An Odd Couple That Works...Tomato And Pomegranate Salad

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Pomegranates are not high on my list.  It's not that I don't like them, I just don't like them enough to put them in my grocery cart.  The thought of getting to the little seeds, no matter how pretty and flavorful they are, is enough to discourage me from even trying them; but that all changed last week when I noticed them in plastic boxes at both Whole Foods and my grocery store.  Why not... it was Valentine's Day and I had been intrigued by a recipe I had seen a few months ago in Yotam Ottolenghi's last book Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking from London's Ottolenghi.

Coincidentally, I had also been intrigued by the boxes of mixed tomatoes Costco was selling, another ingredient in the same recipe.  I already had pomegranate molasses from this chicken recipe so the signs were auspicious.

You have heard me say this before but I will say it again...the genius of this man knows no bounds.  The things he comes up with are beyond comprehension sometimes; but it all works. You can trust him and that is one of the things that made Julia Child great...she never let you down.  Plus, there is harmony in his recipes.  They sing to you, its an hallelujah chorus on steroids, but enough said.

This recipe has only one problem.  There is a lot of chopping to do.You have to cut all the vegetables in a 1/4 inch dice and it takes time (and you get bored).  Make sure you have a very sharp knife.  I diced tomatoes for awhile, then switched to red pepper, then tomatoes, red onions and watched t.v. Some of them were 3/8 inch but I hid them underneath.

You can get pomegranate molasses at Whole Foods or Amazon.  You can make your own by simply reducing Pom pomegranate juice.  Although it would not be the same, you could substitute balsamic vinegar for both the white vinegar and pomegranate molasses.  Do try to get the latter, it is, after all the point of this recipe and it keeps for awhile.   You will use again and it is great for basting when you start grilling this Spring.

It's been awhile since I last posted but I haven't felt up to it.  I have lost 15 lbs and I am delighted.  I only eat when I'm hungry and I don't think much about food but this recipe was too exciting not to post.  I will be back, as MacArthur said, but only when I have something really nice and different to contribute. After almost seven years it was becoming an obligation and that defeats the purpose of this blog.  Thanks to all of you who have kept on subscribing and accessing the blog.  Sorry to have kept you waiting so long.

Yotam Ottolenghi's Tomato And Pomegranate Salad 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups/200 g red cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice

1 1/3 cups/200 g yellow cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice

1 1/3 cups/200 g tiger or plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice

18 ounce/500 g medium slicing tomatoes (about 5), cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice

1 red pepper, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice (1 cup/120 g)

1 small red onion, finely diced (rounded 3/4 cup/120 g)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

1/4 cup/60 ml olive oil, plus extra to finish

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large pomegranate, seeds removed (1 cup/170 g seeds)

1 tablespoon small oregano leaves

Preparation:

Dice the tomatoes, pepper and red onion and add to a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, allspice, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, and a scant 1/2 teaspoon salt until well combined. Pour this over the tomato mixture and gently mix.

Arrange the tomato mixture and its juices on a large, flat plate. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and oregano over the top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

Cook's Note
Although it says it serves 4, this recipe really serves 6.  Make sure you don't over mix the tomatoes or they will get mushy.

All photos Lindaraxa

Stuffed Tomatoes With Arborio Rice And Shrimp

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 When it comes to one dish summer meals this tomato recipe takes the prize. It is good just out of the oven and delicious at room temperature. Wonderful as an appetizer or vegetable, this dish also looks great on the buffet table.  It is the perfect lunch to serve before an afternoon of Bridge and a favorite amongst the Ladies Who Lunch.

I have taken the original recipe and added shrimp and a couple of little goodies to make it a one dish lunch or dinner.  If you want to serve it on the side then just remove the shrimp.  It is quite filling, so if you serve it as a main course for lunch all you will need is some Italian breadsticks or a crusty bread to gather the juices.  A very versatile dish, indeed!


  For the recipe click below:

Shredded Chicken Tacos with Fresh Tomato Salsa

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So I had some leftover roasted chicken and some gorgeous tomatoes, an avocado and a red onion...all I needed was some corn tortillas.  After a weekend of cookouts, all I could think of was Mexican or Chinese, anything but BBQ!

When my children were little and we had Picadillo for dinner,  they loved nothing more than having tacos for leftovers the next day.  In those days, all we could get was the kit with the prefab corn tortillas and the rest of the fixings. These days, there is a wide variety of tortillas in all colors and sizes.  I spray them with a small amount of oil and put them in a 400 degree oven for 2-3 minutes for a light crisp. If you prefer, warm them in the microwave but my way is better!

Just shred some chicken*, without the skin,  thinly slice the avocados and top with salsa and sour cream.  If you want to get more creative, black beans, corn and grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack  are nice additions.  Keep the Tabasco on hand for more heat and check for salt and pepper.

The star of the show here is the fresh salsa so make sure you get some nice tomatoes from the farmer's market this week.  This may be the last time you see them until next summer.  Everything else is part of the supporting cast so don't go overboard!

At the end of tonight's meal my daughter wondered if we could have picadillo tomorrow so we could have leftovers with tacos.   Old habits never die...

You will need

Roast chicken
Avocados
Corn tortillas
Sour Cream
Tabasco
Shredded lettuce (optional)
Sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
Canned Black beans (optional)
Canned Corn (optional)

Fresh Tomato Salsa

*heat the shredded chicken on medium high in a skillet with a couple of TBS. of tequila or vodka if you have it.  Once the liquor is absorbed it's ready!

Photo Lindaraxa 

Fresh Tomato Salsa

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There are two reasons why I'm posting this recipe now.  One is the fact that this week and possibly next are the end of the tomato season; so if you want good salsa,  this is your last chance.  That is, unless you prefer the pinkish, waxy tomatoes we get in the winter...

Second, I have some leftovers from tonight's roast chicken (it poured so we couldn't grill);  so can you guess what's for dinner tomorrow?

The only drawback about this recipe is that it doesn't keep overnight.  It is best eaten soon after it's prepared so only make what you will need for hors d'oeuvre or for what's coming next.

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

 2 large fresh ripe tomatoes, chopped

½ large red onion, peeled and minced

¼ teaspoon minced raw garlic, or to taste

1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced, or to taste

¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper.


Directions

 1. Combine all ingredients, taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

2. Let the flavors marry for 15 minutes or so before serving, but serve within a couple of hours.

Photo Lindaraxa

The Versatile Eggplant Caponata

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Caponata is a sweet and tangy eggplant dish very similar to the French ratatouille. It can be served by itself,  as a spread for crostini or crackers or mixed into a pasta dish.  If you have a vegetable garden or potager as my friend Sandra Jonas does, at this point  you will be going nuts looking for new ways to cook all that your garden is producing.  I remember last summer we couldn't find enough friends to give out our giant zucchinis to or recipes to prepare them.  Needless to say, this year we did not plant a garden and,in turn, are the happy recipients of the surplus from our neighbor's gardens.

This simple recipe for caponata should take care of the eggplants and tomatoes in your garden.  Serve it for lunch on a baguette or bring it along on a picnic.  You can also serve it on crostini or crackers as an appetizer. 

Serves 6

Ingredients

 1 medium eggplant, cubed

1 small red or spanish onion

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small red pepper thinly sliced (optional)

1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3 tablespoon golden raisins

2 tablespoon drained capers

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Toasted baguette

Preparation

1. Cook eggplant, red peppers and onion in olive oil until browned and tender, about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook another 5 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes, drained capers, raisins. wine vinegar and sugar; simmer until the tomatoes break up slightly, 5 to 10 minutes approximately.

.

 3. Serve spread on toasted baguette. (As a variation, you might want to add a thin slice of mozzarella to the hot toasted baguette before spreading the caponata.)

Photo: Andrew Scrivani, NYT

Fresh Florida Red Snapper With Tomato Corn Salsa

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There is no greater pleasure than having friends who go to the coast and bring back freshly caught red snapper ready to go in the pan.  Nothing.  Really fresh food is so rare these days that being able to enjoy it is a real treat. 

Just this week we got a call from one of my daughter's friends saying that her husband and a friend had just come back from the Gulf with a cooler full of fresh snapper they had just caught.  That evening, she showed up at the house with the fish already cleaned and filleted.  Now THAT is what I call a really good friend.

When you get fish this fresh, don't gild the lily. A little butter or olive oil, garlic, lemon and onions will do the trick.  If you want to be a little more creative, do what I did and sautee some corn, parley and fresh tomatoes and serve over or next to the snapper.  Steamed red potatoes in butter and parsley ft the meal to a tee. 

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs red snapper fillets, cleaned

1lemon
1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

Olive oil

2 TB butter

1 ear fresh corn

1 tomato

1/2 cup fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

Flour for dusting

Directions

Marinade the snapper for at least 2 hrs. in 1/2 the onion chopped, 2 garlic cloves mashed and half the juice of one lemon. Discard the marinade.

Warm oven to 300 degrees

When ready, pat the fillets dry in paper towels and lightly dust with flour on both sides.  Shake off excess.  In a skillet, melt 2TB of butter and 2TB of oil on medium high and add the snapper.  Cook approximately 4 minutes on each side.  You might have to lower the temperature a bit so butter doesn't burn.. Cooking time may vary depending on size of fillets.  Transfer the fillets to the oven to keep warm.

Now, if the pan is very dirty, wipe it with a paper towel.

Cut off the kernels from 1 fresh ear of corn.  Slice the other onion half.  Chop the tomato and parsley 

Add 1 TB each butter and oil and saute 2 cloves of garlic mashed and finely chopped.  Add the onions and corn. cover and cook for a couple of minutes stirring frequently.  Uncover and add the tomato and juice. Add salt and pepper. Cover and cook about 2 more minutes.  Add parsley and squeeze the other lemon half over it.  Cover and cook 1 minute.

Remove the fillets from the oven to a serving platter.  Pour the tomato, corn  and onion sauce over it and sprinkle more parsley on top.  Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Photos Lindaraxa

Fourth Of July 2011...The Menu

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Unlike last year when we had a full house of adults, young people and dogs, this weekend should be a fairly quiet one.  By that I don't mean dull.  Starting this Thursday, the houses around us will be rocking with weekend guests and the lake will be full of activity, culminating in the Fourth of July Fireworks at Lake Lanier Islands.  It is a madhouse, only fit for the young at heart and the masochist.  On holidays like this, it is a blessing to be on a cove and be able to swim off our dock!

On the home front, there will be only two couples to take care of, my brother and sister in law and some friends of my daughter.  A breeze compared to other summer holidays.  I am planning a casual menu for eight on the 4th, early enough for a leisurely meal with plenty of time for those going to the fireworks to get there by boat.  This is one time when I don't bother too much with appetizers.   Chips and dips, maybe Kentucky Beer Cheese and chorizos on the grill.

The menu below is easily adaptable to a bigger crowd.

Ted's Baby Back Ribs

Cheesy Summer Squash Casserole

Creamy Cole Slaw With Caraway Seed

Tomatoes With Olive Oil, Balsamic and Basil

Easy Latticed Blueberry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

If you have killer home grown tomatoes from your garden, good olive oil and fresh baguettes, serve them as a first course while you are grilling.  They will go well with the grilled chorizo.

Photos # 1 Facebook #2 Everything Fabulous

Pasta With Brie, Tomatoes And Basil

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Although you can serve this as a first course, I prefer to make a meal of it in the summer.

I have basil coming out of my ears this year and the tomatoes at my farmers market are the best I have seen in a long time.  I know a pound of Brie is a bit much, but believe me, it is worth every cent in this recipe.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6 as an entree, 6-8 as a first course


4 ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 pound Brie cheese, rind removed, torn into irregular pieces

1 cup cleaned fresh basil leaves, cut into strips

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

1 cup best quality olive oil

salt to taste

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 pounds linguine

freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese (optional)


Directions

 1. Combine tomatoes, brie, basil, garlic, 1 cup olive oil, salt and pepper in a large serving bowl. Prepare at least 2 hours before serving and set aside, covered, at room temperature

2. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the linguine and boil until al dente, about 10 minutes.

3. Drain pasta and immediately toss with the tomato sauce. Serve immediately.



Recipe courtesy of The Silver Palate

Chorizo, Mushroom, and Cheese Pizza

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I have never been a pizza lover until I moved to our house on the lake.  The idea of a greasy, cheesy, rubbery piece of dough with mediocre tomato sauce on top has never wet my appetite, that is, until I discovered two things.  One was the ready made pizza dough in the bakery department of the local Publix store and the other the Emile Henri pizza stone which I featured as a Christmas gift a couple of moths ago.

Eating a home baked pizza is unlike anything you have tasted before.  For one thing, you are in control of the ingredients and secondly, it is a lot cheaper.  Here innovation  and creativity is the name of the game.  Open your refrigerator and see what you have left over that needs to get put to use and go from there.  Mozzarella is a good standby but any of the cheeses I mentioned below are a good alternative.  Chorizo, ham, tiny meatballs, pancetta, bacon, chicken are great meats and as to vegetables. the sky's the limit.  Don't limit yourself to what you think is an adequate pizza ingredient.

The recipe below is an adaptation from no other than Jacques Pepin who makes pizza often for lunch or slices them for hors d'oeuvre.  There is always pizza dough in his freezer in case of unannounced guests.

I have made quite a few since I got my stone and have gotten quite good at it.  I even gave one to my son for his birthday just so we could compare strategies. This was the last one I made and it was a masterpiece!

It will take you a couple of times to get the dough to your liking.  The longer you leave it on the pan resting after it has cooked, the crispier your pizza will be.  Make sure the stone is preheated at 400 degrees for at least an hour and also take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it rise for and hour or two before filling and baking.  Punch it hard to get rid of the bubbles and work it with your hands around the edges, letting it drop and working quickly.  Put it on top of a lightly floured counter and roll it as thin as you want with a rolling pin.

Make sure you have all the ingredients ready to go before you take the stone out of the oven.  Work quickly when you add the ingredients so the stone doesn't get cold.

If I can make a great pizza, so can you.  It might take you a couple of times but you will be so glad you did!


4 servings

Ingredients

•1 ready-made 12-inch pizza crust

•2 tablespoons good olive oil

•2/3 cup sliced onion

•1 cup coarsely chopped (1/4-inch) chorizo sausage

•2/3 cup coarsely chopped white mushrooms (4–5 mushrooms)

•1 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper strips (or sliced tomatoes which is what I used)

•2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

•About 1 1/2 cups sliced cheese, such as St. Albray, fontina, Camembert, mozzarella, Beaufort, or a mixture of these.  You can also use goat cheese!

Directions

Preheat the oven (and the stone if using) to 400 degrees. Brush the bottom of the pizza crust with a little of the oil. Place the crust on a cookie sheet (or stone), sprinkle the onion on top, and evenly distribute the chorizo, mushrooms, bell pepper (or tomatoes), and sliced garlic on the crust. I also added fresh basil.  Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and top with the cheese. Sprinkle on the remaining oil.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until well browned and crisp. Cut into wedges and serve.

Sunday Dinner in New York Part II...Baked Lasagna With Ragu Bolognese

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This is the lasagna I cooked for my friend Reggie Darling in New York last week.  It is definitely not the one you will eat at most restaurants in the United States or in the southern part of Italy.  This is the real deal, the one you will enjoy in Bologna or anywhere in the Tuscan countryside.  There is no mozzarella or thick tomato sauce or lots of Parmesan cheese for that matter.  It is a delicate lasagna with a light bechamel sauce and a slight hint of tomato.  It is divine and as far as lasagnas go, quite elegant.  All you need to go with it is a green salad of your choice.

I encourage you to double the ragu recipe.  It's too much work for the amount it makes.  It freezes beautifully, both as a sauce or if you go all the way and make an extra lasagna.  This recipe will serve 8 with extra for seconds.  Believe me, you want to have enough for seconds!


Ingredients

Bolognese Sauce

Béchamel Sauce

Lasagna pasta (I used DeCecco)

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing a 9- by 12-inch bake-and-serve lasagna pan, no less than 2½ inches high

2/3 cup fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese


Directions

1. Prepare the meat sauce and set aside.

2. Prepare the béchamel, keeping it rather runny, somewhat like sour cream. When done, keep it warm in the upper half of a double boiler, with the heat turned to very low. If a film should form on top, just stir it when you are ready to use it.

3. Set a bowl of cold water near the range, and lay some clean, dry cloth towels flat on a work counter. Bring 4 quarts of water to a rapid boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, and as the water returns to a boil, slip in 4 or 5 of the cut pasta strips. Cook very briefly, just seconds after the water returns to a boil after you dropped in the pasta. Retrieve the strips with a colander scoop or slotted spatula, and plunge them into the bowl of cold water. Pick up the strips, one at a time, rinse them under cold running water, and rub them delicately, as though you were doing fine hand laundry. Squeeze each strip very gently in your hands, then spread if flat on the towel to dry. When all the pasta is cooked in the manner, 4 or 5 strips at a time, and spread out to dry, pat it dry on top with another towel.

*Explanatory note: The washing, wringing, and drying of pasta for lasagna is something of a nuisance, but it is necessary. You first dip the partly cooked pasta into cold water to stop the cooking instantly. This is important because if lasagna pasta is not kept very firm at this stage it will become horribly mushy later when it is baked. And you must afterward rinse off the moist starch on its surface, or the dough will become glued to the towel on which it is laid out to dry, and tear when you are ready to use it.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

5. Thickly smear the bottom of a lasagna pan with butter and about 1 tablespoon of béchamel. Line the bottom of the pan with a single layer of pasta strips, cutting them to fit the pan, edge to edge, allowing no more than ¼ inch for overlapping.

6. Combine the meat sauce and the béchamel and spread a thin coating of it on the pasta. Sprinkle on some grated parmesan, then add another layer of pasta, cutting it to fit as you did before. Repeat the procedure of spreading the sauce and béchamel mixture, then sprinkling with Parmesan. Use the trimmings of pasta dough to fill in gaps, if necessary. Build up to at least 6 layers of pasta. Leave yourself enough sauce to spread very thinly over the topmost layer. Sprinkle with parmesan and dot with butter.

*Ahead-of-time note: The lasagna may be completed up to 2 days in advance up to this point. Refrigerate under tightly sealing plastic wrap.

8. Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven until a light, golden crust formed on top. It should take between 10 and 15 minutes. If after the first few minutes you don’t see any sign of a crust beginning to form, turn up the oven another 50 to 75 degrees. Do not bake longer then 15 minutes altogether.

9. Remove from the oven and allow to settle for about 10 minutes, then serve at table directly from the pan.

Bolognese Sauce:

1 tablespoon oil

3 tablespoon butter

½ cup chopped onion

2/3 cup chopped celery

2/3 cup chopped carrot

3/4 pound ground beef chuck (I used half beef, half veal)*

salt

black pepper, ground fresh from the mill

1 cup whole milk

whole nutmeg

1 cup dry white wine

1½ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice**

Directions

1. Put the oil, butter and onion in the pot, and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until is has become translucent, then add the chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring the vegetables to coat them well.

2. Add the ground beef, a large pinch of salt, & a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork and cook until meat has lost its raw, red color.

3. Add the milk and let simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add a tiny grating – about 1/8 teaspoon – of nutmeg and stir.  The milk will take a long time to absorb.  Be patient.  Turn it up higher after awhile to make it go faster (I did)

4. Add the wine, let simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While the sauce is stirring, you are likely to find that it begins to dry out and the fat separates from the meat. To keep it from sticking, continue the cooking, adding ½ cup of water whenever necessary. At the end, however, no water at all must be left and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste and correct for salt.


Béchamel Sauce:

3 cups milk

6 tablespoons butter

4½ tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Put the milk in a saucepan, turn the heat to medium-low, and bring the milk just to the verge of boiling, to the point when it begins to form a ring of small, pearly bubbles.

2. While heating the milk, put the butter in a heavy-bottomed, 4- to 6-cup saucepan, and turn the heat to low. When the butter has melted completely, add the flour and stirring it with a wooden spoon. Cook, while stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Do not allow flour to become colored. Remove from heat.

3. Add the hot milk to the flour-and-butter mixture, no more than 2 tablespoons of it at a time. Stir steadily and thoroughly. As soon as the first 2 tablespoons have been incorporated into the mixture, add 2 more, and continue to stir. Repeat this procedure until you have added ½ cup milk; you can now put in the rest of the milk ½ cup at a time, stirring steadfastly, until all the milk has been smoothly amalgamated with the flour and butter.

4. Place the pot over low heat, add the salt, and cook, stirring without interruption, until the sauce is as dense as thick cream. If you find any lumps forming, dissolve them by beating the sauce rapidly with a whisk
.

*Since I doubled the recipe, I ended up using 3/4 lbs chuck and 3/4 lbs ground veal (I actually cheated and made it almost a pound each!)

*for double the recipe, I used the entire 28oz can f Cento San Marzano tomatoes.

Half of the meat packages above went to a double recipe of the ragu, which in turn made 2 lasagnas, one large one smaller.  The rest was frozen for a meatloaf later on.  Talk about economical!

Remember When...What A Year!

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The August Vogue Cover, Red Rose,  Norman Parkinson

If you are not a baseball fan, then you don't know that last night one of the most important records in sports history was broken. Roy Halladay of the Phillies broke Don Larsen's record of the only perfect pitch game in the post season. So what year was it?

Hints:

• The cost of a new car was around $2000

1956 Cadillac Coupe De Ville

• A gallon of gas was 22 cents

• Elvis Presley entered the charts with Heartbreak Hotel

• Steve Ballmer was born

• Grace Kelly married Prince Ranier

• The only perfect pitch in World Series Game (Dan Larsen for the New York Yankees in the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers) until last night.

• Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal

• The hard disk drive was invented by a team from IBM

• Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria sank off the coast of Nantucket

• Fidel Castro and Che Guevara landed in Cuba aboard the boat Granma

• Marilyn Monroe married Arthur Miller

The 1956 kitchen

• Soviet Union invaded Hungary to quelch anticommunist uprising

• I Love Lucy was the No 1 show

• My Fair Lady opened in New York City

• General Electric introduced "The Snooz Alarm"

• To Tell The Truth, Truth or Consequences, The Huntley Brinkley Report and As the World Turns first aired on television

• Elizabeth Taylor was still married to hubby No 2. Michael Wilding!!

• Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson for the second time, as an incumbent, in the U,S, Presidential Elections

• 13-year-old Bobby Fischer beat GM Donald Byrne in the NY Rosenwald chess tournament

A Typical lunch for the Ladies Who Lunch was....

Whiskey Sours

Tomato Aspic

Shrimp Newburg

Peppermint Ice Cream With Chocolate Sauce

If you've made it this far and still don't know, it was 1956! Wow, that was the year that was!

Ooops, and I almost forgot!

When was the last time you saw one of these!

I know you are wondering what this has to do with cooking and entertaining.. Nothing at all. I was just at a loss for a new recipe and thought we all needed a break.

Reviving A Classic...Tomato Aspic Before And After!

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Tomato aspic is one of those dishes that was all the rage in the 30's 40's and 50's.  I caught the tail end of the furor, maybe had it once or twice when I was young; but all of a sudden, like everything else, poof! it disappeared.  Nowadays when I think of it, I think of lace tablecloths, transferware china and those little crochet doilies they used to place on top of old silver.  Kind of a comforting, fuzzy wussy feeling.

This afternoon, while having a light Sunday lunch of cold shrimp, sliced tomatoes and my Mother's potato salad (here we call that light), I started thinking about this old classic. It was always a sure candidate for a cold buffet in the summer, and definitely a favorite of the ladies who lunch. Their taste hasn't varied that much so why did it disappear? Well, like every popular recipe, sometimes people don't know when to stop. These days it's Cowboy Caviar, in my day it was the Mexican Layer Dip. They last a summer or two and then they too disappear from the radar. Tomato aspic, on the other hand, held its ground for a long time so I think it's time to bring it back.  Now that I am a grandmother again and I am usually in charge of the Christening brunch, I think it will make its debut at my table in a month or two.

Now I have seen tomato aspic being served at Thanksgiving, but this I don't understand.  Somehow, in my mind,  it is hard to envision it served with the likes of sweet potatoes and cranberries.  In my day, it was usually served as a first course for lunch or as part of a buffet.

Since as a cook I am very traditional and this is definitely a very Southern dish, I have gone to Lee Bailey's Southern Food And Plantation Houses Cookbook for his recipe.  It is the one that was used by his family's cook who always made extra to serve later with sandwiches.  I think the best accompaniment for this aspic is shrimp or crab, and that is how I usually serve it.  Although it can be served in winter as well as summer, it is most refreshing at this time of the year.

Aspic server - Revere byWilcox And Evertson

I have posted a few pictures showing the different molds you can use.  If you use the top one, the center can be filled with mayonnaise or with cold shrimp or crab meat salad.  If you use the one at the bottom, serve the mayonnaise in a silver gravy boat or glass bowl.  Below, you will find a photo of tomato aspic served as a first course.

Lee Bailey's Tomato Aspic

Printable Recipe

Serves 12

Ingredients

2 envelopes unflavored jello

1/2 cup boiling water

3 cups tomato juice, warmed (I use Campbell's)

1 small onion, very finely  minced

2 ribs celery, very finely minced

2 tsps worcestershire sauce

1 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp.Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce

8 ounces cream cheese

mayonnaise


Procedure

Pour the hot water into a shallow bowl and sprinkle gelatin over it.  When gelatin is dissolved, stir in the warmed tomato juice, making sure all the lumps are gone.  If they persist, reheat the mixture briefly.  Stir in all other ingredients except the cream cheese and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, divide the cream cheese by spoonfuls among 12 1/2 cup molds.  Pour tomato mixture in each and refrigerate until set, several hours.

To serve, run a knife around the mold and unmold.  If you have a hard time, place the mold briefly in warm water before trying again.

Serve with homemade mayonnaise or a very good commercial one.  I use Hellman's made with olive oil.  Here in the South they love Duke's.

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Now, let me show you a very sexy variation I came across in a website on Thai cuisine.  I have no idea why they use both gin and vodka, but I'm game!

Kung Phet Aspic ( Spicy Prawns in Aspic)

Photo Flickr Scott Partee

Ingredients:

•2 Tbsp gelatin

•60ml (1/4 cup)cold water

•850ml tomato juice

•120ml (4 oz or 1/2 cup) vodka

•60ml (2 oz or 1/4 cup) gin

•2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

•3 tsp sugar

•1/4 tsp salt

•1/4 tsp celery salt

•1 tsp vinegar

•1 Tbsp catsup

•1/4 tsp mustard powder

•450g (~1 lb) cooked prawns, shelled and de-veined

•120g (4 oz) Chinese celery, diced

•140g ( 4 1/2 oz) cucumber, peeled, de-seeded, diced and drained

•60g (2 oz) spring onions, chopped

•celery leaves, fresh parsley and cucumber slices, to garnish

Method:

1.Place the cold water in a heat-proof cup then sprinkle the gelatin over the top.

2.Place the cup in a small saucepan containing some water.

3.Place over gently heat and cook, stirring constantly, until all the gelatin dissolves.

4.Take off the heat and set aside.

5.In the meantime, combine the tomato juice, vodka, gin, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, celery salt, vinegar, catsup and mustard powder.

6.Stir to combine then add the gelatin and mix thoroughly.

7.Set aside until slightly thickened.

8.Take a 2 litre (4 cup) mold and grease this lightly.

9.Set in a bowl containing ice cubes then spoon a little of the aspic mix into the base (about 3mm deep) of the mold.

10.When this has set arrange a ring of the prawns decoratively on the aspic.

11.Now mix the remaining prawns the celery, cucumber and spring onions with the remaining aspic.

12.Pour into the mold and chill thoroughly until set.

13.When ready, warm gently then turn onto a serving plate.

14.Garnish with the celery leaves, fresh parsley cucumber slices then serve with Remoulade Sauce.


Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients:

•1 1/2 cups thick mayonnaise

•2 Tbsp grated horseradish

•1/2 cup Creole mustard (or prepared yellow mustard)

•1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

•1 tsp hot pepper sauce Tabasco or Linghams

•1/2 cup finely diced green onions

•1/4 cup finely diced Chinese celery

•2 tbsp minced garlic

•1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

•1/2 tbsp lemon juice

•salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Method:

1.In a mixing bowl, combine all of the above ingredients, whisking well to incorporate the seasonings.

2.Once blended, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

3. When ready, remove from refrigerator and adjust seasonings to taste.

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Tomatoes Stuffed With Green Rice

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During the summer months, ripe red tomatoes bursting with a rice stuffing are a staple antipasto of Roman trattorias. They can also be served as a first course or would go well with the Stuffed Roast Pork Tenderloin, served hot or cold.


Ingredients:

1/2 cup medium-grain white rice such as arborio

Salt, to taste

4 large tomatoes

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil, plus whole leaves for garnish

2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 Tbs. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add the rice and salt and simmer until the rice is about half cooked, 9 to 10 minutes. Drain, place in a large bowl and set aside.

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Oil a baking dish just large enough to hold the tomatoes snugly.

Cut off a slice 1/2 inch thick from the top of each tomato and reserve. Using a small spoon, scoop out the tomato seeds and juice and place in a sieve set over a bowl. Arrange the tomatoes in the prepared baking dish.

Add to the rice the strained tomato juice, the olive oil, chopped basil, parsley, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper and mix well. Spoon the rice mixture into the hollowed-out tomatoes, dividing evenly. Cover each tomato with its top.

Bake until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot or at room temperature, garnished with the whole basil leaves.


Recipe courtesy Williams Sonoma

Quiche A La Tomate, Nicoise...Provencal Tomato Quiche

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Last year with the release of the movie Julie and Julia and to celebrate Julia Child's birthday, Champaign Taste hosted a blogathon of her recipes.  Amongst all the dishes submitted was this provencal tomato tart.  Seeing that we are at the height of the season for tomatoes, I decided to share it with you.

Now, don't be a sissy and include the anchovies.  Mash them, mince them, evaporate them, do whatever you want, but if you don't, you will be leaving out a major component of this dish and the flavor will just not be the same.  Make another recipe then, one that doesn't have anchovies, like the Tomato Pie in my country blog; but don't leave out something that is so integral in a Provencal dish.  'Nuf said!

To peel tomatoes, cut out core and place in boiling water for 15 seconds. The skin should peel off easily. If not, return to water for another 10 seconds and try again. To remove seeds, cut in half at the equator to expose seed chambers. Flick out as much of the seeds as possible with the back of a spoon or fork handle.


Printable Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1/4 cup minced onions

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1-3/4 to 2 lbs firm, red, ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded (see note above)

1 large clove mashed garlic (I minced fine)

1/2 tsp oregano, basil or thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 egg and 3 egg yolks

1 small can of anchovy fillets, chopped

3 Tbsp. olive oil (use the oil from the anchovies and make the remainder of 3 Tbsp. with olive oil)

3 Tbsp. tomato paste

3 Tbsp. chopped parsley

1 tsp paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper

8 inch partially baked pastry shell on a baking sheet

12 pitted black olives (preferably Kalamata or other Mediterranean olives)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese

1 Tbsp. olive oil


Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cook the onions slowly in the 2 Tbsp. olive oil for 5 minutes, or until tender, but not browned.

Chop the tomatoes roughly. Stir the tomatoes into the skillet and add the garlic, herbs and salt and pepper. Cover skillet and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Uncover, raise heat and cook for 5 minutes more, shaking pan occasionally until the juice is almost evaporated entirely. Allow to cool slightly.

Beat the egg, egg yolks, anchovies, oil, tomato paste, parsley and seasonings in a mixing bowl until blended. Gradually fold in the cooked tomatoes.

Spread the tomato mixture in the pastry shell. Place olives on top nicely. Put the cheese on and dribble the oil over it. Bake in the upper third of a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until quiche has puffed and browned on the top, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Bon Appetit!

Recipe barely adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Tapas!...Pan Con Tomate

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There is no better way to enjoy the onslaught of tomatoes we are getting than this simple recipe.  Pan Con Tomate is really not a recipe for bread but a great way of enjoying a real tomato.  It is typical of Valencia and Cataluna and the Balearic Islands of Spain.

One caveat...make sure you have great tomatoes, as in fresh, red and juicy; as well as top of the line olive oil, preferrably Spanish.  With a recipe like this, it's all about the ingredients!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Tomatoes

Crusty bread

Garlic

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea salt

Serrano ham (optional)

Here is what you do: 

Take a slice of crusty bread  and toast or better yet,  grill it.  When the bread is toasted slightly, rub a piece of garlic over it on both sides.  Then slice a tomato in half and rub it over the bread until you get all the pulp in to the bread.  Discard the skin.  Drizzle with olive oil and perhaps a small pinch of sea salt.*  Presto! you now have in your hands one of the most delicious ways to enjoy a tomato!

*If you are also using serrano ham, omit the sea salt and add the slice and drizzle again.  Frankly, I enjoy mine without it!

Photo Credit Google/Las Recetas de Mama

The Tomatoes Are Coming, The Tomatoes Are Coming!

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Photo by Lindaraxa

I am so proud of this picture that rather than post it in my country blog where it belongs, I am posting it front and center on my main recipe blog.  Look at those tomatoes, and look at that picture, I am so proud of myself and my daughter for having put up with those ugly blue pots during the Spring, after nurturing the seeds in late winter, so we could finally enjoy these beauties all summer.  I can tell you that they are better and sweeter than they look.  If you have forgotten what a real tomato tastes like, just bask in these.  I wonder how I will be able to go back to those tasteless pink things they sell at the grocery store.

If you only grow one thing in your garden, make it tomatoes!

Plenty to come!

All you need to put in these is good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and freshly crushed pepper...and of course, fresh basil! Oh my, what a treat!

I feel just like a proud mother!

All photos by Lindaraxa

Tomato Zucchini Gratin AKA Casserole

Pin It Its funny, in my days this was called a casserole... my, my how times have changed! I don't know how I could have forgotten to post this. To me this is the quintessential summer casserole and when I make it, it reminds me of summer and of my days living in North Carolina. In that part of the country, everyone had a signature casserole!

I have many variations of this dish, which hopefully, I will be posting in summers to come. This is a great way to cook the last of this summer's fresh tomatoes and zucchini. I love to serve it with fish, accompanied by yellow rice. It is also very nice with grilled lamb chops.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh zucchini
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons water
1 pound fresh, peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 garlic clove, pressed
Salt and pepper to taste
4 TB grated Gruyère cheese (or more to taste)
3 TB   grated Parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
1/4 cup bread crumbs, buttered


Directions
Wash and thinly slice zucchini. Melt butter in large skillet. Toss zucchini to coat with melted butter and cook over high heat, stirring continuously. Sprinkle with water and continue to cook until tender, yet firm. Remove from pan, and set aside. Pour tomatoes into skillet. Add basil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Cook until slightly thickened. Pour over zucchini and mix. Spoon into a buttered casserole or individual gratin dishes. Sprinkle with mixture of Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses, and top with buttered bread crumbs. Cover with foil and bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and brown crumbs briefly under broiler.

Variation

Wash and thinly slice tomatoes, zuccini and onions.  Butter a casserole dish.  Lay one layer of zucchini, one of tomatoes and pne of onions.  Salt and Pepper and chopped basil leaves.  Sprinkle generous layer of coarsely grated Cheddar Cheese.  Repeat so you have 2 layers ending with cheese.  Lightly sprinkle bread crumbs.  Cook covered 375 30 minutes and uncovered at 400 15 minutes until browned.

This is one of my most requested recipes!

Labor Day...The Menu

Pin It Well, it's here, the last weekend of the Summer. Fall is in the air, even in Miami!

For us here in Florida it is really a non event, but I remember how much I used to hate it when I lived in New England. Even though the beautiful Fall season is just around the corner, Labor Day and September always mean the end of grilling, weekends at the beach, dinner on the patio, gardening and all the outdoor things we like to do. And if you are a kid, yucks, back to school time. Here in Florida, it is a time for hurricanes, boarding up and stocking up. Hopefully, it will be a quiet season just like the last two. No, Labor Day is definitely not worth the extra day off.

For this holiday, the main dish is Baby Back Ribs. For the sides I suggest a couple of salads already posted, and for dessert, well it's got to be peaches, so take your pick!

Don't despair, Fall is around the corner and apple season is about to begin. You can have a drink on that!

Here are some of the recipes I suggest you consider for this holiday:


Labor Day Menu & Suggestions


The Perfect Bloody Mary

Fiesta Salsa & Tortilla Chips

Irresistible Clam Dip

Ted's Baby Back Ribs

My Mother's Potato Salad

Bobby Flay's Cole Slaw

Tomatoes with Balsamic Olive Oil & Basil

Corn on the Cob

Peach Blueberry Crumble

Peach Crumb Pie

Peaches & Raspberries & Blueberries in Prosecco

Amaretti Cookies


The Baby Back ribs will be up Monday 8/24 after 3:00 am for subscribers and the Peach Crumb Pie on Wednesday 26th.