Good morning GUSfruitdeliciousnesses!!! Happy Last July Sunday (where is the time going? It is almost the dead of winter!) It has been busy, busy, busy for me. Crazy stuff. This is the type of situation that would be alleviated with ciggie after ciggie. Thankfully, I didn't think of a smoke once. What I did think about was/is tomatoes. Here in Connecticut, the really, really smart farmers have the resources and know how to start tomato plants early. I have, for the past two weeks, had the most amazing yellow tomatoes from the farmers' market. So amazing that I am fixated on them for recipes great and small.
Everyone who tries to quit smoking has their own methods of distraction. Mine is food -- mostly read about, not eaten. Now, however, I fantasize about tomatoes. How to slice perfectly and lightly salt, how to add to dishes without cooking, how to broil with cheese, how to think ahead about canning . . . and so on and so on. I love tomatoes. I'd like to be a tomato on a beautiful green depression glass platter. If you are as nuts as I am about tomatoes -- there is precious little time to smoke -- unless I want to smoke a pork shoulder and think about tomatoes.
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Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto (Pesto Alla Trapanese)
from America's Test Kitchen
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
For a tomato pesto recipe that didn’t disappoint, we used toasted ground nuts, which provided body and crunch to offset the tomatoes’ pulpiness, and a modest amount of olive oil to make the sauce creamy without too much richness. The result was a clean, bright tomato pesto recipe with fruity, vibrant sweetness.
Serves 4 to 6
A half teaspoon of red wine vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes can be substituted for the pepperoncini. If you don’t have a food processor, a blender may be substituted. In step 2, pulse ingredients until roughly chopped, then proceed with the recipe, reducing processing times by half.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup slivered almonds
12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 small pepperoncini (hot peppers in vinegar), stemmed, seeded, and minced (about 1/2 teaspoon) (see note)
Table salt
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound pasta, preferably linguine or spaghetti
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Cool almonds to room temperature.
2. Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperoncini, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.
3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.
4. Add pesto and ½ cup Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta cooking water so that pesto coats pasta. Serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately.
Four-Cheese Broiled Tomato Slices Recipe
The tomatoes can be eaten separately or put on a toasted slice of French Bread -- like a bruschetta.
Ingredients
1/2 cup grated Parmesan and Romano cheese blend
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 large tomatoes
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Cut each tomato into five slices. Spread each with 1 tablespoon cheese mixture.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Broil 3 in. from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until cheese mixture is golden brown and tomatoes are heated through. Yield: 20 appetizers.
Roasted Tomato Sauce
I made this sauce a few years ago and it was the most amazing tomato sauce I ever made. The only reason I didn't repeat is because my oven and ventilation system sucks. The apartment filled with smoke and the alarms went off. I'm doing it again this summer on the grill at the lake.
from Cook's Illustrated (paper copy)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
For a great fresh tomato sauce recipe with out-of-season fresh tomatoes, we turned to roasting, which caramelized natural sugars in the tomatoes, intensified flavor, and added a light touch of smokiness to our sauce. Keeping the seeds in the roasted tomatoes added needed moisture to our sauce, and tossing them with tomato paste gave our sauce a deep red color and more flavor.
This recipe is also great for average to great in season tomatoes if you don't want to use your brilliant summer tomatoes in a sauce.
3 TO 3 1/2 CUPS—FOR 1 POUND OF PASTA
This sauce is best with short pasta shapes, such as ziti or penne. It can also be served over chicken Parmesan or grilled fish. If serving this sauce with pasta, save some of the pasta cooking water to adjust the sauce's consistency. Plum tomatoes can be used, but the sauce may require even more pasta cooking water. Because fresh tomatoes vary in sweetness, it's best to add sugar to taste before serving. The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days; bring to a simmer before using.
Ingredients
2 tblsp. tomato paste
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tp. minced fresh thyme leaves
1/8 tsp red pepper flake (or to taste)
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 pounds vine ripened tomatoes (9-12 medium), cored and halved ple to pole
6 medium garlic clove, peeled
1 mall onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Granualted sugar to taste
2 tblsps. chopped fresh basil leaves
Process
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Combine tomato paste, 1 tsp oil, thyme, pepper flake, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in large bowl.
Toss tomatoes, garlic and onion with tomato paste mixture until evenly coated.
Place 4 inch square of foil in center of wire rack and set in rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place garlic cloves and onion rounds on foil square and arrange tomatoes, cut side down, on rack around garlic and onion.
Roast until vegetables are soft and tomato skins are well charred, 45-55 minutes.
Remove baking sheet from oven and let cool 5 minutes.
Transfer garlic and onion to food processor; pulse until finely chopped, about five 1 second pulses.
Add tomatoes, vinegar, and remaining tblsp oil to food processor.
Pulse 1until broken down but still chunky, about five 1 second pulses.
Using rubber spatula, scrape down bowl; season with salt , pepper and sugar to taste (I don't use sugar).
Continute to process sauce until slightly chunky, about five 1 second pulses.
Stir in basi.
Heat in saucepan and then add your cooked pasta. Top with parmesan.
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