the image to take you directly to the photo to better read the names of the varieties Image via Wikipedia

From Denny: We love tomatoes at our house! They are so versatile, and, right about now for the rest of the summer, they are also affordable. Tomatoes are a healthy food, full of vitamins A and C as well as the antioxidant lycopene.

Some people who find red tomatoes too strong a taste would enjoy the more mellow yellow version. Another alternative is to buy the red tomatoes before they ripen - as green tomatoes! Here in the South we have a long tradition of fried green tomatoes. All you do is slice the green unripened tomatoes into thick slices. Then dredge them in an egg wash and yellow cornmeal, seasoned with your favorite spices - we like lots of garlic powder and Cajun seasonings at our house - and saute in a bit of oil in a cast iron skillet and out comes an awesome dish! Easy!

Today I'm featuring a couple of tomato recipes: Tomato Basil Pie and Heirloom Tomato Salsa, enjoy!



Tomato Basil Pie

From: “Cooking & Gardening with Dianne” by Dianne Cage (featured in the Comfort Food From Louisiana Amazon store, just click on the title)

Makes: one (9-inch) pie


Ingredients:

1 prepared pie crust

3 or 4 medium tomatoes, sliced fairly thick

Salt

2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated sharp Cheddar (suggestion: use only 1/2 cup Cheddar plus 1/2 cup Parmesan)

1/2 - 1 cup mayonnaise (suggestion: if you are not a huge fan of mayonnaise or the calories try using only 1/2 cup as that is just enough to bind everything without excess)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Brush bottom of pie crust lightly with butter and bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven, cool 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Place tomato slices in bottom of crust and sprinkle chopped basil over tomatoes.

3. In separate bowl, blend cheeses, mayonnaise, red pepper and a sprinkle of black pepper. Pat on top of tomato-basil and with the back of a spoon, lightly spread over top.

4. Put back into preheated 400-degree oven for about 20 minutes and top is lightly browned. Tomatoes will just be heated through. Serve warm.

*****



Heirloom Tomato Salsa

From: “Fresh Every Day — More Great Recipes From Foster’s Market” by Sara Foster with Carolynn Carreno (featured in the Comfort Food From Louisiana Amazon book store - just click on the title)

Makes: 3 to 4 cups.

From the author: “I make this salsa in big batches because it’s good on so many things: scrambled eggs, chicken sandwiches, in wraps with leftover meat and, of course, with chips. I make it with many kinds of heirloom tomatoes because I love all the shapes and colors together. If you can’t find heirlooms, don’t worry. The point is just to have good, garden-ripe tomatoes.”

Ingredients:

2 pounds mixed tomatoes (4 to 5 medium), cored and diced

1 small red onion, minced

2 jalapeño peppers, cored, seeded and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Grated zest and juice of 1 lime

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño peppers, garlic, red pepper, lime zest and juice in a large bowl as you prepare them. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with the sugar, cilantro, salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning.

2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to marry the flavors before serving the salsa. It will keep for up to 1 week; the tomatoes will release some juices, but the flavor is just delicious.

Recipe: Mole Negro Oaxaqueno - Oaxacan Black Mole

From Denny: I'm starting to collect mole recipes as it is one of the few savory things you can do with chocolate! I also like these "many flavors blended" kind of recipes, enjoy things simmering away on the stove - and mole is right up there in that recipe stratosphere! :) I'll be posting several this week to satisfy your curiosity and mine!

Mole Negro Oaxaqueno: Oaxacan Black Mole

From: Food Network and Recipe excerpted from Seasons of My Heart: A Culinary Journey through Oaxaca, Mexico by Susana Trilling: Ballantine Books, 1999

Prep Time: 45 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 4 hr 0 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 12 servings

Ingredients:

4 large onions, chopped, plus 1 medium onion, quartered

8 ribs celery, chopped

8 carrots, chopped

2 (3 pound) chickens, cut into 12 pieces, skinned

5 chilhuacles negros, seeded and deveined; seeds reserved

5 guajillos, seeded and deveined; seeds reserved

4 pasillas Mexicanos, seeded and deveined; seeds reserved

4 anchos negros, seeded and deveined; seeds reserved

2 chipotles mecos, seeded and deveined; seeds reserved

1/2 head garlic, cloves separated

2 tablespoons whole almonds

2 tablespoons shelled and skinned raw peanuts

1 (1-inch) piece Mexican cinnamon

3 black peppercorns

3 whole cloves

3 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 1/2 tablespoons raisins

1 slice egg-dough bread (maybe Challah as a source)

1 small ripe plantain, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1/2-cup sesame seeds

2 pecan halves

1/2 pound chopped tomatoes

1/4 pound chopped tomatillos

1 sprig thyme, or 1/2 tsp. dried

1 sprig Oaxacan oregano, or 1/2 tsp. dried

2 tablespoons lard

4 1/2 ounces Mexican chocolate

1 avocado leaf

Salt, to taste

Directions:

In a 2 gallon stockpot, heat 5 quarts water and onions, celery, and carrots to a boil. Add chicken pieces and poach, covered, over low heat for about 35 to 45 minutes, until cooked through and juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove the meat from the stock. Strain and reserve the stock.

Heat 2 quarts of water in a kettle. On a 10-inch dry comal, griddle, or in a cast-iron frying pan, toast the chiles over medium heat until blackened, but not burnt, about 10 minutes. Place the chiles in a large bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 1/2 hour. Remove the chiles from the soaking water with tongs, placing small batches in a blender with 1/4 cup of the chile soaking water to blend smooth. Put the chile puree through a strainer to remove the skins.

In the same dry comal, griddle, or frying pan, grill the onion and garlic over medium heat for 10 minutes. Set aside. Toast the almonds, peanuts, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves in a dry comal, griddle or cast-iron frying pan for about 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan.

Over the same heat, toast the chile seeds, taking care to blacken but not burn them, about 20 minutes. Try to do this outside or in a well-ventilated place because the seeds will give off very strong fumes. When the seeds are completely black, light them with a match and let them burn themselves out. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl. Soak the blackened seeds in 1 cup of cold water for 10 minutes. Drain the seeds and grind them in a blender for about 2 minutes. Add the blended chile seeds to the blended chile mixture.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in an 8-inch cast-iron frying pan over medium heat until smoking. Add the raisins and fry them until they are plump, approximately 1 minute. Remove from the pan. Fry the bread slice in the same oil until browned, about 5 minutes, over medium heat. Remove from pan. Fry the plantain in the same oil until it is well browned, approximately 10 minutes, over medium heat. Set aside. Fry the sesame seeds, stirring constantly over low heat, adding more oil if needed. When the sesame seeds start to brown, about 5 minutes, add the pecans and brown for 2 minutes more. Remove all from the pan, let cool, and grind finely in a spice grinder. It takes a bit of time, but this is the only way to grind the seeds and nuts finely enough.

Wipe out the frying pan and fry the tomatoes, tomatillos, thyme, and oregano over medium to high heat, allowing the juices to almost evaporate, about 15 minutes. Blend well, using 1/2 cup of reserved stock if needed to blend and set aside. Place the nuts, bread, plantains, raisins, onion, garlic and spices in the blender in small batches, and blend well, adding about 1 cup of stock to make it smooth.

In a heavy 4-quart stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons of lard or oil until smoking and fry the chile paste over medium to low heat, stirring constantly so it will not burn, approximately 20 minutes. When it is ?dry?, add the tomato puree and fry until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the ground ingredients, including the sesame seed paste, to the pot. Stir constantly with a wooden soon until well-incorporated, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken stock to the mole, stir well, and allow to cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Break up the chocolate and add to the pot, stirring until it is melted and incorporated into the mixture.

Toast the avocado leaf briefly over the flame if you have a gas range or in a dry frying pan and then add it to the pot. Slowly add more stock to the mole, as it will keep thickening as it cooks. Add enough salt to bring out the flavor. Let simmer another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not stick, adding stock as needed. The mole should not be thick; just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Place the cooked chicken pieces in the leftover stock in a saucepan and heat through.

To serve, place a piece of chicken in a shallow bowl and ladle 3/4 of a cup of mole sauce over to cover it completely. Serve immediately with lots of hot corn tortillas.

Hint: Be sure to put the blended chiles through a sieve or food mill, or you will have pieces of chile skin in your mole, which needs to be silky smooth.

You can use oil instead of lard to fry the mole, but the flavor will change dramatically. In our pueblo, people traditionally use turkey instead of chicken, and sometimes add pieces of pork and beef to enhance the flavor. You can use leftover mole and chicken meat to make Enmoladas or Tamales Oazaquenos made with banana leaves.

Inspired by Maria Taboada and Paula Martinez

Recipe: Oyster Pan Roast

Image by MarxFoods.com via Flickr

Photo of another version of baked oysters with mushrooms

Oyster Pan Roast

From: The Palace Cafe

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 pieces French bread, 2-3 inch slices cut on a bias

1 Tbsp Butter, softened

4 Tbsp Breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 qt Heavy cream

1 Tbsp Fresh rosemary, minced

1 Tbsp Shallots, minced

20 P & J Oysters

1 Tbsp Parsley, finely chopped for garnish

4 sprigs Fresh rosemary

Salt and white pepper to taste


Directions:

To make croutons, butter both sides of each piece of French bread and season with salt and pepper. Toast in a 350° oven until crisp.

Mix breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl and reserve. Reduce cream by ½ over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepot. Stir in rosemary and shallots and reduce sauce until it thickens a bit. Strain to remove shallots and rosemary. Ladle cream into an oven-safe skillet and bring to a boil.

Add oysters and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Be careful not to over-salt the dish! Remember, the oysters are somewhat salty. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the ends of the oysters start to curl, then remove from heat. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese over oysters. Broil in a 350° oven until breadcrumbs are toasted and golden brown.

To serve, place a French bread crouton in the center of each serving plate. Spoon oysters and sauce around crouton. Spear rosemary sprig through crouton and sprinkle dish with parsley.


At the Palace Café this signature dish is served in individual 4 oz. French pans. For this pan roast presentation without all of the pans, serve Oyster Pan Roast family style from a cast iron skillet.