Category Archives: tomatoes

Tomato and goat cheese cobbler

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  • For the biscuit topping
  • 3/4 ccherry-tomato-goat-cheese-cobblerup plus 3 tablespoons (120 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (130 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons cold buttermilk
  • For the tomato filling
  • 2 pounds (1 kilogram) red and yellow cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Leaves from 8 to 10 thyme sprigs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Healthy pinch freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
  • 6 ounces (170 grams) soft goat cheese, crumbled
  • Make the biscuit topping
  • 1. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Dump in the butter cubes. Using a pastry blender, work the butter until you have pea- to lima bean-size pieces. (If you have particularly cold hands, you can use your fingertips.) Drizzle in the buttermilk and toss the mixture with a fork until it’s evenly moistened.
  • 2. Plop the dough on a clean work surface. Press and squeeze the dough until it begins to hold together. (If you tossed it well with the fork, this should be a cinch. If you see dry spots, it’s best to use the fork to mix the dough instead of your hands. Whatever you do, don’t overwork the dough.) When all is said and done, you should still see pea-size bits of butter running through the dough.
  • 3. Shape the dough into a disc about 3/4 inch (2 centimeters) thick. Using a 1 1/2 inch (4 centimeter) biscuit cutter, cut out 9 biscuits. Gently gather the dough scraps together, press them into a slab again, and cut out more biscuits. (I was able to get 15 biscuits.) Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet and slide them in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours. (You can stash the biscuits in a resealable plastic bag and freeze them for up to 3 months to simplify throwing the cobbler together at the last minute easy. You’ll want to allow them a little extra time to thaw a little after taking them out of the freezer and before baking them.)
  • Make the tomato filling
  • 4. Crank your oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • 5. Toss the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, half the thyme, salt, and pepper in an ovenproof skillet. (I used a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and it worked marvelously.) Cover the skillet and cook on the stovetop over medium-high heat until the tomatoes begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover the skillet and continue cooking until all the tomatoes have burst slightly and released their juices.
  • 6. Remove the biscuits from the freezer and generously brush the tops with the egg wash. Place them on top of the tomato mixture in the skillet, spacing them 1 inch (2 1/2 centimeters) apart.
  • 7. Bake the cobbler for 25 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and dot the goat cheese between the biscuits, covering any exposed tomato mixture. Return the whole shebang to the oven, bump up the heat to 450°F (232°C) and continue baking until the top is nicely browned, about 10 minutes more. Scatter the remaining thyme over the top and serve the cobbler warm or at room temperature, scooping the cobbler straight from the skillet at the table. If you’re like me, you’ll want to gild each serving with an extra crank or so freshly ground black pepper. The cobbler is best eaten the day it’s made. (Like it could ever make it to another day.)

Read more at http://leitesculinaria.com/96970/writings-tomato-and-goat-cheese-cobbler.html#TqXS2TLgIZrD1W6G.99

11 ways to use fresh tomatoes from Florida Tomato Committee

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imagesTomato Napoleons:
Cut peeled tomatoes into four crosswise slices. Layer with marscapone spiked with fresh dill and slivered smoked salmon. Serve on greens with toasts.

Tomato Tartar:
Season chopped, seeded tomatoes with olive oil, lemon juice, capers, minced fresh basil, nicoise olives and onion. Serve on endive; use as a dip, or as a topping for crostini, steamed fish or baked potatoes.

Fresh Tomato Salad Pizza:
Top pizza dough with Fontina and Parmesan cheese: bake until cheese melts and crust is golden. Top with sliced tomatoes, salad greens, sliced green olives and a drizzle of dressing.

Florida Tomato Toast:
Spread mayonnaise onto bread slices then place thinly sliced tomatoes on top (one or two layers). Sprinkle grated mozzarella on top. Bakein oven at 350 degrees F, about 15 minutes.

Roasted Tomatoes:
Cut tomatoes in halves; squeeze to release seeds. Place on a rack on a shallow pan, cut-side down. Bake at 450 degrees F, until skin
blisters, about 20 minutes.

Upside-Down Tomato Cornbread:
Line greased skillet with season tomato slices; pour cornbread batter over tomatoes; cook until bread is done, then invert.

Caribbean Jerk Tomato Salad:
Lightly grill tomato wedges brushed with a mixture of oil and jerk seasoning; toss with sliced avocado, hearts of palm and chunks of cool, cooked chicken or pork.

Charred Tomatoes with Garlic and Olives:
Broil whole tomatoes until slightly charred, about 10 minutes. Remove skins; chop flesh roughly. Transfer to a pan; add halved garlic cloves, olive oil and salt: roast at 400 degrees F, until thickened and flecked with dark bits, about 1 hour. Serve drizzled with more olive oil and chopped ripe olives. Use as a dip with pita breads.

Thai Tomato Spring Rolls:
Wrap a mixture of chopped tomatoes, mint, pork tenderloin, lemongrass and peanuts in wrappers. Serve with spicy soy dipping sauce.

Fried Pink Tomato Sandwiches:
Saute flour or cornmeal-dusted slices of pink tomatoes then place of rounds of polenta that have been seasoned with basil.

Little Tomato Goat Cheese Souffles:
Fill tomatoes with a basic souffle mixture made with goat cheese and chives. Bake until puffy and golden brown.

Tomato Pie from Vivian Howard

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a chefs life series
Vivian-Howard-with-tomato-pie_toquemag
For the Filling
2 cups diced and drained fresh tomatoes
2 cups diced and roasted tomatoes
1 cup caramelized onions
1/2 cup picked basil
salt
pepper
sugar

For the Topping
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/3 cup grated Fontina
1/2 cup mayo
1 pie crust

For the diced and drained tomatoes
Seed and dice about 3 cups fresh, high-quality tomatoes. Toss them with a little kosher salt and sugar. Set over a colander while you prepare the remaining ingredients if possible. If not, drain for a minimum of an hour. You should be left with about 2 cups of tomato.
For the roasted tomatoes
Seed and dice 4 cups fresh, high quality tomatoes. Toss them with olive oil (at C&F we use garlic oil), plenty of kosher salt, and several sprigs of thyme. Spread this mix out on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. You want the tomatoes to be dry and slightly caramelized, but not burned around the edges.

For the Onions
Peel and slice (with the grain) 4 medium yellow onions. In a large sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup butter. Add the onions and season them with salt. Let the onions simmer and become juicy. Once the situation becomes a bit drier and much of the onion liquid has cooked out, turn down the heat, to its lowest setting and settle in for a long, slow caramelize. To get these onions where they need to be, it could take about 2 hours. You are looking for a medium brown, sweet caramelization.

To Assemble the Filling
Combine the onions, fresh tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Keep in mind, tomatoes take a lot of seasoning to really make them shine in applications like this.

To Bake and Serve
Spread the filling over the bottom of a blind-baked crust. Flatten the topping between wax paper or use your good ol’ hands to create a 1/3 inch thick round of delicious, cheesy topping that spreads nearly to the edges of the pie. Bake at 375 degrees until the top is nicely browned…20-25 minutes. Serve at just over room temperature.

Tips/Techniques
At Chef Vivian Howard’s restaurant, the Chef & the Farmer, they make a tight aioli to fold into the cheeses, but you can substitute your favorite brand of mayo to great effect. As for the crust… Chef Howard will add the crust recipe when she gather it from Kim, their pastry chef. For now, use your favorite crust recipe or even a frozen crust…and blind bake it!

ACL_tomato-pie

Butternut Squash Stew With Pomegranate Salsa by the weekend vegetarian

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FOR THE STEW
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 large onion, chopped
1-inch piece peeled ginger root, grated
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 serrano chili pepper, seeded and chopped
28 ounces canned diced tomatoes, preferably low-sodium or no-salt-added, plus their juices
1 large carrot, scrubbed well and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium (about 1 1/2 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Water (optional)
4 to 5 ounces baby spinach leaves, chopped (4 cups loosely packed)
15 ounces canned chickpeas, preferably no-salt-added, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon Tabasco, harissa or other hot sauce of your choice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE SALSA
1 cup pomegranate seeds
2 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
12 mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

For the stew: Pour the oil into a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, stir in the coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom and cloves; sizzle them for a few seconds, then add the onion, stirring to coat. Cook until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes, then add the ginger, garlic and serrano pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until soft, 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juices, the carrot, squash and enough water, if needed, to barely cover the vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in the spinach, chickpeas, cilantro and hot sauce; season lightly to taste with salt and black pepper. Cook for just a few minutes, to wilt the spinach and heat the chickpeas through. Remove from the heat; cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, make the salsa: Stir together the pomegranate seeds, scallions, lime juice, mint and oil in a small bowl.

Serve the stew warm, with the salsa on top or served on the side. 6-8 servings; makes 8 cups