3 August 2012

This week's CSA box screams 

SUMMERTIME:

Heirloom tomatoes

San Marzano (paste) tomatoes

Sweet corn

Green Peppers

Garlic

Green Beans

Cucumbers

and help yourself to more zucchini from a big box in the garage! 

****** 

Big news from Yoder farm: the first of David and Lydianne's seven children is getting married.  Menno Yoder is on the calendar to get hitched the second week of September.  Big congratulations to the Yoders on this momentous occasion!

Quick San Marzano Sauce

San Marzano (paste) tomatoes

1 thinly sliced clove of garlic to every four tomatoes 

3 leaves of basil for every four tomatoes

Excellent olive oil

Salt, Pepper, and Sugar

A pinch of cracked red pepper

Fill a large pot about half full with water and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, rinse and core as many San Marzano tomatoes as you have.   Fill your sink or a large bowl with very cold water and set aside.  Plunge cored tomatoes into the boiling water, about ten at a time, and leave them there for about 60 seconds, just long enough for the skins to begin to break.  Remove them with a slotted spoon directly into the cold water.  The skins should be very easy to peel off within seconds.  Remove peeled tomatoes whole to a colander.

When the peeled tomatoes are cool enough to handle, either finely chop them with a knife or run them through a food mill, being careful to capture all the juices.

To a saucepan heated over medium, add a generous pool of olive oil and then add the slice garlic and cook just until the garlic begins to sizzle (about thirty seconds), then immediately add the tomato pulp along with the basil and a good pinch of salt.

Simmer the tomatoes slowly until the sauce thickens (this will depend on how much moisture the fruit exudes).   Taste for salt and then season with a pinch of sugar, a few grinds of black pepper, and a pinch of cracked red pepper. 

Freezing Tomatoes

If you find canning intimidating, this is a simple way to “put up” paste tomatoes for winter.

Fill a large pot about half full with water and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, rinse and core as many tomatoes as you have.   Fill your sink or a large bowl with very cold water and set aside.  Plunge cored tomatoes into the boiling water, about ten at a time, and leave them there for about 60 seconds, just long enough for the skins to begin to break.  Remove them with a slotted spoon directly into the cold water.  The skins should be very easy to peel off within seconds.  Remove peeled tomatoes whole to a colander.

Place whole, peeled tomatoes—about a dozen at a time—in Ziploc freezer bags, sucking the air out with a straw before sealing to remove any excess air.  Freeze on cookie sheets so they stay flat for easy storage.

Roasted Tomato Confit

This is one of the best ways to prepare—and preserve—tomatoes.  This works for heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, but you can toss in some paste tomatoes for good measure too.

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.  Core the stem end of each tomato and then cut it in half at the equator.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; scatter basil leaves over parchment paper, place tomato halves cut side down directly on top of basil, toss on some whole, unpeeled garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper.  Place on the middle rack of the oven and roast for thirty minutes.  At this point, remove from the oven and carefully drain off (or spoon off) the collected liquid into a large bowl, reserving this liquid for later.**  Keep the tomatoes out of the oven just until they are cool enough to handle; pull the skins off each tomato slice and discard.  Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees.  Return tomatoes to the oven and roast for another forty minutes, draining the juice off into your bowl every 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

At this point, the tomatoes can be eaten just as they are, or incorporated into dishes (see below for some ideas).  They can also be preserved in two ways. 

First, for short-term storage, you can make a simple tomato confit.  Fill a tall narrow jar with the roasted tomatoes and press them down with a spoon to release any air pockets.  Pour olive oil over the tomatoes until an eighth inch layer of oil covers all the tomatoes.  These can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Second, for long-term storage, you can freeze roasted tomatoes.  Put them in freezer bags and then squeeze all the air you can out of the bags before sealing.  Place them flat on to cookie sheets and freeze (this will make for easy storage later).

**As for the reserved tomato liquid.  It is astonishingly delicious and is the key ingredient to the risotto recipe, below.  Or freeze it and add it to your fall minestrone.

Roasted Tomato Risotto

10 ripe tomatoes, cored, and sliced in half                                          4 T. olive oil

2 cloves peeled garlic                                                                          1 large handful fresh basil

1.5 cups aborio rice                                                                             1 cup white wine

3 cups chicken stock                                                                           Salt and Pepper

1 small onion, minced                                                                         1 T. butter                  

½ cup whole milk                                                                                Parmesan cheese

Roast the tomatoes according to the instructions above, being careful to reserve the liquid you pour off the roasting fruit.

Combine chicken stock with the reserved tomato liquid and bring to a simmer.  Heat another large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium, add 2 T. olive oil and sauté minced onion until translucent, about three minutes.  Add the rice and “toast” while stirring continually for about two minutes.  Add the roasted tomatoes (along with the peeled garlic and de-stemmed basil from the roasting pan) and stir for another minute, then add the white wine and reduce the heat to a  simmer.  When the wine has been fully absorbed, begin adding the stock/tomato liquid, a ladle at a time, stirring every minute or so, until the rice becomes al dente.  To finish the risotto, add in one more splash of stock, the butter, the milk and a generous grating of fresh Parmesan cheese.  Garnish with more Parmesan just before serving.

Penne with Tomato-Herb Cream Sauce

1 pound penne (or your choice of pasta)                                 

1 pint cream ( at room temperature)

4 very ripe tomatoes, diced                                                                    

1 T. butter                              

Fresh herbs, minced (basil, oregano, parsley, chives, and sage work very well)

Nutmeg, salt & pepper                                                            

One onion, minced

Spoon diced tomatoes into a colander and sprinkle with a little salt.  Let strain, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. 

While you make the following sauce, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta.  Sauce: In a deep saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  When it begins to bubble, add minced onion and sauté for about three minutes.  Add minced herbs and stir just to coat with butter.  Continue stirring as you add the cream, a little at a time.  Season with a pinch of ground nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Bring to a very low simmer (you may need to lower the heat even more if it threatens to set on) for ten minutes, stirring frequently.  Add tomatoes to the cream and bring back to a simmer for an additional ten minutes.  Add cooked pasta into the sauce and toss well.  Serve with additional sprinklings of fresh herbs and garnish with Parmigiano.  Note: For a more substantial meal, you may add diced, grilled chicken breast meat or raw shrimp during the last five minutes of cooking the sauce.