Happy Weekend :: Roasted Heirloom Tomato Pasta

Have you ever started making a dish just to end up making something totally different?  Well, it happened to me yesterday.  It's starting to get a little chillier here in NYC (well, and by chilly I mean it's 75F instead of the recent 95F and humid) so I was excited to make a roasted tomato soup with these beautiful heirloom cherry tomatoes.   I love seasoning and roasting vegetables before making a soup, it makes them nuttier and sweeter.  And tomato soup is one of my favorite fall dishes.

Well , when the tomatoes came out of the oven, they looked so juicy and delicious, and the whole kitchen was filled with the smell of basil and oregano, that we couldn't help it and poured them over fettuccine instead.  So roasted tomato soup became a roasted heirloom tomato pasta sauce. ... And by far the easiest, no mess, pasta sauce I've ever made!  The tomatoes have so much juice and flavor, there's no need to add anything else to them once they come out of the oven.  Just pour them over pasta and enjoy!

ROASTED HEIRLOOM TOMATO PASTA

2 cups heirloom tomatoes, 

1 clove of garlic, chopped,

1/2 a white onion, slice

Kosher Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Springs of basil and oregano

Pasta, I used fettuccine

Preheat oven to 350F. 

In an oven safe pan, spread the tomatoes (cut the small tomatoes in half) and onions.  Pour a bit of olive oil on top of the tomatoes, and mix so the oil coats all the pieces.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a add your herbs and garlic.  

Place in the oven and cook until the tomatoes are soft and browning.  About 20 minutes.  In the meanwhile cook the pasta and drain.  Pour the tomatoes over the cooked pasta.

Lunchbox :: Heirloom Tomato & Yellow Zucchini Flatbread

We got beautiful heirloom tomatoes as part of the CSA this week, along with pretty little round yellow zucchinis. I am always amazed at how different heirloom vegetables look from what you are used to. The colors of the tomatoes are almost tie-dyed! :-)

I was also looking forward to using the fresh herbs from my windowsill garden so I came up with this seasonal flatbread recipe. The fresh herbs add the finishing touch! It makes the perfect quick meal, or even as an appetizer when entertaining friends. I made it last night after we had dinner, yes, after dinner! But I sliced it in half and packed it up in two 'to go' containers for a next day take-to-work lunchbox. A. was very excited! ...and I suspect ate part of his before lunch. :-)

You can substitute the vegetables or even the cheese for what you have in season. I'm already thinking of a fig and mascarpone version for Fall... yum!

HEIRLOOM TOMATO & YELLOW ZUCHINI FLATBREAD
1 round frozen pizza dough (defrosted)
1 giant heirloom tomato (I think our variety is called Brandywine)
1 round yellow zucchini
Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups mozzarella
Salt & pepper to taste
Sprinkle of Parmesan
2 tbsp fresh herbs (I used a combination of basil, oregano, and chives)


Preheat oven to 425F.


Spread defrosted pizza dough on greased cookie pan in a rectangular shape. Don't worry, it doesn't need to be exact, just stretch the dough as much as you can without breaking it. Salt the dough lightly with salt.


Cook the dough in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until you start getting a crust. Cool for 15 minutes.

When cool, drizzle a bit of olive oil on the dough. Then spread the cheese evenly on top. Arrange the slices of tomatoes and zucchini on top of the cheese. Dust lightly with Parmesan cheese. Add a bit of pepper, and sprinkle the cut herbs.


Cook for another 5-8 minutes until the cheese is melted. Place the oven on broil for a couple of minutes. Remove, and cool for 5 minutes.


Enjoy! ... or in this case: reheat an enjoy!

Craving Capers :: Mediterranean Chicken Salad w/Spinach, Orzo, and Heirloom Tomatoes

I've heard your taste buds change every few years, well, I've decided it must be true!

I have always disliked capers (let's be honest... I've 'hated' capers!). And I'm not one to not like food. But, this weekend I accidentally had them in a salad, and now I can't get enough! I loved their salty brininess.

So, all day I've been craving capers! ... and then daydreaming about how I was going to use them to make dinner. I decided to make a Mediterranean salad of grilled chicken, with spinach and a bit of orzo.

I marinated the chicken breasts in lemon juice and a bit of the caper vinegar (the juice that comes in the jar w/the capers). And with the spinach I added orzo pasta, ripe yellow heirloom tomatoes, chopped olives, and of course: capers! I was going to top it with grated Parmesan but the cheese counter at Citerella (on of my favorite places for cheese!) suggested Ricotta Salata (a dry version of ricotta - imagine the consistency of feta cheese but less salty and tart). Delicious, and easy...a perfect weeknight meal!

MEDITERRANEAN GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD w/SPINACH, ORZO PASTA, and HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
2 chicken breasts
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp olive oil
Pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped and pitted olives
1 tbsp capers
1 tomato, sliced
1 cup cooked orzo (cooked just like you would cook pasta - keep al dente)
2-3 cups of fresh spinach
A few slices of Ricotta Salata (you can substitute with Parmesan)

Marinate whole chicken breasts with the juice of half a lemon, Dijon mustard, and olive oil. Sprinkle with pepper and add a bit of the juice from the capers you will use later (about a teaspoon of the caper oil). Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Heat your stove top griddle (I use a cast iron Le Cruset griddle) on medium high heat and brush with olive oil. When the griddle gets hot (test it by sprinkling a bit of water - it should bubble) place the chicken breasts. Resist the urge to flip them over quickly! Wait at least 3 minutes. Flip chicken breasts over and allow them to fully cook. If you have a cooking thermometer, you can double check, this is especially useful when you have thick pieces. They will be ready when they hit 170F. Remove from heat and allow them to cool for 5 minutes, then slice.

Toss the olives, capers, tomatoes, orzo, and spinach in a bowl. Top with the chicken and ricotta slices.

Serve with a simple vinaigrette of 3 parts olive oil, 1 part balsamic vinegar, and a bay leaf per serving. Be careful to not add salt to the dressing. The caper and olives will add plenty of salt to the salad.

Enjoy!

Heirloom Greens :: Green Tomato Gazpacho

Whenever I hear 'green tomatoes' I of course think of Fried Green Tomatoes... not because I've had them often, but more because of the movie.  So when we got these summery treats in our CSA share this week I tried to think of another use for them.

Last summer I was obsessed with gazpacho, I made it once a week. It's such a perfect summer food, and very easy to make.  Everything goes into a food processor and then chills...that's it.  I like to serve it with grilled Gruyere sandwiches.  

But I have yet to make it this summer... so I decided to come up with a green tomato gazpacho! 

The taste of green tomatoes is far tangier and bitter than that of sweet red tomatoes, especially in the summer (imagine a granny smith apple vs a sweet red apple).  So I modified my red gazpacho recipe by adding less vinegar, less onions, no garlic, introducing a bit of mustard, and finally adding sparkling white wine to cut the acidity.

After a few tries, and playing with quantities...It came out delicious! Hope you enjoy!

GREEN TOMATO GAZPACHO

1.5 lbs green tomatoes

2 peeled cucumbers

2 peppers (any color - but I used light green and yellow so that they would blend into the soup)

1/4 of a white onion (medium sized)

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup Prosecco (or any other dry white wine)

1/2 tbsp grain mustard

1/2 tbsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste (I used kosher salt)

Dash of cumin (if you like the smokiness of cumin - optional)

All ingredients go into a food processor and start chopping. I only have a mini-prep food processor (remember: NYC apartment!) so I do it in batches, each vegetable at a time and add all ingredients to a large serving bowl.  Then I season while in the bowl.  I don't like my gazpacho chunky because when it is, I feel that I am eating salsa, so I process until I have a smooth liquid consistency.  Taste as you are adding your seasonings.  Feel free to add more olive oil, vinegar, wine, salt and pepper to taste.

Chill for at least an hour. Serve with crusty bread.

Fresh from the Market:: Heirloom Tomato Pasta

Tomatoes have been showing up in my recipes the last couple of weeks, but I can't help it.  They are all over the farmer's markets, and deliciously sweet!  I came up with this recipe for a pound of heirloom tomatoes I picked up in Union Square last week.  

HEIRLOOM TOMATO PASTA

1 lb heirloom tomatoes (replace with cherry tomatoes if you can't find heirloom)

1 large carrot chopped (you also want it to be a paste - I put it in the food processor w/a little olive oil)

2-3 tbsp chopped up basil 

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup tomato juice

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 box pasta of choice

Total time: 30 minutes max!

Start boiling water for pasta (don't add oil, only salt, it should taste like sea water).

Cut the tomatoes in half.  In a large skillet, medium heat, saute garlic with plenty of olive oil to cover the entire pan. Be careful and don't burn the garlic. As soon as it starts to brown, add tomatoes.  Move the pan around s that the tomatoes get covered in olive oil and garlic.  Salt a bit. Add Carrot paste, tomato juice, and basil.  Add salt and pepper to taste (note: don't be scared to try your food through each step...it's the only way to know how much to add).  Turn heat to low and allow to simmer while pasta cooks and gets drained. This wont take long, the total time for this sauce is between 15-20 minutes.  The idea is that the tomatoes still retain their shape.

Cook pasta till it's al-dente. You'll know because when you taste it it should still have a bite. Drain.  Add a little olive oil to pasta and move into a large boil.

Remove sauce from heat and mix the sauce into the pasta.  Add plenty of parmessan. 

oh PS: if you haven't read French Women Don't Get Fat, you should. Written by Mireille Guiliano, the CEO of Veuve Clicqout, it's a quirky, entertaining, fast read highlighting the importance of eating seasonally.  ...She also says its ok to have a chocolate croissant for breakfast... Something I might have to do today :-) Happy Friday!