Tomato soup and a fresh start

Happy new year!  January is upon us yet again, and with it - the inevitable promise to cook more, exercise more and eat more healthfully.  We were home for vacation and I cooked every day.  I splurged on some great cookbooks that I've used mainly as inspiration thus far (like this and this but can't wait to dive into in earnest.  I'm re-committing to yoga - and trying to rope my husband in as well.  I even managed to get our little one to family yoga which was terribly cute.

I re-stocked the pantry with fresh spices plus specialty sauces and condiments lost in the hurricane power outage.  I have some great Asian vinegars and dark soy to enjoy and some middle eastern spices like sumac that I've been wanting to play around with.   

I've been enjoying Tasting Table's Sous Chef series; a series of recipes by interesting chefs that are layered but not complicated to make.  So far, a winning adobo that I will most certainly make again soon, and this tomato soup which was a little more involved than the typical but so bright and flavorful it's worth a bit of extra time.

Tomato soup is so terrific on a chilly day - warming and also just seems like an instant boost of nutrients.  Have a look at this recipe and see what you think.  What are you inspired to do this year?

Garden gifts: Heirloom tomatoes and a special tomato tart

This weekend, we picked close to the last of the tomatoes, some butternut squash, an eggplant, a couple of bulbs of celeriac and some peppers (hot and sweet).  While the crisp air lent itself to a wonderful bike ride down the Harlem Valley Rail trail, I couldn't help but be sad that the days of harvesting a portion of dinner straight from the garden are almost over for the season.  Our own tomatoes in particular have been so wonderful - heirloom and bursting with flavor.  We've enjoyed them in salads with mozzarella or burrata, slow roasted with a drizzle of olive oil and some slivers of garlic, and most recently, in a wonderful, fresh tart.  I had high hopes of canning and preserving some of the flavor of summer - but alas, we were so excited to eat as we went, we left nothing behind.

The idea behind the recipe started here.  But the free-form shape was tricky and the dough a little too loose to be easily worked with.  Some poking around churned up this and the dough was lovely and a keeper.  Similar to the first recipe, I grated a semi-hard cow's milk cheese onto the unbaked prepared crust that I placed into a removable bottom fluted tart pan, and then used a mixture of multi-colored heirloom cherry tomatoes and the most wonderful currant tomatoes to fill the tart.  The cherry tomatoes were fine mostly cut in half (larger ones quartered) and the currant tomatoes were left whole (if you can find some, buy them - they are bursting with flavor and so unusual to look at).  The result?  A wonderfully flavorful roasted tomato tart that was as beautiful to look at as delicious.  It was a treat to explore a new way to savor the last tomatoes of summer.

Tomato Tart (adapted from Harvest to Heat)

Homemade tart dough, try this one (or in a pinch, use defrosted puff pastry blind baked for 20 minutes at 400°)
1 pint tomatoes cut into halves or quarters as necessary (multi colored cherry and currant make a beautiful presentation)
1/3 pound semi hard cow's milk cheese, grated (love this one)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for drizzling
Fresh herbs (basil, chive - oregano also would be nice)

Preheat oven to 375°.  Roll chilled dough into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick.  Press into a removable bottom tart pan of desired shape.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Fill with tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bake for ~40 minutes or until crust is golden and tomatoes are popping.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper to taste, fresh herbs, and drizzle with a nice olive oil.

Tomato: a Fresh-from-the-Vine Cookbook

Just received my copies of a cookbook I shot last summer. It is a cookbook of tomato-based recipes (even desserts!) from wonderful chefs including Alice Waters and Daniel Boulud. It is wonderful to see it in print!

Something fabulous is cooking: sweet paul magazine (and savory phyllo cups!)

I've blogged about food stylist and master crafter Paul Lowe before. But there's new news: Paul is launching an electronic magazine, Sweet Paul Magazine. The first issue will be out this Spring and it will be chock-full of great recipes and crafts with a pretty impressive group of contributors. And since everything Paul touches ends up fabulous, I'm sure this will be no exception. I'm very excited to be contributing a multi-page story to the first issue. It's a secret: but I'll tell you that it involves sweet and savory pastry. I've been cooking and shooting up a storm. I'll give you a little teaser. This recipe won't be featured, but this will give you a taste of what's to come. Be sure to follow Paul's award-winning blog for more tidbits.

Savory phyllo cups (makes six)

1 package store-bought phyllo dough, defrosted according to manufacturer's directions
8 eggs
18 stalks of asparagus
6 cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup milk or half and half
1/2 stick butter, melted plus one pat for scrambled eggs
Some greens to garnish (pea shoots, chopped Italian parsley or whatever you like)
Butter for brushing on dough
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread stack of phyllo dough sheets on a cutting board, and working quickly, cut into squares slightly larger than the diameter of a standard muffin tin (you will need six stacks of these squares). Working quickly, brush six muffin tins with butter and gently peel back each layer of phyllo dough on each stack and brush butter in between layers. Gently press buttered stack into muffin tin. Dough will stick out slightly from top. Brush inside of phyllo cup gently with butter. Repeat six times.

Place muffin tin in oven and bake for 10 minutes, checking periodically. Remove when dough is golden brown.

Meanwhile, beat eggs with milk and a generous pinch of salt and then scramble in butter on a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Once eggs are loosely set, remove from heat and stir in cream cheese. Egg will finish cooking off-heat.

When phyllo cups are baked, place ~3 inch spears of asparagus and tomatoes on a non-stick cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Broil for a few minutes until asparagus is just tender and tomatoes start to pop.

To assemble, spoon a few generous tablespoons of scrambled egg into cups, stick 3 asparagus spears into each cup (you might want to tie them with a piece of kitchen twine to secure them), and top with one tomato in each cup. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Cups can be made the day ahead.

Tomatoes: summer salads

August is certainly a celebration of tomatoes. It is such a treat to have sweet, farm-fresh tomatoes to enjoy. All of the colors and varieties are eye candy as well as a feast for the taste buds!

Heirloom cherry tomato, feta and red onion salad with oregano

I have just finished shooting images for a cookbook of tomato-oriented recipes - due out this winter. One would think three weeks of shopping for, styling and shooting tomato recipes would turn me off of tomatoes for a while. On the contrary, it has inspired me to think about ways to incorporate fresh tomatoes in foods that allow them to shine.

Caprese with mozzarella balls, heirloom tomatoes and chives

Lately, I've been playing with small heirloom tomatoes - cherry tomatoes and other varieties and incorporating them in salads that play with their scale and color. No need for recipes - just fresh tomatoes, perhaps some cheese, a sprinkling of herbs or some onions, a splash of olive oil and vinegar and a sprinkling of pepper and sea salt.

Enjoy!

"Miniature" Caprese with tiny mozzarella balls, currant-sized cherry tomatoes and a chiffonade of basil

Ketchup and relish - why not?

If pickling cucumbers, might as well make ketchup and relish too. I’ll be ready for a gourmet barbecue when the pickles are finally ready!

I happened upon an interesting relish recipe in this month’s Food and Wine and decided to give it a try along with Ball’s classic ketchup recipe. The former required a lot of chopping but was otherwise simple. I made quick work of the latter by using Pomi chopped tomatoes instead of peeling and chopping my own, an effort I don’t think pays off since canned tomatoes are often more flavorful and consistent than ones that can be found in the grocery on an average day (and let’s face it – boiling and peeling tomatoes is a pain).

Both recipes require aging in jars once canned but thankfully not as long as the pickles so I’ve been able to enjoy them already. The relish is sweet, crisp and flavorful. The ketchup is a classic tomato ketchup that’s more complex and caramel-y than our friend Heinz.

I’m planning on making some barbecue gift bags with the pickles, relish and ketchup and found some adorable tomato squeeze bottles to put the ketchup in once opened. Truth be told, finding the squeeze bottles was the inspiration behind making the ketchup. They were just too cute to pass up!

Chow chow (as printed in Food and Wine magazine)
(makes 6 quarts)

4 pounds green bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 pounds red bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 pounds green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 pounds sweet onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
One 3 1/4-pound head of green cabbage, cored and finely chopped
1/2 cup kosher salt
6 cups sugar
4 cups cider vinegar
2 cups water
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon celery seeds
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

In a very large bowl, toss the bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and cabbage with the salt; cover and refrigerate overnight.

Drain the vegetables, discarding the liquid. In a large, heavy pot, bring the sugar, vinegar and water to a boil. Add the mustard seeds, dry mustard, crushed red pepper, celery seeds, ginger and turmeric and stir well. Add the drained vegetables and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the relish is thick and saucy, about 1 hour. Pack the chow chow into 6 hot 1-quart canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top, and close with the lids and rings.

To process, simmer the jars at 180° for 30 minutes and monitor the water temperature with a thermometer. Store the jars in a cool, dark place for at least 2 weeks before serving, to allow the flavors to meld; store unopened for up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.

Tomato ketchup (Ball Blue Book of Preserving)
(yield: about 3 pints)

4 quarts chopped, peeled, cored tomatoes (about 24 large)
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
½ cup chopped sweet red pepper (about ½ medium)
1 ½ teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 stick cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 ½ cups vinegar

Combine tomatoes, onion, and pepper in a large saucepot. Cook until tomatoes are tender. Purée using a food processor or food mill. Cook purée rapidly until thick and reduced by one-half. Tie whole spices in a spice bag. Add spice bag, sugar, salt and paprika to tomato mixture. Simmer 25 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Remove spice bag. Ladle hot ketchup into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.