summer pesto with a few variations

I profess an undying love for pesto and make it all summer long.  At the end of summer, my last batch is frozen into logs or ice cube trays to add a welcome zip of summer to winter soups and stews.  This recipe makes close to 2 cups and can easily be halved.

• 1 large bunch fresh basil, stems and flowers removed
• 1 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 C. lightly toasted pine nuts (toast them under the broiler or on the stove in a dry pan, but toast them you must, this is an important step!)
• 2 garlic cloves
• the juice of 1/2 small lemon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 C. best quality olive oil

Whirl first 6 ingredients in food processor for one minute.  Drizzle in olive oil until the consistency you prefer.  If you plan on serving this later, put in a ramekin and paint the top with a light coat of olive oil or lemon juice to prevent discoloration.  Refrigerate leftovers.  Freezes well.

Variations:

Add a few mint leaves, more or less to taste, for a hint of mint.
Add a few nasturtium leaves, more or less to taste, for a light, peppery taste.

Click here for printable recipe.

A summertime hostess gift.

Harvest Tomato and Onion Tart

The tomato and onion tart was part of this beautiful harvest buffet table.

The stunning Tomato Tart...recipe below.

I love this tart recipe as it calls for no egg or cream 

and tastes as good as it looks.

(Source, a vintage Gourmet Magazine)

 Tomato and Onion Tart

2 large onions, thinly sliced
salt to taste

2 T olive oil

butter pastry dough for a single 12 inch tart

1/2 pound dry Jack or Gruyere cheese, shredded, about 2 C

1/2 pound plum tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch wedges

1/2 pound medium yellow tomatoes, about 2, or 1/2 pound plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2" wedges

1/4 C Nicoise olives, pitted

Cook onions in olive oil with salt to taste, covered over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 20 minutes. Remove lid and cook inions, stirring occasionaly, until golden and any liquid evaporates.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Using a 12 inch removable bottom tart pan, partially bake your pastry crust (prick the bottom to prevent bubbling).  Spread onion mixture over dough and top with cheese.  Arrange tomato wedges and olives in concentric circles and season with salt and pepper.  Bake tart in middle of oven for 1 hour, or until pastry is golden.  Cool on a rack and serve warm or room temperature.  Serves 12-16 as part of a buffet.

Original post of the beautiful harvest brunch is here.

Knitionary

 

Roasted Tomato Carrot Soup

Tomato Carrot Soup

We enjoy soups year 'round and this one is a summer staple
when the carrots and tomatoes are plentiful.

Fill a large roasting pan with halved fresh tomatoes, the equivalent of 1 1/2 dozen medium tomatoes.  Do not peel or seed, but do remove the stems and any blemishes.  Add a medium bunch of carrots, scrubbed well.  Slice one whole garlic bulb in half and toss in the pan.  Add one quartered onion, (I didn't have an onion so I used pencil leeks in this batch).  In between the tomatoes, poke in fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary, about 1/2 to 1 cup fresh herbs total.  If you don't have fresh, use a teaspoon of dried herbs.  Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil over the tomatoes, sprinkle well with salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes.  Cover pan loosely with foil and roast in hot oven, 400 F. for 1 1/2 hours.  Let cool.  In batches whirl in food processor.  Put the pureed mixture into a chinois strainer and strain, discard the skins and seeds.  You will have approximately 8 cups.  Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper if necessary.  Thin with hot cream, hot milk or broth if necessary.  Adding the dairy hot will prevent it from curdling in the acid of the tomato.  Add 1/2 cup sherry if you like.  Add 2 cups cooked wild rice and serve hot with grated parmesan cheese, slivered fresh basil or a dollop of pesto if you have it.  Best summer soup!

It looks like this before roasting.  I have a mix of white, orange and purple carrots this year.

And looks like this when it's done.

This is my grandmother's chinois strainer from the 30s.

I couldn't cook without it, I swear.

You can find one here.  Make sure you get one with the standing base. 

Knitionary

Moroccan Style Tomato Sauce

Moroccan Style Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tsp. fine black pepper

1/2 tsp. cayenne
2 tsp cardamon seeds ground
2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tsp. each of cumin, coriander and cinnamon
2 14 cans diced tomatoes or equivalent diced fresh
2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt to taste

        Fry up onion, garlic and spices in oil until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes and sugar simmer for 15 minutes.  Seaon with salt to taste.   Can be stored in the refrigerator up to one week.

Knitionary

Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce

I've re-written on of my most popular posts to make my recipe a little clearer.  It's all about how to make the very best, without a doubt, the absolute best tomato sauce ever.  It may be the easiest too.  The key is to first roast the tomatoes--roasting intensifies the flavor.  This recipe requires several large roasting pans, olive oil and a specialty cone shaped kitchen item called a chinois strainer.  I highly recommend investing in this tool if you plan on making tomato sauce every year.  My method eliminates the tedious task of removing the tomato skins by water bath.  Take it from the granddaughter of a commercial tomato grower, tomato sauce made from fresh, roasted tomatoes is a summer treat!  

Place whole tomatoes in roasters with onion and fresh herbs.  Add salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and olive oil.

Cover loosely with foil and roast in a hot oven (450F) for 2 hours.  Let cool slightly.

Toss it batch by batch into a food processor and whirl away.

Whirl for a minute or so.

Spoon by cupful into the chinois strainer and strain out the seeds and skin.  This is my grandmother's strainer.

Each batch you'll have some dry skins and seeds.  Toss.

Stir your sauce together and ladle into clean jars.  I like to use recycled jars so if I give any away I don't need the jar back.  These are recycled mayonnaise jars.  Label them and put in the freezer where they will last for up to one year.

Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce

Yields approximately 8 quarts

Wash one lug vine-ripened tomatoes, approximately 40 pounds.  Remove stems and core the ones that have a big ingrown stem if necessary, but mostly I didn't bother.  Halve or quarter large tomatoes.  Jumble the tomatoes, all sizes,  into 2-4 large roasters.  In between the tomatoes, squeeze in some fresh herbs (I use what I had growing, oregano, marjoram, rosemary and lots of basil) plus 2 heads of garlic, sliced in half, unpeeled.  Optional:  add 1 quartered onion, 1 red bell pepper--sometimes I'll add what I have in the garden, maybe a carrot or two or a summer squash.  Pour olive oil over, I used about 1/4-1/2 cup per pan.  Salt and pepper and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes to each pan.  Cover loosely with foil and roast in a hot oven, 450 degrees F for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours taking the foil off for the last half hour.  It will be bubbling like crazy. The skins may be black, don't worry.  Cool slightly, and if desired, pick off and discard the black skins you can easily slip off.  Most slip off easily, but honestly, I don't bother.  For a thicker sauce, drain off most of the water, which you can strain and save for future stock making.  Whirl the tomato mixture with skins, seeds and all in batches in a food processor until smooth.  Next you'll have to strain out the seeds and skins.

If you are serious about making tomato sauce, invest in a perforated chinois strainer. This type of strainer makes the next step really easy and it's useful in the kitchen for other tasks.  I wouldn't want to live without mine (inherited from my grandmother).  There are dozens of expensive, fancy and complicated tomato strainers for you to spend your money on, but I wouldn't bother with them.  This old fashioned strainer with a stand and wooden pestle is best and you'll find it easier to use.  Pour the processed sauce by batches into the strainer and use the wooden pestle to smash the sauce around.  The seeds and skins stay in the strainer (discard) and your beautiful sauce comes out the little holes.  There is no need to cook again.  Ladle into clean jars and freeze.  If you have drained off some of the tomato water you can freeze that too; it makes a delicious base for stocks and is also good for cooking rice.

Click here for the printable recipe.

You will be glad you made this, it may be time-consuming, but not difficult and it really doesn't even mess the kitchen much, I promise. Store it in the freezer and use it for marinara sauce, tomato soup (see below), spaghetti bolognese sauce, etc.  Enjoy!

For tomato soup, just before serving, add hot milk and/or half and half to hot sauce (heat separately).  The ratio is generally 1 part milk to 3 parts sauce.  Thin with chicken stock if necessary and season to taste.  Add cooked rice, I use wild rice.  Serve immediately.  Top each soup plate with a dollop of pesto.

Read more: http://knitionary.blogspot.com/2012/08/you-say-tomato-i-say-tomato-sauce.html#ixzz2MJUv0FIf

Knitionary

Roasted Tomato Appetizer

Roasted Tomato Appetizer 

In ovenproof dish, lay down fresh herbs, I used whole stemmed leaves of basil and oregano. Quarter or halve plum, salad or slicing tomatoes and place cut side down.  Sliver a few cloves of garlic and push in between tomatoes.  Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup good olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add a dash of red pepper flakes.  Bake in hot oven, 400 F. for 30 minutes or until nice and bubbly.  Serve with crusty toasted bread and a big spoon to spoon up all the juices.  It's a messy appetizer, but I've never known anyone to mind! 

You can read the original post, The End of Summer.

Knitionary