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Too Many Tomatoes
Recipes for an abundance of ‘maters.
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| Fattoush Recipe from Tony Tahhan |
Salad
Components
1 head romaine lettuce
2-3 medium tomatoes
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
1/3 cup radishes,
sliced
1/2 cup cucumbers, chopped
1/2 cup red bell peppers, chopped
1/3 cup mint, chopped
1/2 tsp sumac
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2-3 pita breads, cut into triangles
1/4 cup olive oil
salt, to taste
Vinaigrette Dressing
2 parts extra virgin olive oil
1 part lemon juice
1 tsp sumac
sprinkle
of dried mint, optional
salt, to taste
Assembly
1. Roughly chop all your vegetables,
except the radishes, I prefer to slice those.
2. Chop the pita bread into triangles or small squares, coat
with olive oil and 1/2 tsp of sumac and broil until golden brown.
3. Prepare your vinaigrette by mixing
the olive oil and the lemon juice in a jar with the sumac and a dash of salt.
4. Toss everything together
and enjoy. SEARED SCALLOPS WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO MARMALADE AND SWEET
CORN VELVET
Chef – Robbie Jester: Harbor House Restaurant
(Kent County). Producer – Wayne Lockwood: Lockbriar Farms (Kent County)
INGREDIENTS:
10 Day Boat Scallops, adductors
removed
2 cups large chopped heirloom tomatoes
1 sliced small Vidalia or Walla Walla onion
2 ears of sweet corn steamed
and shocked in cold water to stop the cooking process
3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 oz butter
2 oz canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the Tomato Marmalade:
1. Place the tomatoes, sugar, honey, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper into a small saucepan over
medium heat.
2. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn down the heat so that it
simmers (bubbles nicely around the edge of the pan) and stir occasionally to prevent excessive browning. Cook for about an
hour or until the tomatoes are fully cooked and the vinegar, honey, and sugar have reduced to a sticky/syrupy consistency.
3. Reserve at room temperature until time to serve.
For the Vidalia Onion & Sweet Corn "Velvet":
(This is a simple
cream sauce; don’t be scared away by the "velvet" name used to describe its texture!)
1. Place a small sauté pan on medium high heat and melt the butter but do not brown it.
2. Add the sliced Vidalia onion and cook it until it has become opaque (slightly see-through)
and tender.
3. Very carefully remove the corn from the cob with a knife and place
it in the sauté pan with the onions. Make sure you use the back of the knife to scrape the remaining juices from the
cob into the pan.
4. Add the cream and let it reduce until it coats the back of
a spoon. The result will be a light and velvety cream sauce because it has thickened naturally and not with flour. Season
with salt and pepper to taste.
Assembly:
1. Place a sauté pan on high heat until it just starts to smoke a little bit then add the canola oil.
2. Dry the scallops with a paper towel and season them generously with salt and pepper on both
sides. Place them in the sauté pan with the prettiest side down and reduce the heat to medium.
3. When you notice the scallops start browning around the bottom edges spin them about 180 degrees so that they brown
evenly all over. When they are browned about a 1/4 the way up the side, flip them and turn the heat off.
4. Place two scallops on a small plate and spoon a little of the sauce on top. Make sure you get some
corn and onions in there. Top with a teaspoon of tomato marmalade and serve.
TRY IT WITH: Cassinelli Winery; 2008 Chardonnay
SUNGOLD TOMATO OILChef – Craig Sewell,
A Cook’s Café. Producer – Davon Crest Farm 1 lb Sungold cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup olive
oil
8 fresh basil leaves
1 tsp kosher
salt
Place all ingredients in a blender and chop well. Strain.
HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND CHEVRE with Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette & Truffle Infused Oil
Chef
– Rob Plant: Blue Wind Gourmet (St. Mary’s County), Ken Korando, Solomons Island Winery (Calvert County) Producers
– Luke and Alison Howard: Homestead Farms (Kent County), Even Star Organic Farm (St. Mary’s County), Firefly Farms
(Garrett County)
INGREDIENTS:
1 each medium-sized tomatoes Green Zebra, Yellow Taxi and Bright Red Moskvich.
4 oz creamy style chèvre cheese (Do not use herbed chèvre. The herb flavors will conflict with the truffle
infused oil.)
1 teaspoon of truffle oil.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Slice tomatoes
thickly for three slices of tomato per serving.
Crumble about 1 oz per serving of the chèvre cheese over
the tomatoes. Drizzle lightly the balsamic vinaigrette over the tomatoes. Drizzle a small portion of the truffle oil over
the chévre cheese. Garnish with basil leaves.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
(retain several leafs for garnish)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
½
tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tsp dark brown sugar (this is optional)
Combine ingredients
and mix thoroughly.
TRY IT WITH: Solomon’s Island Winery; Rose of Merlot CAPELLINI ALLA PUTTANESCA
(Courtesy: Florida Tomato Committee)  6 large firm, ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
4 T.
olive oil1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
3 canned flat anchovy fillets, minced
(or 1 T of anchovy paste)
1 t. hot pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
½ cup red wine2 T. tomato paste
½ T. capers, brine-packed, drained
16 Greek olives, pitted
and coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound capellini or linguini pasta
Preheat
oven to 400°. Toss the tomatoes, in 2 T. of the olive oil in a large baking dish. Bake for about 20 minutes or until
lightly charred. Remove and place tomatoes through a food mill into a small-sized bowl. Set aside.
In a large sauté
pan add remaining olive oil and heat until warm. Add the garlic and gently cook until soft. Add anchovies and mash with the
back of a wooden spoon. Add hot pepper flakes, tomato paste, red wine, capers, and olives and cook very slowly on medium heat,
stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes. Add the roasted tomato sauce to the mixture and simmer for 1 hour over medium
heat. Lightly season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tsp. salt and stir
in pasta so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook for 9 to 10 minutes, or until firm to the bite.
Drain the pasta and toss with the tomato anchovy-caper sauce. Serve immediately.
RUSTIC TOMATO TART IN A BASIL CRUST
(Courtesy: Florida Tomato Committee) Baked directly on a
baking sheet. The herb-flecked dough is made up quickly in your food processor.
Pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick), cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup cold water
Combine the flour, basil, salt, and butter
in a food processor. Turn the machine on for 10 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons of the water and run the machine for 5 seconds.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of water and turn the machine on for about 7 more seconds, until the mixture forms damp crumbs.
Empty the crumbs into a bowl and pack the pastry together, adding a few more drops of cold water if necessary. Knead
the dough 2 or 3 times in the bowl, then flatten it into a thick disk on a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap and refrigerate for
30 minutes.Filling
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups halved and thinly
sliced onion
1 clove garlic, minced salt to taste
1 tablespoon semolina or fine cornmeal
2 large fresh tomatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup grated provolone or mozzarella cheese
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet. Add the onion and sauté over low heat
for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic, salt the onion slightly, and sauté
1 minute more. Scrap the onion onto a plate and cool. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
To assemble, roll
the dough into a 13-inch circle on a sheet of lightly floured wax paper. Invert the pastry onto a baking sheet and peel off
the paper.
Sprinkle the semolina or cornmeal onto the pastry in roughly a 9-inch circle in the center of the tart.
Spread the onions over the semolina. Add cheese on top of onions. Core the tomatoes and cut them into slices nearly 1/4-inch
thick. Arrange the slices in an overlapping circle over the onions, with several slices in the center. Lightly salt and pepper
the tomatoes.
Fold the edges of the dough up over the filling, pleating it as you go. Bake on the center rack of
the oven for 45 minutes. Slide the sheet out and cover the tomatoes with the grated cheese. Bake for 10 more minutes (bake
in one time period 55 minutes). Cool the tart on the sheet on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
 BRUSCHETTA WITH TOMATOES, BLEU CHEESE AND PECANS
(Courtesy: Florida Tomato Committee)
Serve as an appetizer, with soup, stew, or pasta dishes. Use the best rustic country bread you can find.
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped
pecans
4 slices crusty, firm-textured bread, cut about 3/4-inch thick
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
2 large tomatoes, sliced
about 1/8-inch thick
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped fresh basil or dried basil for garnish
In a small bowl, mash
the cheeses together with a fork, leaving the mixture somewhat chunky. Mix in the pecans. Preheat the broiler. Arrange the
bread on a small baking sheet and broil the slices for about a minute on each side, just until golden.
Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.
Rub one side of each
piece of bread with garlic. Spread some of the cheese mixture over each slice and arrange 2 or 3 overlapping tomato slices
on top. Pepper the tomatoes lightly, then garnish with basil and serve.
GAZPACHO For a seafood
variation, add 1 cup of jumbo lump crabmeat, cartilage removed, and 2 tsp. Old Bay or other crab seasoning. 6 large tomatoes
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 large green bell
pepper, finely chopped
1 medium-sized red onion, minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive
oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
or 2 teaspoons dried
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Tabasco sauce to taste
Herb croutons (optional)
Peel the tomatoes by submerging them in boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove to a colander and rinse under cold water.
The skins should slip right off. Core the tomatoes and gently squeeze out the seeds. Chop half of them coarsely and puree
the other half in a food processor. Combine the puree and shopped tomatoes in a large mixing bowl.
Blend the remaining
ingredients, except the herb croutons, with the tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving. Serve chilled,
garnished with herb croutons. FRESH TOMATO NAPOLEON
(Courtesy: Florida Tomato Committee)
4 medium-sized fresh tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1
teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups torn baby lettuces or other bite-sized salad greens
1/2
cup crumbled goat or feta cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 ounces)
Use tomatoes held at room temperature
until fully ripe. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each tomato and discard; then cut remaining tomatoes into 4 slices each;
set aside. In a small bowl, mix oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and sugar until well blended. In a medium bowl, toss greens
with about 1 tablespoon of the dressing. On each of 4 plates, place a bottom tomato slice; sprinkle lightly with cheese and
greens, repeat layering 3 more times ending with the top tomato slice; drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve as an appetizer
or salad, with grilled beef or chicken, with cheese and fish, etc.
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