when life gives you tomatoes, make sauce

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

Makes enough to sauce a pound of pasta.  Just right when you have an overabundance of ripe summer tomatoes.

            2 lbs. large tomatoes                       ½ tsp. sugar

            4 garlic cloves, minced                    1 tsp. salt

            1 tsp. dried Italian herb seasoning    ½ tsp. black pepper

                                                                     2 Tbs. olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice tomatoes in half, set aside.  Pour olive oil into large rimmed baking sheet and spread it around.  Sprinkle garlic, herbs, sugar, salt and pepper evenly over the oil.  Place tomatoes cut side down in the baking sheet.  Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until the skins start to lift from the tomatoes.  Allow to cool.  Remove skins; put everything else in large bowl and mush it up as much as you’d like.  Reheat to use as sauce with freshly cooked pasta. 

summer salad - corn, tomatoes, mozzarella...

Caprese Corn Salad

Serves 6.  Enjoy this when you can get fresh corn in the late summer. 

            8 oz. drained ciliegine (small      ¼ c. minced red onion

              fresh mozzarella balls)             12 halved grape tomatoes

            ½ c. fresh, raw corn kernels      2 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar

            ½ c. coarsely chopped pitted     2 Tbs. olive oil

              Kalamata olives                       salt

            ¼ c. snipped fresh basil             pepper

Place mozzarella balls, corn, olives, basil, red onion, and tomatoes in a medium bowl.  Mix up balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to make vinaigrette.  Pour vinaigrette over salad and toss well to coat.  

burrata cheese and fresh tomatoes over pasta

This is such a great summer pasta dish - with the freshness of vine-ripe tomatoes paired with the creaminess of the burrata cheese!  http://www.marthastewart.com/314500/tomato-and-basil-pasta

blackberry pie

This is a full day adventure from Martha Stewart.  It looked lovely but for some reason it wasn't as flavorful as we would have liked.  http://www.marthastewart.com/1072226/blackberry-oregano-pie

pasta with a sausage-tomato sauce

Rotini with Sausage and Tomato Sauce

Serves 4.  This quick pasta comes from the May 2014 issue of Cooking Light magazine.  You can make the sauce while the pasta boils. 

            8 oz. uncooked rotini or fusilli               1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano

            cooking spray                                       ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

            3 (4-oz.) sweet turkey or chicken          4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

              Italian sausage links, casings                2 c. canned crushed tomatoes

              removed                                             ½ tsp. sugar

            1½ c. finely chopped arugula, or           ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

              spinach, divided                                  ¼ tsp. kosher salt

            1 c. minced onion                                 4 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add sausage to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.  Add 1 c. arugula, onion, oregano, crushed red pepper, and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling salted water for 7-10 minutes or until al dente.  Drain pasta, reserving 1 c. cooking liquid.

Add reserved 1 c. pasta cooking liquid, tomatoes, sugar, black pepper, and salt to sausage; bring to a boil.  Add pasta; cook 2 minutes.  Stir in remaining arugula.  Divide among 4 shallow bowls; top with Parmesan cheese.  

strawberry jam cobbler

Biscuit-and-Strawberry Jam Cobbler

Serves 8.  We don’t normally care for cooked strawberries but this Martha Stewart recipe was a real winner.  Make the jam up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate it, it needs to be completely cooled before you can make the cobbler.

            Jam:                                                    ¼ c. granulated sugar

            2 lbs. fresh strawberries, hulled             ¾ tsp. coarse salt

              and cut into ½” pieces                        6 Tbs. cold, unsalted butter, cut

            2 c. granulated sugar                               into cubes

            1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice                        ¾ c. heavy cream, plus more for brushing

            Biscuits:                                             coarse sanding sugar, for sprinkling

            1¾ c. flour                                            unsweetened whipped cream, for

            1¾ tsp. baking powder                         serving

Jam:  Cook strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 4 cups, about 12 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Biscuits:  Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in lower third and a baking sheet on rack below (to catch any spills).  Whisk together flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt.  Cut in butter until largest pieces are the size of peas.  Mix in cream with a fork until dough starts to come together but is still crumbly.  Turn out onto a work surface; knead once or twice to make smooth.  Pat dough into an 8” round, about ¾” thick.  Cut into 8 wedges. 

Spread 3 cups of the jam in bottom of a 9½” deep-dish pie plate or skillet.  Arrange dough wedges on top in a round, then brush with cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar.  Bake until bubbling and golden (if top is browning too quickly, tent with foil), about 50 minutes.  Let cool before serving with remaining jam and whipped cream.  

mini-lamb patties

Slider Patties with Pomegranate Molasses

Serves 4.  I pick up pomegranate molasses at a local Middle Eastern market.  You can serve this on slider buns, or in pita bread pockets, or with just rice and salad.  This is from the May 2014 issue of Cooking Light magazine – stated as 282 calories per serving (4 patties per serving).

            2 Tbs. pomegranate molasses,  ¼ tsp. ground red pepper

              divided                                               ¼ tsp. ground turmeric

            ¼ c. finely chopped fresh mint   ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

            ¾ tsp. kosher salt                                 1 lb. lean ground lamb

            ½ tsp. ground coriander                        1 garlic clove, minced

cooking spray

Combine 1 Tbs. pomegranate molasses, mint, salt, coriander, ground red pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, lamb, and garlic.  Divide mixture into 16 equal portions; gently shape each into a ¼”-thick patty.

Heat a grill pan over high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add patties to pan (may need to do this in batches); cook 1½ minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.  Place patties on a platter; lightly brush patties with remaining 1 Tbs. pomegranate molasses. 

fresh cherry sundae

Cherry-Almond Sundaes

Serves 6.  When we are lucky enough for our own cherry harvest, or can buy some at a growers market during the short cherry season, we love to use some of them in this treat.  Make the cooked part of the sauce at least 90 minutes before serving. The macerated fresh cherries must be mixed 2 hours before serving. 

            1¾ lb. fresh cherries, pitted                   1½ Tbs. fresh lemon juice

            1 c. + 4 Tbs. water (about)                   ¼ tsp. almond extract

            12 Tbs. sugar                                       1½ pints vanilla ice cream

            1½ Tbs. cornstarch                               ¾ c. slivered almonds, toasted

Bring 1 lb. cherries, 1 c. + 2 Tbs. water, and 6 Tbs. sugar to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until cherries are tender, about 12 minutes.  Mix cornstarch, lemon juice, and 1 Tbs. water in small bowl until cornstarch dissolves; mix into hot cherry mixture.  Stir until sauce boils and thickens slightly, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat; mix in almond extract.  If sauce is too thick, thin with more water by teaspoonfuls.  Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.  (Can be made 1 day ahead.  Cover; keep chilled.)

Halve remaining ¾ lb. cherries; combine with remaining 6 Tbs. sugar in medium bowl.  Let stand at room temperature until juices form, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.   Divide these cherries and juices among 6 bowls.  In each, place 2 scoops of ice cream, topped with the cooked cherry sauce and almonds. (I was out of almonds the day I made it and took the photo).

our favorite pink pasta sauce

This makes enough for a pound of cooked pasta (serving 4-6).  Melt 2 Tbs. butter in large skillet and saute 2 minced shallots until soft (not browned).  Add 2 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes; cook for a minute longer.  Add 1/2 c. vodka, 2 (15-oz.) cans crushed tomatoes, and large pinch of kosher salt.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (At this point I start to cook my pasta)

Add 3/4 c. cream to the tomato sauce and simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.  Stir in 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese and 1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons.  When pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the sauce, tossing to coat.  Serve with additional grated Parmesan.

a luscious libation

El Diablo Highball

Makes 1.  This drink was featured in the April 2014 issue of Bon Appétit magazine and it is one potent libation!

            3 oz. tequila blanco                               1½ oz. crème de cassis liqueur

            1½ fresh lime juice                                ginger beer

                                                thyme sprig

In a tall, narrow highball glass combine tequila, lime juice and crème de cassis.  Give them a quick stir.  Fill glass with ice cubes, top off with ginger beer, and garnish with the thyme sprig.

smoked trout salad

I enjoyed this recipe from the April 2014 issue of Bon Appetit magazine - I used pea shoots from Trader Joe's  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/smoked-trout-with-pea-shoots-and-spring-onions

rack of lamb

This really is a quick and easy dinner from Bon Appetit magazine.  I chose to slightly smash the potatoes up with the watercress.  http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/herb-crusted-rack-of-lamb-with-new-potatoes