154 replies to this topic

[CheeseMonger]

i don't suppose rancho gordo sells beans and chiles that could be used for this purpose.

What a coinky-dink! We do!

Flagrant self-promoter...

(I admire that...)

[SamanthaF]

life's too short to peel one pound of cherry tomatoes. other than that, it does sound good.

Blanch 'em - the skins fall off.

[Pret a Manger]

I am searching for that perfect summer tomato magic that can only occur when the tomatoes are fruit. for some reason i thought Jaymes posted a recipe like this:

roughly chop several tomatoes(beyond salad and eating raw)place in a large glass bowl or pitcher.
add to them several cloves of planed garlic, salt or anchovies and cover the whole lot with olive oil.
allow them to cook in the sunshine and at the end of the long day...add parsley, maybe chilies and make a putanesca to weep over.....

sound familiar

[Rail Paul]

Jaymes contributed a wonderful salsa recipe as her debut post on MF. I recall the jar in the sun recipe, but this isn't it. I'll continue looking.

Debut Post

[flyfish]

Summer is indeed magic. Last night we had our favourite gazpacho, and today I am making our first batch of India relish.

The gazpacho is my husband's favourite thing and is seriously good. It's sort of "inside out": the ingredients are not blended together but stacked on top of a silky smooth tomato base. I put the tomatoes through a food mill and then a sieve to get them really smooth and get all of the seeds out. I've probably posted this before but here it is again in case anyoine with an abundance of tomatoes wants to try it. It is from Niagara chef Mark Picone, a gazpacho genius!

Mark Picone’s Cool Garden Gazpacho

A) For the seafood
2 lbs (1 kg) mussels - washed and well cleaned (shrimp may be substituted here)
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp (15 ml) chili flakes (optional)
1 tsp (5 ml) fennel seeds
splash Pernod

B) For the tomato base
7 tomatoes - fully ripe, peeled
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, to taste

C) For the toppings and service
1 red onion or several green onions - thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 hot pepper - thinly sliced (optional)
3 bell peppers - red, green and yellow, seeded and thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup (60 ml) olive oil
1/4 cup (30 ml) sherry vinegar
zest of one lemon and one lime
herbs - dill, cilantro, parsley
3 avocadoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into halves
sea salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

A) For the seafood:
In a saucepot, combine oil, onion, chili flakes and fennel seeds. Saute for 3 minutes and add the pernod followed by the mussels. Cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until done. Discard any that did not open. Allow to cool, then remove the mussels from the shell, reserving the liquid. If using shrimp, cool slightly and then shell the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Set aside.

B) For the tomato base:
Pass the tomatoes through a food mill and whisk in the oil. Season to taste with salt and mussel liquid. Set aside.

C) For the toppings:
In a large bowl, combine onion, garlic, peppers, cucumber and seasonings. Toss gently and let sit for 5 minutes. Add mussels.

D) For service:
Sauce plates with tomato base. Divide vegetables/mussels mixture among avocado halves. Place on top and drizzle with a splash of extra virgin olive oil.

[Jaymes]

I am searching for that perfect summer tomato magic that can only occur when the tomatoes are fruit. for some reason i thought Jaymes posted a recipe like this:

roughly chop several tomatoes(beyond salad and eating raw)place in a large glass bowl or pitcher.
add to them several cloves of planed garlic, salt or anchovies and cover the whole lot with olive oil.
allow them to cook in the sunshine and at the end of the long day...add parsley, maybe chilies and make a putanesca to weep over.....

sound familiar

I did, I did!

OMG, I love that recipe. Sadly my father doesn't much like pasta, or garlic, or anchovies, and I do the cooking for him, so I haven't made it this year.

I dream of that stuff.

Wasn't aware y'all were talking about it....

I'll go find it and post it before the sun and the tomatoes are only a distant memory.

[Jaymes]

Here it is:

Here's a family favorite hot weather dish. But a note of caution....whomever you're serving this to has to really like garlic.

Sun-Cooked Pasta Puttanesca

In the morning of a warm, sunny day, in a non-reactive, preferably clear glass bowl with a clear glass lid, combine the following:

2 bunches basil, washed, well-dried, very coarsely julienned
2 C good quality EVOO
3 C tomatoes (halved cherry tomatoes, or seeded, well-drained, chopped garden tomatoes)
1 2-oz tube anchovy paste
1 1/2 C pitted black Greek olives (not canned, I usually use Kalamata), which you squeeze through your fingers as you drop into the bowl
1 whole head of garlic, or more, to taste, peeled, smashed and minced

In a large, non-reactive bowl, combine anchovy paste with olive oil until paste is thoroughly incorporated. Add all other ingredients and stir to combine. Cover bowl with glass lid and set outside in a sunny spot and allow the sun to cook the sauce for at least 5-6 hours, or more, stirring occasionally.

Cook 1 box small pasta shells according to pkg directions. Drain well and toss with sauce. Top generously with freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Serve at room temperature with plenty of French or Italian bread.

With this recipe, the bread isn't just a nice afterthought...you need it to sop up the rich sauce.

And you can make this in a warm, very slow oven, but it's not as good.

[Pret a Manger]

Here it is:

Here's a family favorite hot weather dish. But a note of caution....whomever you're serving this to has to really like garlic.

Sun-Cooked Pasta Puttanesca

In the morning of a warm, sunny day, in a non-reactive, preferably clear glass bowl with a clear glass lid, combine the following:

2 bunches basil, washed, well-dried, very coarsely julienned
2 C good quality EVOO
3 C tomatoes (halved cherry tomatoes, or seeded, well-drained, chopped garden tomatoes)
1 2-oz tube anchovy paste
1 1/2 C pitted black Greek olives (not canned, I usually use Kalamata), which you squeeze through your fingers as you drop into the bowl
1 head garlic, or more, to taste, peeled, smashed and minced

Mix thoroughly. Cover bowl with glass lid and set outside in a sunny spot and allow the sun to cook the sauce for at least 5-6 hours, or more, stirring occasionally.

Cook 1 box pasta shells according to pkg directions. Drain well and toss with sauce. Top generously with freshly-grated PR.

Serve at room temperature with plenty of French or Italian bread.

With this recipe, the bread isn't just a nice afterthought...you need it to sop up the rich sauce.

And you can make this in a warm, very slow oven, but it's not as good.

oh Jaymes
I can't thank-you enough.
I am making this day after tomorrow when the weather is supposed to hit 30+ degrees

this is one of those funny recipes that like a trad paella you really have to commit to the oil. i am ready!
will report back with results

[Jaymes]

But think I'd better reemphasize that this dish is very boldly flavored. It's definitely not for the gastronomically reticent.

If you know what I mean.

[omnivorette]

I'm doing a variation on this today too. Huge tray of ripe tomatoes on the table, full basil plants in the garden, and a gorgeous sunny day...

[Stone]

Last weekend it was about 90*, so I decided to make tomato chutney. Nice day to have the stovetop going for 5 hours.

by the way -- for those of you with vegetable gardens in the Hudson Valley, is the natural rainfall enough, or do you have some type of timed irrigation? June and July seems awful dry for vegetables, and even August is pretty uneven rainfall.

[Melonious Thunk]

Here it is:

Here's a family favorite hot weather dish. But a note of caution....whomever you're serving this to has to really like garlic.

Sun-Cooked Pasta Puttanesca

In the morning of a warm, sunny day, in a non-reactive, preferably clear glass bowl with a clear glass lid, combine the following:

2 bunches basil, washed, well-dried, very coarsely julienned
2 C good quality EVOO
3 C tomatoes (halved cherry tomatoes, or seeded, well-drained, chopped garden tomatoes)
1 2-oz tube anchovy paste
1 1/2 C pitted black Greek olives (not canned, I usually use Kalamata), which you squeeze through your fingers as you drop into the bowl
1 whole head of garlic, or more, to taste, peeled, smashed and minced

Mix thoroughly. Cover bowl with glass lid and set outside in a sunny spot and allow the sun to cook the sauce for at least 5-6 hours, or more, stirring occasionally.

Cook 1 box small pasta shells according to pkg directions. Drain well and toss with sauce. Top generously with freshly-grated PR.

Serve at room temperature with plenty of French or Italian bread.

With this recipe, the bread isn't just a nice afterthought...you need it to sop up the rich sauce.

And you can make this in a warm, very slow oven, but it's not as good.

And I got up this morning thinking, "I need some recipes for sauces to make with tomatoes, since my local farm stand sells bushels of very tasty ones about now." Thank you Jaymsie.

I assume this sauce freezes well?

[Stone]

I find that the local markets/farmers markets are selling "overripe" tomatoes very cheap. At Adams, I got a bag of 4 medium sized tomotoes for $0.49. I assume because most people wont buy a tomato if it's too red, has a brown bruise or some hairy growth. With a little care, they are great for sauces, especially since it's nearly impossible to buy a ready-ripe tomato in the market.

[joiei]

I noticed today that the tomato plants are starting to bloom again now that the heat of summer has broken. Hopefully we can get a nice fall crop in before it gets too cold. That means I will be putting up some green tomato relish the day of the first frost in Nov.

[Lippy]

Here it is:

Here's a family favorite hot weather dish. But a note of caution....whomever you're serving this to has to really like garlic.

Sun-Cooked Pasta Puttanesca

In the morning of a warm, sunny day, in a non-reactive, preferably clear glass bowl with a clear glass lid, combine the following:

2 bunches basil, washed, well-dried, very coarsely julienned
2 C good quality EVOO
3 C tomatoes (halved cherry tomatoes, or seeded, well-drained, chopped garden tomatoes)
1 2-oz tube anchovy paste
1 1/2 C pitted black Greek olives (not canned, I usually use Kalamata), which you squeeze through your fingers as you drop into the bowl
1 whole head of garlic, or more, to taste, peeled, smashed and minced

Mix thoroughly. Cover bowl with glass lid and set outside in a sunny spot and allow the sun to cook the sauce for at least 5-6 hours, or more, stirring occasionally.

Cook 1 box small pasta shells according to pkg directions. Drain well and toss with sauce. Top generously with freshly-grated PR.

Serve at room temperature with plenty of French or Italian bread.

With this recipe, the bread isn't just a nice afterthought...you need it to sop up the rich sauce.

And you can make this in a warm, very slow oven, but it's not as good.

And I got up this morning thinking, "I need some recipes for sauces to make with tomatoes, since my local farm stand sells bushels of very tasty ones about now." Thank you Jaymsie.

I assume this sauce freezes well?

I think the whole point of this sauce (the absolute freshness) would be lost with freezing. A more typical cooked sauce would freeze better.