Snack in a Skillet

After a mamoth shopping trip, I came home to a bizarre sensation of being famished & feeling that I need to use my fresh goodies right away. A few months ago, I got myself a copy of Gourmet magazine in the Toronto airport & carefully examined every page during the 8 hour flight back to Germany. While I wasn't taken by many of the recipes, the corn and tomato scramble somehow stuck in my mind. I didn't really read the recipe, it was more of the concept of tomatoes and corn that occupied a place in my subconscience. Instead of worrying about the fact that I clearly think about food too much, I got out the magazine, scaled everything down to feed 2 people and made myself a snack.

Corn & Tomato Scramble
(adapted from Gourmet Magazine)
1/2 Tbsp butter
2 green onions
1 ear of corn
1 large tomato (300g)
1/2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper.

Slice both green & white parts of green onions, keep 2 separate. In a skillet, warm butter over medium heat. Cut corn off of ears. Add white parts of onion to butter, saute & add corn, cooking until tender - 6 minutes.
In the meantime, chop and seed tomato. Marinate in vinegar & olive oil and top with the green parts of the onions.
When corn in cook, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Add to tomatoes, salt & pepper to taste & serve.

I was thrilled to have actually followed a recipe that worked. I was happy until I realized that I was still hungry and there was another 2 hours to wait until dinner time. Next time, I'll make the portion for 8 people.

Tomatoes Preserved in Spice

I'm not too sure if this is a jam or a chutney. I'm not a big fan of sweets anymore, the result of being a teenage sugar-junkie, but I am a sucker for the subtle fructoses of summer. Tomatoes are a prime example - they are sweet enough to be treated as fruit, but they hold their own at a salad bar. For me, the perfect sweetness.

I've been toying with the idea of a tomato chutney/jam for a few days now, as many of my coworkers will confirm. I've been going through archives, forums, any online resource imaginable. All this not in a quest to distract me from work - no, it was something bigger than that. It was the quest to find the perfect, not too sweet tomato spread.

While I refuse to suggest that this is the Alpha & Omega of tomato preserves, it works our pretty well for me. It has a Carribean temprament, and enough spiciness to make it forgiving. If you want less heat, add less chili.

Tomato Preserve
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp ginger, minced
1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced
500 g tomatoes, chopped
3 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp corriander
pinch cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 chopped chili pepper

Sautee onions and olive oil in large saucepan until golden, add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat & allow to simmer for 75 minutes. Place in cans & preserve if desired.

Makes ca. 1 cup.

I know that my preserves are not lasting more than 2 weeks. In fact, I'll see how much of the jar is left after tonight.

Rain Roasted Tomatoes

It's one of the rare breaks in this year's rainy season. Instead of going outside & enjoying my fabulous balcony (it has live plants on it!), I spend my evenings in the kitchen with low maintenance food. Take the humble tomato, for example. It is capable of so much - everything from the ketchup to pizza, to sauce, to a salad caprese, to gazpacho, to being stuffed; it can be a star yet it is not afraid of being in a supporting role. To think that the Europeans were afraid of the tomato when it first came from the Americas - they claimed that it gave rise to passion, and although I think they meant carnal lust, I am still passionate about fresh, local tomatoes.

The local farm has many fresh tomatoes. I had a minor argument the other day as I was discussing which tomato would be best to roast. My trusted green grocer wanted to direct me towards meaty tomatoes. I however, wanted the sweetness that the smaller varieties have.

Smaller tomatoes, with their inherent sweetness, lead me to the bottle of balsamic vinegar I bought in Italy a while back. It's a 12 year old & rich & drippy & thick. Plan: Roast tomatoes with olive oil, drizzle with balsamic vinegar & sprinkle with sea salt when they come out.

Rain Roasted Tomatoes
300g small tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt
balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 160°C.
Slice tomatoes in half.
In a bowl, gently toss sliced tomatoes with olive oil to coat.
Place tomatoes on baking sheet & roast for 45 minutes (will take longer with larger tomatoes).
Sprinkle with sea salt & drizzle balsamic vinegar on top.

I'm amazed by the sweet caramel of these tomatoes - in fact, I was just picking it off the baking dish. Maybe I'd try some rosemary of thyme with it, and I have to say, I was very happy. But in retrospect, I have to admit, there is nothing worth getting into an argument with my vegetable guy for. Vegetable guy: I'm sorry. I'm more than happy to try again with meatier tomatoes.

Stuffed Stuff

The markets are the only indicator of summer that I have around here. It's rainy, it's cold & I am not planning any beach vacations *sigh*. I don't deserve any pity though, because I'm still able to get all the fresh goodies that my farmer's market has to offer. This weekend, I went out & got some freakish pepper tomatoes and a round zucchini. They say that the pepper tomato is like a bell pepper, but once you have it, you'll never go back to peppers. That sounded like a challenge. I had a red bell pepper in the fridge, so I decided it was time to take all 3 veggies & make Stuffed Stuff.

Stuffed Stuff
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow pepper tomato (or other large tomato)
1 round zucchini
1 cup quinoa, cooked
200 g mushrooms, chopped finely
1/2 red pepper, chopped
100 g ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
sprig each of rosemary & thyme, chopped (or use 1/2 tsp dried)
1 c tomato sauce

Cutting around stems, create a lid for pepper, tomato & zucchini. Seed, or with the zucchini, scoop out the inside, and set aside. Save zucchini bits.
Sautee scooped out zucchini, mushrooms, chopped pepper, garlic, onion & herbs until translucent. Add beef & continue cooking until it is cooked through. Mix with quinoa.
Stuff veggies with quinoa mixture.
Place stuffed veggies in baking dish & place tomato sauce around.
Bake at 170° for 30 minutes, or until done.

I loved the fact that the quinoa got crispy. I also loved the tomato. I'm not too sure if it will keep me off of bell peppers indefinitely, but it'll keep me away from bell peppers as long as the tomatoes are available. Given this German summer, that might be 3 more days.

Goat Cheese Tomato Tart

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of visiting the farmer's market. The market is full on Saturdays, but on Wednesdays, it's a little smaller, a little less busy and a lot easier to graze at. I went to my regular stand and bought berries for jam, and then I saw the tomatoes. Oh the tomatoes! I bought a few different varieties with different things in mind. OK, I bought a few different varieties as I was salivating like one of Pavlov's dogs. I didn't have a clue what to do with them, but I knew that with these tomatoes in hand, I could trick myself into thinking that it's not rainy, and summer is just the way it should be.

I decided to use the meaty tomatoes for a goat cheese tart. It's still raining out, as it has been for the past week, and I'm in more of a tart mood than a gazpacho mood. I need something warm. I need something with carbs that will disolve on my tounge before I can even swallow them.

Tarte aux Tomates et Chevre
1 1/2 c flour
3 Tbsp butter
50 ml hot water
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 tomatoes
2 Tbsp tapenade (black olive paste)
1 Tbsp herbes de provence
150g goat cream cheese
2 Tbsp yogurt (if needed)
salt & pepper
grated pecorino

Dissolve butter in hot water, add oil. Add to flour. Let rest for a few moments.
Seed & slice tomatoes & set aside.
Knead flour mixture to make a dough, adding water or flour if needed. Roll out to fit your baking pan.
Mix cream cheese and herbes in a bowl. Add yogurt if needed to reach a creamy consistancy. Add salt & pepper to taste.
Cover dough with a thin layer of tapenade. Cover dough with cheese mixture. Place sliced tomates on top. Add grated pecorino & bake at 200° for 30 min.

There's something really strange about there being fresh, local tomatoes and it only being 21° outside. I'm not complaining, but I do find it odd. I don't feel like making the gazpacho but I am completely in favour of warm dishes that are packed full of flavour. I'm in favour of closing my eyes and savouring the season.

Tomatoes, Zucchini & Eggs

It feels as though I am constantly cleaning out my fridge. I don't buy food with a plan to cook it, I buy food because it looks good & then I have to find some sort of use for it while it still looks good. The zucchini in the fridge was like that. I made zucchini chips a while back, and while I need to refine this technique, I didn't feel like deep frying. In some sort of an effort to make a balanced meal, I made a tomato salad and a zucchini quiche.

Tomato Salad
6 small tomatoes, sliced
6 leaves of basil, torn
sherry vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper

Arrange basil & tomatoes on plate.
Top with vinegar, oil, salt & pepper.

The tomatoes are starting to get a lot better now, so they don't need much else.


Zucchini Quiche
2 small zuchinnis, sliced lengthwise
olive oil
1 package puff pastry
5 eggs
1/2 c milk
3/4 c grated cheese
1 tsp thyme
salt
pepper

Sautee zucchini in olive oil until it is bendable.
Line baking dish with puff pastry.
Place Zucchini ribbons in pastry dish.
Beat all other ingredients together & cover zucchini with egg mixture.
Bake in oven at 170° for 35-45 minutes, until browned.

I cleaned out some stuff from my fridge. Now I'm on my way to the market to restock. On the way over, I'll have to rethink this system.