SLOW-ROASTED TOMATOES

These are easy to prepare and very versatile.  Once you cool these, store in a jar topped with a bit of olive oil and store in the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of cherry tomatoes, halved
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Put the tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet.

on tray, ready to roast

garlic is still in the skins

Toss with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the tray to the oven and roast for 2 to 3 hours, until shriveled but still moist.

roasted, garlic removed for skin removal

roasted but still moist, 3 hrs.

Allow to cool and peel the garlic cloves.

Enjoy immediately OR store in a jar in the refrigerator topped with olive oil.

the before and the after

I cut the garlic cloves into slices

GOOD INFO FROM A WEB SITE:

Looking for more options on how to serve the slow-roasted tomato?

You can use them in place of their far more potent cousin, the sun-dried tomato, in almost any recipe, and here are a few of my favorites uses.

• Mound onto a wedge of crusty bread, top with mozzarella and broil to melted sandwich perfection.
• Toss them with crumbled feta and serve over fresh greens for a light lunch.
• Add to pizzas toppings; feel free to skip the tomato sauce and drizzle pizza with olive oil instead.
• Toss with hot pasta and chopped fresh herbs for a simple, yet elegant meal.

I mixed my roasted tomatoes with green from the garden.

Preserving Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Freezing: Pack tomatoes into a freezable container, and pour the oil from the pan over the top. Cover with more olive oil if needed, label and freeze for up to 6 months.

Fridge: Transfer tomatoes to a jar and cover with olive oil. Cover jar with lid and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

ANNATTO SEED OIL

"poor man's saffron"

READ MORE:  http://www.food.com/library/annatto-seed-397

These seeds are used to make an oil that is used for the red-yellow color and pungent flavor it imparts to rice and seafood dishes.  Use with rice or polenta, for frying chicken, tofu, or fish or coloring stews and casseroles.

DIRECTIONS:

 Simmer 1/4 cup annatto in 1/2 cup corn oil or shortening ten minutes.  Strain seeds, store oil in a clean jar in cook, dry place.

strain the seeds

store in a clean jar

I store mine in the frig

NOW what to do with this oil?  I'll explore various recipes as I try to incorporate my fresh veggies from the garden.  Stay tuned.

GARDEN INSPIRED APPETIZERS

My challenge was to create snacks using the abundance from my garden. 

More important than ever, since reading the NY Times article sent to me by brother Bill.  Eating dirt?  A good thing?  Hug a farmer?  Give up the germ killing wipes?  Read more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/opinion/lets-add-a-little-dirt-to-our-diet.html?_r=2&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y


For my late afternoon cocktail hour, I finally decided on:

sweet cherry tomatoes with 2 dipping sauces, fresh basil pesto and tzatziki,

baba ganoush with crackers for dipping and

dressed fresh tomato slices with sliced mozzarella and whole basil leaves

both tomatoes and basil from my garden

cherry tomatoes from the garden served with

tzatziki and homemade basil pesto

baba ganoush with dipping crackers

CHERRY TOMATO SAUCE

START WITH GOOD FRESH CHERRY TOMATOES, ABOUT 2 PINTS

in the early cooking process

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion. diced

4 cloves garlic. sliced

1 sweet yellow pepper, chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup fresh basil. rough cut

3 sprigs fresh rosemary, cut off and chopped

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. agave nectar

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil and saute the chopped onions for a few minutes.  When they start to soften, add the garlic and peppers.  Continue to cook for a few minutes.

Add the whole cherry tomatoes, wines, basil, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and agave nectar.  Bring all to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for at least 60 minutes.

When ready to serve, using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until mostly smooth but still containing some chunks.

blended sauce

serve with a pasta that "catches" the sauce

TRATTORIA LUCCA

This charming little restaurant serves very authentic Italian food.  Vegetarian cuisine is very possible but vegan would be difficult.  Although a sample menu is listed below; my dish last night is very current and not listed on line.  I ordered a pasta dish tossed with very generous helpings of smashed broccoli and pistachios all mixed in a creamy white wine sauce.   Very rich, very delicious!  The portion was more than generous.

Because this is a "cooked to order" restaurant, make sure to order a glass of wine and an appetizer and UNLAX!  Our reservation was for 6:30; we still had not eaten by 8. 

My only criticism is the seating.  Because of the hard surface chairs, with NO padding at all, combined with the very long wait, sitting that long was very very uncomfortable. 

This restaurant is a keeper.  Can't wait to go back.



About this restaurant:http://luccacharleston.com/about-trattoria-lucca/




Check out their menu:

http://luccacharleston.com/menu/

BERRY COMPOTE

great served on the oatmeal egg white pancake

2 year old blueberry bush in my garden

One way to use those many fresh picked blueberries.  This mixture is thick and rich and great served atop pancakes, french toast or better yet my healthy OATMEAL EGG WHITE PANCAKE.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg. frozen blueberries  (I freeze in batches and then use one of the baggies full)
1/4 cup organic sugar or Sucanat (I use agave nectar)
1/4 cup spring water
1 tsp. Arrowroot powder


DIRECTIONS:

Simmer the spring water and sugar together until reduced and bubbly.

Add the berries and allow them to cook until they pop.

Whisk in the arrowroot powder and cook until sauce becomes bubbly and thick.

Serve immediately with the pancakes.


Feel free to use any berry; I just love the blueberries.

I'm always fighting the birds for these.

berries cooking on the stove

ready to serve

DAY 2:  used this as a jelly spread on a flat bread with almond butter

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

In keeping with the southern tradition and having a very light meal at the end of the day:  fried green tomatoes with tzatziki sauce and red wine.  YUM

dipped, breaded and frying

blot with paper towel to remove excess oil

INGREDIENTS:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk (I used almond milk)

1/2 cup cup all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cumin

3 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices

vegetable oil

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Combine egg and buttermilk; set aside

Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, 1 tsp. salt, pepper and cumin in a shallow bowl or pan.

Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375 degrees.  Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden.

Drain on paper towels or a rack.  Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt.

CUTTING TOMATOES

This tip’s all about efficiency. It’s a weird one! But stay with me.

When you’re cutting a million cherry tomatoes each into two perfect halves this summer for panzanella, baked chicken, and pasta, you’re going to be seriously happy to know that instead of slicing one tomato with each cut, you can slice about 15. Sure makes those pints dwindle faster.

To make slicing tomatoes like slicing a bagel, you’ll need two plastic lids – the kind you get from Citarella or on wonton soup containers. And you’ll need a serrated knife. Then instead of cutting lots of tomatoes individually, you cut lots of tomatoes all at once because the lids hold them in place while you saw across. It’s a tada!-inducing moment when you see how many tomatoes you’ve cut at once.

THIS TIP WAS FORWARDED TO ME BY COUSIN BEA.  IT'S PARTICULARLY RELEVANT TO ME SINCE I'VE BEEN HARVESTING BOWLS AND BOWLS OF CHERRY TOMATOES.  I'LL GIVE THIS A GO!

BLUEBERRY PICKING TIME

rows and rows of huge blueberry bushes

CHAMPNEYS FARM

Ravenel, SC

http://getlocalfoods.com/Buy-Local/Search-by-City/Charleston,-SC/Farms/Champney-s-Blueberry-Farm.aspx

This is the equivalent of 9 to 10 pints.

I love keeping a bowl of these in the frig and freezing the remaining.  Not too much work required but I will admit that it's very time consuming with a side by side frig.  There isn't enough width to hold my large cooking sheets.

DIRECTIONS FOR FREEZING BERRIES:

http://www.pickyourown.org/freezingblueberries.htm



SUMMERFEST MENU

CHECK OUT THE FABULOUS MENU FOR THE UPCOMING SUMMERFEST 2012

...some great ideas for we home cooks!!!






http://vegetariansummerfest.org/menu.htm

BEANS N' TOFU WITH SOY & SESAME

the source of my beans - MY GARDEN

today's harvest

INGREDIENTS:

1 block tofu, drain well and cut into

1 bunch fresh green beans, cut in half

sauce mix

SOY AND SESAME SAUCE MIX:

1/2 cup tamari

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar

2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, toast these and let cool a bit

1 Tbsp. agave nectar

2 large garlic cloves

1 Tbsp. finely peeled and minced or grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup minced green onions

DIRECTIONS:

For the sauce, first toast the sesame seeds.  Let cook while you mix together the remaining ingredients.  Mix both together and set aside.

Cut the tofu into 12 square pieces.  Put these into a baking dish and brush on some of the SOY AND SESAME SAUCE MIX.  Brush on both sides. Cover and let sit in the frig.



toasting sesame seeds

tofu marinates

When ready to assemble: 

Steam the green beans.  While these are steaming, fry the tofu in hot oil.  I like using peanut oil or olive oil.  Brown the tofu and then remove.

Add the steamed beans to the hot skillet and add the SOY AND SESAME SAUCE.

Stir till all is heated thru and thoroughly mixed.

Would be great served with brown rice for a larger meal.



then fried. remove and set aside;  add the beans

add the steamed

beans for a quick toss with the marinade

finished product / mouth watering!

a good summer lunch / dinner

ADD WHITE WINE

A HEALTHY SNACK

Mary's Gone Crackers have been my favorite for years.  I've just discovered that they make an amazing pretzel in 3 different flavors.  I tried both the sea salt and curry.  Also available is chipotle tomato.  

organic, vegan, gluten free

totally nourishing ingredients:

check out their site:

http://www.marysgonecrackers.com/pretzel-sticks

NEW FOOD APP

FOODSPOTTING...

is available on: iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry and Windows.

This app, by a startup company, is taking off in cities around the globe because it mixes photos with location-based technology.  The interface is simple. 

It's a very good interactive site;  you can upload all those photos you keep taking at every meal and share your dish picks with other FOODSPOTTERS.

Locate not just the restaurants BUT also the dishes you crave.

Watch a short video and download this app.

http://www.foodspotting.com/apps

"It's about dishes

Find whatever you're craving, see what's good at a particular restaurant and discover must-try dishes nearby. "

GARDEN FOR BREAKFAST

breakfast, fast and fresh

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs

2 handfuls of garden greens, Swiss chard and beet tops

fresh basil, about 8 leaves

10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 clove garlic

pepper

Vegan Parmesan

DIRECTIONS:

In a small amount of oil, saute the greens and garlic.  As these start to wilt , add the eggs mixed with the pepper and the basil leaves.  Cook a couple of minutes.  Add the cherry tomatoes.

Cook the mixture until it starts to set.  I usually cut it in quarters and turn in sections.  Brown on both sides.

Near the end of the cooking time, sprinkle with more pepper and the Parmesan cheese.

AN ABUNDANCE OF TOMATOES

an abundance of tomatoes / what to do?

Phyllis, a dear friend, grew up on a farm.  She knows, in my opinion, absolutely everything about growing food.  The tip she gave me was to not waste time with an excess of tomatoes.  Normally I would blanch, peel, cut and freeze.  Her suggestion to simplify this process is especially relevant when working with cherry tomatoes. 

Wash and pulverize the raw tomatoes.

I store my tomato puree mixture in cardboard soup containers, obtained

 via the Internet, 500 at a time. 

When ready to use this mixture, simply thaw.  These tomatoes can be used in salsa, salsas and soups.

OMG BURGER KING, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

"Burger King wants to lure customers this summer with a barbecue party - and a bacon sundae."

This summer Burger King is featuring several pork, beef and chicken sandwiches as limited time offers.  The theme is summer barbecue party!!!

For dessert, the company is offering a BACON SUNDAE.  You can't make this one up.  This "healthy?" option started in Nashville, Tenn.  The soft vanilla ice cream is served with fudge, caramel, bacon crumbles and a piece of bacon.  YIKES!

The salty-sweet dessert clocks in at 510 calories, 18 grams of fat and 61 grams of sugar.

Is Burger King real?  Have they heard of the epidemic of obesity in America?  Are they doing our children any favors?  Are there perhaps better choices for US to make?

GREENBEANS / FRESH, SAUTEED AND STEAMED

fresh greens from the garden

steamed till just fork tender

drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and toss

with pepper, lemon pepper and garlic powder

(Florida seasoned pepper is fabulous if you're

lucky enough to own it - Penzeys Spices)

sauteed in olive oil with watermelon radishes, fresh rosemary,

and garlic powder

YUM

FRAMED EGG W/GREENS

In Home Ec we called this a toad in a hole, an egg in a frame, etc.  It's a good occasional start to the day.  

Using whole wheat bread, lightly spread both sides with Earth Balance.  Cut or tear a small hole in the center of the bread.  Place the bread on the griddle and break an egg in the hole.  When it starts to set, flip over and cont. to cook till thoroughly finished to your liking (I like to dip the small toasted circle into the yolk).  Season with garlic powder and black pepper.

Kick this breakfast up a notch by serving it with fresh greens cooked with garlic and red onion.  Featured above is Swiss chard and beet tops.