Behold the tomato, juicy and luscious. One of Mother Natures Summer Super Stars! Are you growing your own? Mine are coming along but not ready yet – so off to the Farmers Market I go. Your natural vine ripe tomatoes may not look as perfect as your mass-produced ones BUT there is no ethane gas ripening going on with your fresh picked local grown tomato. That is a BIG part of why the local tomato taste better. Another good reason to shop local and seasonally! Tomatoes are packed with nutrition, antioxidants, lycopene, vitamin A and C. They work and play so well with so many other ingredient and they’re just plain old yummy! Maybe all that is why they are a summer Super Star! There are so many things to do with tomatoes that naturally we can not even begin to cover them all- so we decided to find some delectable tidbits and two recipes for you today! First the Tidbits:
- Never forget about the basic Heirloom Tomato (a classic tomato) on a BLT – a classic summertime sandwich. Don’t eat meat? There are many Bacon subs!
- Never put your tomatoes in the fridge! If they drop below 50 degrees a flavor compound called (Z)-3-dexenal is just going to flip itself off like a chemical switch … permanently.
- When you get them home, don’t keep them in direct sunlight.
- To pick your tomatoes: Firm fragrant tomatoes, not mushy when pushed lightly with your fingers, heavy for their size, no big open slits or bugs but some of the tastiest tomatoes may be the ugliest!
- The average American eats 17 pounds of tomatoes each year. That means that after the potato, these fruits are America’s favorite vegetables. That’s right, fruits!
Recipe #1: Heirloom Tomato Salad –Courtesy Anne Burrell (food network)
Prep Time: 10 min Inactive Prep Time:0 Cook Time: 0 Level: Easy
Serves: 2 servings
Ingredients:
▪ 1 cup baby arugula, washed
▪ 1/4 cup high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
▪ 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
▪ Kosher salt
▪ 5 to 6 assorted heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges and various other shapes
▪ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or Basil) (Note: we learned yesterday that pretty much any mix of Herbs will be yummy-go for it! Experiment, play have some Herb and Tomato adventures!)
▪ 4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature (or parm. or skip the cheese)
▪ 4 slices grilled baguette ( any kind of toast)
Directions: In a small bowl toss the arugula with 1 tablespoon each of the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Season with salt. Divide the arugula between 2 serving plates. … Toss the tomatoes with the remaining olive oil, vinegar, oregano (or whatever herbs), and salt. Arrange the tomatoes on the serving plates….Spread 1 ounce of goat cheese onto each slice of grilled bread. Serve 2 slices of grilled bread with goat cheese (or whatever you like) with each plate. Holy tomato!!
Recipe #2: Three Herb Fettuccine with Vegetables and Shaved Asiago (Wednesday, 08 December 2010 14:44 Annaliese Keller ) From that favorite new find of a website edibleparadise.com! (Continuing our Herb Knowledge Base)
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups chopped spinach (divided)
1/2 cup sliced green onions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 cup canned vegetable broth
2 medium green tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 cups hot cooked fresh Pensi Pasta fettuccine
3 ounces shaved Asiago cheese
METHOD:
- Trim ends from peas, and remove strings.
- Drop peas into a Dutch oven of boiling water; cook 30 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add peas, 1-1/4 cups spinach, green onions, and zucchini; sauté 2 minutes.
- Add broth and tomatoes; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining spinach, basil, chives, oregano, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
- Pour over hot pasta and toss. Sprinkle cheese over pasta and toss.
YIELD: 6 servings
SOURCE: Recipe courtesy of Evette Lecce of Pensi Pasta