Tag: tomato

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JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 10 – AUGUST 10, 2021

AUG 10, 2021

Hi everyone,

The star of the show has arrived. It’s tomato season!

Tomatoes are at their peak right now. Those juicy red jewels are here for our enjoyment.

Someone like me would simply walk into the garden with a salt shaker in her back pocket, just picking and slurping. But, here’s a more civilized recipe, a simple toast with garlic and tomato. It couldn’t be easier to make and it is so delicious!

TOASTED RUSTIC BREAD WITH TOMATOES

  • 2 slices of bread from a plain rustic loaf, about 1/2-inch thick
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • 1 small ripe red tomato, cut in half, seeds squeezed out
  • 1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
  • Flaky sea salt or fleur de sel to taste
  1. Toast the bread on both sides under the broiler, on a stovetop grill, or over coals, until it is perfectly browned, but a tiny bit soft in the center ( about 1 minute per side).
  2. Cut the garlic clove in half. Pressing down firmly, rub the top of each piece of toast with the cut side of the garlic. Rub the tomato, cut side down, against the toast. Keep rubbing to moisten the toast and give it a juicy red color.
  3. Drizzle with olive oil and finish with a tiny sprinkle of sea salt. Serve immediately.

You never have to worry about making this ahead of time. It takes literally five seconds to make.

HELPFUL HINT: You could zhush this up with anchovy, fresh basil leaves, rosemary sprigs, avocado or grilled shrimp. Or all of them!

ANOTHER HELPFUL HINT: For more intense flavor, try grating the tomato instead of rubbing it onto the toast.

I hope you enjoy this. It’s a wonderful way to start a summer meal. Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

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JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 8 – JULY 28, 2020

JULY 28, 2020

Welcome to week 8!

Life in this steambath we call New York City is very hot. We must drag ourselves to the kitchen and prepare something seasonal and delicious, something that will make us forget, for just a moment, how darn hot it is.

I have just the thing: since we are getting both eggplant and tomatoes this week, a nice tomato and eggplant tart. It is even good eaten cold. this is a simplified version, so you don’t have to make a pie crust or tomato sauce.

TOMATO AND EGGPLANT PIE

  • 1 premade pie shell
  • 2 medium eggplants
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • 1 ½ cups marinara sauce (or any tomato sauce, from a jar or a can or homemade)
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 cup. Gruyère cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
  • 2 medium-size fresh tomatoes, sliced
  • 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
  1. Line a lightly oiled 9- or 10-inch tart pan with the dough, pressing it down with your fingers. Using a fork, prick all over to allow for even baking. Refrigerate or freeze until you are ready to prebake and fill it.
  2. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Slice the eggplant about 1/3 inch thick and toss the slices with salt to taste and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Line baking sheets with foil and brush the foil with olive oil. Lay the eggplant slices on the foil in 1 layer. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until the slices are soft when pierced with a knife, and browned in spots. Remove from the oven and carefully fold the foil up to cover the eggplant slices. Crimp the edges of the foil and allow the eggplant to steam for another 15 to 20 minutes (alternatively, you can just put the slices in a paper bag, fold the top over and allow the eggplant to steam inside). It should now be completely cooked. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
  3. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Set the tart pan on a baking sheet to allow for easy handling. Using a pastry brush lightly brush the crust with the beaten egg and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  4. Whisk the milk into the beaten eggs in the bowl. Add salt and pepper. Spread 1/4 cup tomato sauce over the crust. Top with a layer of eggplant slices. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon one third of the remaining sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle it with thyme, Parmesan, and half of the Gruyère cheese. Repeat the layers one or two more times, depending on the size of your eggplant slices, ending with the Gruyère. Pour on the egg and milk mixture. It should seep down into the layers. Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top and sprinkle any remaining thyme over the tomatoes. Drizzle on 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until set and bubbling and browned on the top and edges. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

HELPFUL HINT: The eggplant can be cooked ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to fill the tart. Just bring it up to room temperature when you’re ready to start. The crust can be baked in the morning (when the weather is cooler) and left to stand until you are ready to fill it.

Enjoy!

I need a cold drink.

Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

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JUDI’S RECIPES – WEEK 13 – AUGUST 27, 2019

AUGUST 27, 2019

Hi Everyone!

As summer wanes (oh boo hoo, it went so quickly!), we are getting  such an abundance of lovely vegetables that we are  presented with a big job: we have to use these gems while they’re still sparkling.

Today’s recipe uses some of that abundance in a cold, soothing soup. It’s a gazpacho of sorts, and features those lovely sweet peppers and cucumbers.

 

PEAK OF THE HARVEST GAZPACHO

Ingredients

1 3/4 lbs assorted sweet peppers

1 1/2 lbs tomatoes

1 1/2 c. peeled seeded cucumber chunks

2  garlic cloves

2 TBS sherry vinegar

3/4 tsp kosher salt

5 TBS olive oil, divided

1 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice, divided

2 TBS thinly sliced green onions (white parts only)

 

Directions

1. Dice the peppers until you have  1/4 cup and set aside. Dice the tomatoes until you have 1/4 cup and set aside. Roughly chop the remaining peppers and tomatoes, and place in a blender or food processor. Add the cucumber, garlic, vinegar, salt, 3 tablespoons of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Process on high until very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Chill for one hour.

2. Stir together the reserved 1/4 cup of peppers and 1/4 cup of tomatoes in a small bowl. Add the onion slices and the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and mix.

3. Ladle the chilled soup into 6 bowls. Top each serving with some of the pepper-tomato mixture, and drizzle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.

NOTE: You can make this up to a day ahead and refrigerate it. It’s great with crusty bread and a cool drink.

 

So, I hope you enjoy this really easy, cool, refreshing recipe. Have a delicious week!

Best,

Judi

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Week #11 — Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member

The summer is quickly slipping by. The fields are still full of summer favorites and we will continue to harvest. The torrential rain storms that were forecast for our area did not make it this far north. We were very grateful. There has been plenty of rain this summer and wet conditions in the field make it harder to pick, to wash and transport your shares.

This week there are eggplant once again. Steven from the Yorkville CSA has passed on this information. Lori, the site coordinator at Yorkville is working testing more recipes and they are all posted on the farm website Recipe Section. Please take a look. Lori has tested all of the recipes and I am sure they are delicious.

Steve writes, “If the goal is 1) to free up all that fridge space used up by multiple eggplants and 2) cook eggplants with the least possible effort:

Super easy – put the two bell eggplants in the oven at 350 until they are soft (wasn’t timing it exactly but probably 20 minutes, turn, another 20 minutes). Scoop out all the goo and put it in the blender with a bunch of tahini (2-3 ounces). Blend, blend, blend; salt, pepper, paprika, lemon juice. Very nice. Top with chopped scallions and/or sesame seeds to make the presentation a little more classy. Minimal effort, probably a million good baba ganoush recipes out there.

“Tried something similar with the oriental eggplants but they don’t bake the same way. It’s good but lends itself more to a chunkier eggplant salad.”

The pulp—or goo, as Steve calls it—can be used in many other dishes.

Abuganoush, a variation on the baba variety: Instead of puree-ing the pulp, chop it roughly and combine with a diced tomato, a diced cucumber, a diced pepper, two tablespoons of chopped parsley and a diced onion or scallion. Drizzle in some olive olive and season with salt, pepper, and cumin.

Thai Eggplant Dip: While you’re puree-ing the pulp, add 2 tablespoons of finely minced fresh ginger, a tablespoon or two of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil (start with one tablespoon and add more to taste). Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped parsley.

Bagnacaudaganoush: I just made this one up, and it’s pretty good: Puree the pulp with several cloves of garlic—roasted garlic is even better—and several anchovy fillets. Add oil to get the consistency you want. You probably won’t need salt—the anchovies are very salty.

A very nice share of tomatoes and peppers both sweet and hot along with onions, cucumbers and Thyme. New this week is Kale. It is a treat to have a green that we have not harvested since the spring time.

There are bulk tomatoes but they do sell out. If you would like to order tomatoes by the 25 pound box, please go to the farm website, Marketplace and then place your order. The boxed tomatoes will be delivered with the CSA shares.

Enjoy the wonderful harvest.
Don’t forget to mark you calendar for the Fall Farm Festival September 6 from 11:30-3.

Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm.