Merry Tomatoes from Charleston Junior League cookbook

    • 30 -40 picCvQfDscherry tomatoes, stems removed
    • vodka
    • 1 teaspoon celery salt
    • 1/4 cup lemon pepper seasoning

Remove stem. Pierce the tomatoes a few times on the top (stem side).

  • Place the tomatoes in a serving dish or bowl.
  • Pour the vodka over the tomatoes.
  • (Each tomato should be partially submerged in the vodka. Depending on the serving bowl, you may need to use more than 1 cup.) Allow to marinate for at least 6 hours.
  • In a small bowl combine the celery salt and lemon pepper seasoning, mixing well.
  • Place the bowl of seasoning next to the bowl of tomatoes along with a small container of toothpicks.
  • Guests are to spear a tomato with a toothpick and then dip it in the seasoning mixture.

 

Celery and Parmesan Salad from real simple

4 stcelery-parmesan-salad_300alks celery, thinly sliced, plus 1/4 cup celery leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
 kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce Parmesan, shaved

Toss the celery, celery leave, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Gently toss in the Parmesan. Serve cold or at room temperature.

 

Green Beans, Roasted Pepper and Potato Salad

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  • 8 ounces new potatoes of any color, or small fingerling potatoes
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 2 cups green beans, filet beans, wax beans or a mix
  • 1 anchovy fillet
  • Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1/4 cup parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 roasted red or yellow bell peppers, seeded, reserving any juice from roasting (see NOTE)

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan; cover with cold water by 2 inches. Add the vinegar and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes, then transfer them to a colander to drain.

Meanwhile, fill a mixing bowl with ice cubes and water. Bring a separate pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add a pinch of salt, then the green beans. Cook/blanch for a minute or two, just until the beans become bright green. Drain and immediately transfer to the ice-water bath to cool. Drain and pat dry.

Place the anchovy in a small bowl and mash it with the back of a fork. Add the citrus juices and zest, shallot, chopped parsley and oil; whisk to form an emulsified dressing.

Cut the still-warm potatoes into quarters and place in a serving bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat.

Cut the roasted peppers into thin strips, about the same size as the green beans. Toss the green beans and peppers together, including any juice from the roasted peppers, then add to the potato mixture and toss to combine. Taste, and add salt as needed.

Serve at room temperature.  Serves 6

NOTE: Roast bell peppers whole on an aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, discard the skin and seeds.

Adapted from “Root to Leaf,” by Steven Satterfield

Cheesy Scalloped Potato Casserole from the food network

2015-06-20_1334

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion minced
  • 2 gloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 1/2lbs russet potatoes peeled and sliced into about 1/8″ thick rounds
  • 1 cup veggie broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  1. Preheat oven to 425F
  2. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the foaming subsides.
  3. Add onion and cook while stirring occasionally until lightly browned and soft (about 4 minutes).
  4. Add garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for about another 30 seconds.
  5. Add potatoes, chicken broth, cream, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer.
  6. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 10 minutes. discard bay leaves.
  7. Transfer the mixture to an 8″x8″ baking dish and press into an even layer.
  8. Sprinkle the top evenly with cheese.
  9. Bake in oven about 16 minutes until the cream is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown.
  10. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
  11. Enjoy!

 

11 ways to use fresh tomatoes from Florida Tomato Committee

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.

Oven-Fried Eggplant Poboy Sandwiches from fatftreevegan.com

eggplant-poboy-sandwich

  • 1 large eggplant (approximately 1 1/4 pound)
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk of choice
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt (if desired)
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more or less, to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
  1. Peel the eggplant and trim off the ends. Slice it into rounds about 1/2-inch thick. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and mix well. You should have a batter a little thicker than pancake batter. If it seems dry, add a splash of non-dairy milk.
  3. Dip each eggplant slice into the batter and turn it to coat both sides and edges well. Holding the slice between two fingers, allow any excess batter to drip back into the bowl, and place the eggplant on the baking sheet. Repeat with as many slices as you can fit on the baking sheet, being careful that they do not touch. (If your baking sheet is small, you may need to make two batches; batter can thicken between batches, so add more liquid if necessary.)
  4. Place in the oven. After 20 minutes, remove and gently turn each slice–you may have to hold the parchment paper and peel it from the eggplant. Replace and cook until outsides are brown but not burning, about 15 more minutes.
  5. Serve hot on hoagie rolls or French bread with marinara sauce, lettuce, and tomato.

Notes

I used soy milk, which thickens with the addition of lemon juice. If you use another plant-based milk, you may need to add a little extra flour if the batter seems thin.

Other flours should work, but I have only tested it at this time with brown rice flour. If you use a different flour, use your judgement about whether the batter needs to be thinned with extra milk or thickened with extra flour.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s) | Cooking time: 35 minute(s)

Our favorite key lime pie from epicurious

56389684For the crust:

  • 11 (2 1/4×4 3/4″) graham crackers
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling: 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 7 tablespoons fresh key lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the topping:
1 cup chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Make the crust:  Place rack in the center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

Pulse graham crackers, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until fine crumbs form. With the motor running, drizzle in melted butter and process until well-combined. Transfer mixture to pie pan and press into bottom and up sides with a flat-bottomed measuring cup.

Bake crust until golden brown and set, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

Make the filling and bake pie:  Whisk condensed milk and yolks together in a large bowl. Add key lime and lemon juice and whisk until well-combined (mixture will thicken slightly).

Pour filling into crust and bake until center is just set, about 15 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool completely (filling will set as it cools), about 1 hour. Transfer to refrigerator and chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

Make the topping:   When ready to serve, whip cream with a whisk or electric mixer to very soft peaks. Sprinkle sugar over cream and continue whipping until it holds stiff peaks. Dollop cream in center of pie (leaving at least a 1″ border of visible pie filling) and serve.

Do Ahead  Pie (without topping) can be made, loosely covered, and chilled for up to 2 days.

Smoked Corn and Black Bean Salad

  • 3 or 4 eaFD-smokesignalsJuly150181435429156rs smoked corn 
  • 1/3 cup diced sweet onion
  • 1/2 cup seeded, diced green bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup seeded, diced red bell pepper
  • 1 teaspoon minced, seeded and stemmed serrano pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 16 ounces cooked or canned, no-salt-added black beans (if using canned, drain, rinse and dry on paper towels)
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed
  • 3 or 4 grindings of black pepper, or more as needed

Scrape enough kernels from the ears to yield 3 cups. Transfer to a large bowl; discard the cobs or reserve for making broth (see related recipe). Add the onion, bell and serrano peppers, garlic, black beans, cilantro, oil, lime juice, salt and pepper (to taste); toss gently to incorporate.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and up to 5 days). Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed; serve chilled or at room temperature.

 

Roz’s Caprese Salad with Grape Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Basil

RosalindCorieriPaigeCaprSaladCopyrighted1

  • 4 – 5 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
  • 1 lb fresh imported Italian mozzarella, cut into ¼ – ½” cubes
  • ¼ cup extra virgin, first preseed Italian olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar for a more mild flavor)
  • 10 – 15 large fresh basil leaves (to taste)
  • Italian sea salt to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Fresh Italian bread
  1. Toss together the tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.
  2. Tear the basil into large pieces and toss into the salad.
  3. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  4. Serve immediately (can be refrigerated to serve a little bit later too).
  5. Serve with fresh, crusty Italian bread

 

Stuffed pepper soup from better homes recipes

  • Stuffed-Peppers-Soup-496x3501 lb ground beef
  • ½ medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 large tomato, peeled and diced
  • ½ red bell pepper, diced
  • ½ yellow bell pepper, diced
  • ½ green bell pepper, diced
  • 3 cups of beef broth
  • 2 tbs tomato paste
  • ¾ cup of dry Jasmine rice
  • 1 tsp dry basil
  • ½ tsp dry oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. In a large pot, over medium heat, heat up the oil and add diced onion, tomato and peppers. Saute for a few minutes, until fragrant and onion starts to be transparent.
  2. Add the ground beef and mix well. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is mostly cooked.
  3. Add the beef broth and tomato paste. Stir well until all the tomato paste is incorporated.
  4. Add basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Taste to make sure you have enough salt.
  5. Cook for about 15 minutes, covered.
  6. Add rice and lower the heat to low. Cover and wait until the rice is done.
  7. Serve once the rice is cooked.