Savoury Tomato Crisp
makes 6-8 servings

3 tbsp olive oil (more for greasing the pan)
3 lb ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges (I used plum tomatoes)
1 tbsp cornstarch
salt & black pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs (I had a piece of sourdough baguette past its prime, so ground that into breadcrumbs)
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese (I used feta)
1 tbsp melted butter

1. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square or round baking dish and preheat oven to 375 F
2. Put the tomato wedges into a large bowl and sprinkle with the cornstarch and some salt and pepper. Toss gently. In another bowl mix the breadcrumbs, oats, walnuts, garlic, cheese, 3 tbsp of olive oil, and butter and stir thoroughly
3. Transfer the tomato mixture to the baking dish. Spread the breadcrumb topping. Bake until the crisp is as dark as you like and the tomato is bubbly (about 55 minutes). Let cool to warm and serve.

When the okra was ready, I placed some Italian canned tomatoes in a baking dish, sprinkled some herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil and set to roast in 375 F oven for about 35 mins. I used one cup of the tomato juice from the can, mixed with two cups of water, to make polenta.

The okra itself? I simply pan fried it in olive oil, making sure not to move it much, until it was slightly brown but still green. The result? This very colourful dish:

What you’ll need

6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. vodka
1 egg
1 1⁄4 cups flour, sifted
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. baking powder
10 oz. feta, crumbled
peel and juice from half a lemon
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1-2 tsp dry oregano

What to do

1. Heat oven to 500° with a 18″ x 13″ x 1″ rimmed baking sheet in it.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together 2 tbsp. oil, vodka, egg, and 1 cup water in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, salt, and baking powder. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and whisk until smooth.

3. Chop tomatoes and mix it with crumbled feta, lemon juice, lemon peel, salt & pepper. Set aside.

4. Brush remaining oil over bottom of hot pan [be careful here as it can smoke a bit] and add batter, smoothing batter with a rubber spatula to coat the bottom evenly, if necessary. This is the tricky part for me since my baking pan is non-stick so when I try to spread the batter, it moves around in chunks but with some patience it all spreads easily. Distribute cheese mixture evenly over batter. Bake, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until golden brown and crunchy, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Rolled oats cooked with thai eggplant, cerely, kale, and topped with fresh tomatoes and olive oil

KEG Share: week of August 4th

I have only two weeks before handing in my thesis and time is at a premium. There’s no time to blog or try anything too time consuming in the kitchen. Luckily it is summer, time for colourful salads and tomatoes, LOTS of tomatoes. I don’t think I discovered what truly good tomatoes were until about two years ago. Up until then I still stored my tomatoes in the fridge (if you still do, STOP, trust me on this one). I did notice, however, that tomatoes in Spain were much nicer. Sweeter, at times more complex. Always much smaller. I dismissed it to the weather – surely I could not hope to find tasty tomatoes in Canada. Boy was I ever wrong. Last summer I discovered the joys of local heirloom tomatoes at the farmers’ market. It was so good I couldn’t resist having it even for breakfast. I took to chopping small, colourful tomatoes, sprinkling some olive oil and having it with toast, on steel cut oats, or any other grain I ate for breakfast. This summer I used it on top of polenta. Yum. Once I had real tomatoes, I couldn’t go back to the bland grocery store tomato that was probably shipped from Florida. I stocked on summer tomato sauce and sun dried tomatoes for the winter and patiently waited for this summer’s bounty. I have not been disappointed – they have started to appear at the farmers’ market and the feast has began:

Love it!

The colours of summer

Breakfast: chopped cherry tomatoes with pesto, olive oil and balsamic vinegar on toast

Quick dinner: black lentil salad with fennel & tomatoes, grilled zuchini with olive oil and purple basil, sweet corn

Polenta w/ pesto topped with fresh heirloom tomatoes and fried egg

Risi e Bisi served with Caprese salad

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 2 ounces pancetta, cut into small cubes
• 1 1/2 cups of small grain brown rice parboiled for 13 minutes or arborio rice
• 8 cups of water or chicken stock, heated until hot
• 1 1/2 cups of shelled peas
• 3 garlic scapes, finely chopped
• 1 cup of cava or dry white wine
• 2-3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano
• salt & fresh ground black pepper

1. Add the olive oil 10- to 12- inch heated sauté pan and cook the pancetta for a minute or two. Combine the onions, celery, and garlic scapes and cook over medium heat until they are softened but not browned.

2. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes, until it is amost opaque. Add 1 cup of cava or wine and stir until the wine has evaporated. Add enough water to barely cover the rice (about 1 cup) and cook, stirring until the water is absorbed. Keep adding water, one ladleful at a time, and stirring constantly. After about 15 minutes taste the rice; it should still be al-dente but getting close to being done.

3. Add the peas and continue to cook for about 4 more minutes, adding a bit more water, until the rice is tender and creamy yet still al dente. The risotto should be quite moist.

4. Add the butter and Parmigiano, mix quickly and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

1 large can of San Marzano tomatoes

5 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large onion, cut in half

that’s it!

Add all three ingredients to a heavy sauce pan and let it simmer for at least 45 minutes. I probably let it simmer on low for more than an hour as I set the water to boil to cook the past late in the process. Stir once in a while, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pan. This sauce was incredible fragrant. Once it is ready, discard the onions (I saved it for some future use) and serve over spaghetti. You may want to test for salt; I found the flavours so pronounced that I hardly needed any salt. I also followed Smitten Kitchen’s advise and skipped the parmesan cheese on this one. We moaned at every bite. Was it the world’s best tomato sauce? I don’t know but the flavours were certainly indescribable.

*If you ever need to make anything that calls for canned tomatoes, look for San Marzano. The difference is astounding.

Recipe below the fold

Ingredients

5-7 sundried tomatoes, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large shallot, chopped

1 bunch kale (I used purple kale)

1 cup corn niblets

1 cup yellow cornmeal [I used Bob's Red Mill's wholegrain medium grind cornmeal]

1 cup spelt flour [also Bob's Red Mill's]

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup butter, chopped

1 large egg

Preparation

Soak the chopped sundried tomatoes in a bowl of hot water.

In a medium bowl, combine cormeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. If using butter, cut the butter into the mixture with two knives or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg and kefir until well blended. Add to the cornmeal mixture. Mix until thoroughly moistened.

Heat a 10-inch cast iron or heavy oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and stir fry the shallots until soft, add garlic and cook for another minute. Incorporate the sundried tomatoes (drained from the water) and corn niblets and mix in. Add chopped kale and cook until wilted (about 2 mins), adding salt to taste.

Fold the kale mixture into the cornmeal and return it into the cast iron skillet and bake at 350 F for 25-30 mins. Let it rest for 10 mins and serve immediately.