August 26, 2011

In your boxes this week, you’ll find:

3 lbs of heirloom tomatoes

Basil

Cantaloupe

Zucchini

Green peppers

Eggplant

Tomato season is officially here. David estimates he’s picked close to one thousand pounds in the past two days and we’ll be receiving a good share of that bounty. The San Marzano paste tomatoes are still mostly green, so those of you interested in picking tomatoes for canning will need to be patient for another few weeks. In the meantime, enjoy all the heirloom varieties.

Coming soon in your boxes, you’ll find edamame, carrots, and a portion of what David calls a “bumper crop” of red raspberries.

Caramelized Onion, Fresh Tomato Sauce

This sauce is an exercise in contrasts, balancing the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the front-of-the-tongue heat of the cracked pepper .

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes, peeled, pulp removed, then diced 1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 T. olive oil 1 T. butter

Fresh basail

Sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and a pinch of sugar Cracked red pepper

Method:

Heat the pan over medium, then add the olive oil and butter. When the butter begins to bubble, add the onions and a pinch each of salt, pepper, and sugar. Toss to blend with the fats, then reduce the heat to medium low and let the onions cook slowly without disturbing them. When one side of the onions begins to turn golden (5-10 minutes), you may then toss them. Continue leaving them alone, and then tossing them, until all the onions are golden in color and nicely wilted. Add the diced tomatoes on top of the onions, then scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any bits that might have stuck on. Add a good pinch of sea salt and several grinds of black pepper, and cook on very low heat for 10 minutes, or until about a half of the liquid has cooked away. Turn off the heat and add a pinch or two of cracked red pepper, one last pinch of sugar, and a small handful of thinly cut fresh basil.

Toss immediately with spaghetti or another pasta and garnish with an additional drizzle of good olive oil and some crumbled Feta or Ricotta salata cheese.

Rancho Malario Salsa

Most of the home-style taquerias in Texas serve a cooked salsa that can be eaten warm or at room temperature. We can the stuff and then eat it all winter long.

Rancho Malario was the semi-affectionate name we gave to our little house (with a mosquito-infested yard) on Harvard St. in Houston.

Ingredients:

10 ripe tomatoes, cored

5 whole cloves garlic

2-4 whole Serrano or jalapeno peppers

1 small onion, finely minced

1/4 can chipotle peppers in "adobo" or two dried chipotles

3-4 other dried chilies: Pasadillo, Ancho, etc. (optional)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt, ground cumin & lemon juice

Method:

Boil water in a large pot. Plunge cored tomatoes into boiling water for about one minute, just until the skins begin to crack and separate from the flesh. Remove from water, strain, and peel off the skins. Once you've removed the tomatoes, plunge into the boiling water the whole jalapenos and garlic cloves (in addition to any dried chilies you are using, so they can be reconstituted) and any dried chiles. Boil for 3-4 minutes, until things begin to soften, then remove to a colander and trim stems from peppers. In a food processor or blender, grind chilies, blanched peppers, garlic, cilantro, and 1 tsp salt into a fine paste (note: be careful not to breathe in the fumes that will emanate from the blender, unless you happen to like mustard gas). Remove to a large saucepan. Doing two or three peeled tomatoes at a time, process tomatoes in a blender until just broken up, but not to a full puree. Add these processed tomatoes to the chile mixture in the saucepan. Toss in the minced onion and 1 tsp. ground cumin and bring to a simmer. Let the salsa reduce a little while, then serve hot.