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tomatoes

Fresh Tomato Sauce- a love fest for your summer bounty

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To me the best part of August is the crazy bounty of tomatoes. Heaven is a thick slick of warmed by the sun beefsteak tomato on sourdough toast, slathered with a healthy dose of mayonnaise. Just a sprinkling of sea salt and a quick grind of pepper- nirvana.

At the farmers’s market it Union Square, my regular vendor had bags of tomatoes for cheap meant for saucing. I could NOT resist. Perfectly splendid, but not ready for the runway, these babies were mine!

I was tempted to make up a batch of ketchup, or a long slow cooked sauce, but I just love, love this simple sauce. It’s bright and fresh and tastes like summer- cooked down can wait for cooler days.

The first step was to slow roast them on a baking tray for about a half hour. This condenses the flavor just a bit, and also allows the fruit to give up their skins easily. I just make small hash cuts in the tips of the tomatoes and set them onto a lined baking tray. I included a batch of garlic cloves to roast and sweeten at the same time.

All gets roughly smashed into a rough sauce in minutes. The pepper is from the peppercorns I brought back from Thailand, which I also rough crushed right in my hand. The bowls are another score that I slogged back across the globe from Chiang Mai. They are simple enamel bowls that I paid about 90 cents each for, that I think are just gorgeous . May I gush for a second? I am proud of myself for acquiring these- that is bartering for them in Thailand. I went to the massive Worarot Market by myself- and with my meager but enthusiastic Thai- I was able to haggle with the seller (who had a smile for miles) and make my purchase. This was my first foray into that dark warren of stalls and vendors, where few farang venture on their own. It was a rush.

This batch of sauce was more than plenty for my meal- so the rest got put up in serving size containers and frozen for the future- thinking a grilled pizza with this sauce is next in the cue….

Fresh Tomato Sauce
makes about a quart and a half
 
3# ripe tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, still in their papers
.33c olive oil
3T wine vinegar
generous pinch of sugar
S & P
fresh basil to taste
 
Preheat oven to 350˚
 
Line baking sheet with foil. Make a small x in the flesh of each tomato and place on the tray, along with the garlic. Roast for approx 30 mins (depending on the size), or until the skins are a slightly shriveled.
 
Allow to cool a few minutes, then peel tomatoes, remove the stem core and put into a large bowl. Mash and mince the garlic and add it into the bowl along with the oil, vinegar, sugar, and S&P
 
Using your hands squeeze and crush the tomatoes into a rough sauce. Taste for balance and add more oil, vinegar etc as necessary. I like mine a tough vinegary.
 
To serve I boiled up some fresh tagliatelle and added blots of soft fontina.
 
 

Summer Tomato Tart Tatin

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Were coming into the summer bounty of tomatoes, my favorite time of the year. This tart tatin is a welcome relief from the trays of tomato mozzarella salads, and yet, still a light and delicious way to enjoy summer’s bounty. The vinegar and sugar in this dish, along with the roasting, brings out a different layer of flavors in the tomatoes, causing them to intensify and sweeten into such goodness.
This dish is also one of those dishes that will generate oohs and ahhhs when presented to the table, but is unabashedly and devilishly simple to make. The tart tatin also comes together so quickly that you can run up off the beach and throw this into the oven. By the time sandy feet, and sun-screened skin are rinsed and dried, your beautiful tarts are ready to be flipped onto a serving dish and placed on the table.
When I made this recently for a luncheon I made two. While the first was in the oven finishing off, I readied the second. It only takes a few minutes to bake off the tart, so as  the first came out, in went round two. The tart tatins are best straight out of the oven. The liquor from the tomatoes soaks the pastry, making it saturated and divine, but left too long it becomes soggy and it loses it’s edge. This is not a good dish to make the day before, unfortunately.
If you want to prep ahead you can roll out and cut your pastry to size and leave on wax paper, parchment, or in between layers of saran, and then drop it on top of your pan when you’re ready to go. It really comes together very quickly, and this way you can keep a cleaner counter.
Serve this with a garden salad, or even top off with some feta cheese if you want a dish with a little more heft. Definitely serve with a crisp white wine.
Summer Tomato Tart Tatin
serves two generously
 
2T unsalted butter
1T white vinegar
2t brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 large fistfuls of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
one sheet of prepared puff pastry
 
Preheat oven to 425˚
 
In an 8″ (preferably nonstick) frying pan, melt the butter. Add the vinegar, sugar, garlic and thyme and cook over moderate heat for 2-3 mins until thickened.
 
Place tomatoes, cut side down into the thickened sauce, making the grouping as tight as possible.
 
Roll out the puff pastry and cut a circle 9″ in diameter. Place on top of the tomatoes.
 
Pop the works into the hot oven and allow to bake until brown and puffed up. Approximately 15 mins.
 
Remove from the oven and allow to sit for one minute.
 
Place a plate on top of the pan and invert the tatin onto the plate.
 
Serve immediately.
 
Viva Summer!!
 
 
 

 

TriColor Gazpacho: Deconstructed

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Light, garden fresh gazpacho is a favorite of so many, but for me the texture has always been a deterrent.  Not to be negative, but it always felt too much like pureed salsa and I get stuck on that. The idea of eating fresher than fresh vegetables is so wonderful, but the mushiness just left me feeling, meh.

So after thinking about it, I decided that what I found lacking was the soupy part of this cold soup, and why not have chunks of the tomatoes for a toothsome texture? And THEN! like a confirmation from the heavens, I picked up the latest special edition of Gourmet magazine, Easy Dinners. Now don’t you know, they have exactly the type of soup that I was thinking of! Though theirs is tomatillo based and mine has none, the concept is the same.

The broth aspect of the soup is made in the traditional manor of classic gazpacho, fresh vegetables are pureed to smoothness, but in my version the solids are removed from the liquid, which has drawn out all the essence of the vegetables leaving behind a broth that is incredibly rich in flavor. After that it’s just the matter of chopping up the rest of the vegetables and combining it all together.

This week at the market I was so thrilled to see so many varieties of tomatoes so early in the season, and the yellow, orange and red tomatoes are so beautiful together. So the base is comprised of yellow tomatoes, and the toss ins are orange and red.

My best advice when making this soup is to allow the added in veg to marinate in the base awhile before serving (an hour or two?)- and then maybe toss a few fresh bits on top for brightness of color. Another word of advice is to balance the acidity well. Tomatoes already have quite a bit of acid before adding some vinegar, and different varieties and levels of ripeness will vary too. So to keep your soup from tasting like a bowl of salad dressing, go easy with the vinegar at first and ease on up to balance. If you go too far, a minute pinch of sugar will bring you back down.

*And a bonus* The solids that are left after the straining are delicious and wonderful on their own. I used mine as a garnish on tostadas, but would also be great folded into filling for enchiladas for instance. It’s all the great flavor without the juice running down your arm (not that that’s a bad thing).

Deconstructed Gazpacho
serves 4
 
1.5# yellow tomatoes, chopped and divided
.5# orange tomatoes, chopped and divided
.5# red tomatoes, chopped and divided
.5 medium sized white onion, chopped and divided
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2T red wine vinegar (adjust to taste)
.5c water
2T olive oil
.5c chopped cilantro
 
In a blender, puree half of the yellow tomatoes, half the onion, half the jalapeño, the garlic and vinegar- until smooth.
 
Strain through a medium mesh sieve and press the solids to extract all the juice. Discard the solids.
 
Stir in the remaining tomatoes and onion. Add water, oil and salt and vinegar to taste.
 
Chill until cold, adding chopped cilantro right before serving.
 
Enjoy!