my recipe box (original) (raw)

Hurray! It's that time of year again -- tomatoes in our garden are ripening by the dozen, heirlooms are showing up at the store, and our CSA box will soon be filled with red beauties, too! Fresh tomatoes are awesome so many different ways -- served with some fresh mozzarella (burrata if you can find it!), a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh basil, made into pasta sauce, or just sliced and served with a sprinkle of salt. Here are a few of my favorite things to do with the bounty of tomatoes summer brings.

Tomato Bread Pudding from Gourmet, July 2008, with my modifications

3 pounds plum tomatoes (or heirloom, or whatever you've got, as long as they're fresh), halved lengthwise
1 1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 head garlic, left whole
10 cups cubed (1-inch) country-style Italian bread (1 pound)
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
8 large eggs
2 cups coarsely grated chilled Italian Fontina (9 ounces)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter a 3-quart shallow baking dish (about 13 by 9 inches).

Toss tomatoes in a bowl with herbes de Provence, 1 tablespoon oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in a large heavy 4-sided sheet pan.

Cut off and discard 1/4 inch from top of garlic head to expose cloves, then put on a sheet of foil and drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Wrap garlic in foil and roast in pan with tomatoes until tomatoes are browned but still juicy and garlic is soft, 50 to 60 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Cool garlic to warm, then force through a medium-mesh sieve with a rubber spatula, discarding skins. Reserve purée

While garlic cooks, toss bread cubes in a large bowl with remaining oil until coated, then spread out in a large 4-sided sheet pan and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, garlic purée, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir in cheeses. Transfer bread to baking dish, then pour egg mixture over bread and add tomatoes, pushing some down between bread cubes. Bake until firm to the touch and golden brown in spots, 50 to 60 minutes.

Tomato Risotto from Gourmet, July 2008, with my modifications

1 1/2 pounds tomatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
Scant 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium fennel bulb, fronds chopped and reserved for garnish, stalks discarded, and bulb finely chopped (2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Core tomatoes and cut a shallow X in bottom of each, then blanch tomatoes in boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking.

Peel tomatoes using tip of a small paring knife, then halve tomatoes crosswise. Squeeze juice from tomato halves through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding seeds. Finely dice tomato flesh.

Bring broth, water, saffron, and tomato liquid to a simmer in a medium saucepan and keep at a bare simmer.

Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until foam subsides, then add fennel and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to turn golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns opaque, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, then add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Continue simmering and adding hot tomato-saffron stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, 18 to 25 minutes total (you will have some stock left over).

Stir in diced tomatoes, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Thin with stock if desired.

Serve topped with chopped fennel fronds.

Tomato and Mozzarella Tart
from Cook's Illustrated, July 2003

Flour, unbleached all-purpose, for work surface
1 box frozen puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm, 1.1 pound), thawed in box in refrigerator overnight
1 large egg , beaten
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
1 pound plum tomatoes (about 3 to 4 medium), cored and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Salt
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper
8 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese , shredded (2 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Dust work surface with flour and unfold both pieces puff pastry onto work surface. Following illustrations below, form 1 large sheet with border, using beaten egg as directed. Sprinkle Parmesan evenly over shell; using fork, uniformly and thoroughly poke holes in shell. Bake 13 to 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees; continue to bake until golden brown and crisp, 13 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer to wire rack; increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.

While shell bakes, place tomato slices in single layer on double layer paper towels and sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 30 minutes. Place second double layer paper towels on top of tomatoes and press firmly to dry tomatoes. Combine garlic, olive oil, and pinch each salt and pepper in small bowl; set aside.

Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over warm (or cool, if made ahead) baked shell. Shingle tomato slices widthwise on top of cheese (about 4 slices per row); brush tomatoes with garlic oil. Bake until shell is deep golden brown and cheese is melted, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool on wire rack 5 minutes, sprinkle with basil, slide onto cutting board or serving platter, cut into pieces, and serve.