This is the time of year when fresh local tomatoes are abundant and reasonably priced so it is a great time to load up the freezer with tomato sauce. Roasting rather then stewing the tomatoes concentrates their flavor and gives them a depth comparable to sun-dried tomatoes. The recipe I adapted this technique from (by Alton Brown at cookingchannel.com) roasts herbs and garlic with the tomatoes. Because I use tomatoes with both Italian and Mexican recipes that rely on very different flavorings I omitted seasonings altogether for a cuisine-agnostic sauce. You could add some garlic and, if you wish, a bit of salt.
Note that this is not exactly a recipe because I do not provide quantities. Make as much or as little as you wish. And note, too, that the kind of tomato is not very important. Romas are traditional but I have used all manner of them including cherry tomatoes…that are very tedious.
Cut the tomatoes in half through the stem and spread cut-side up on a baker’s sheet pan or in a shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with a bit of olive oil if you wish. Roast in a 350°F oven (or, ideally, a 325°F convection oven) for about an hour and a half. Increase the temperature to 400°F for a further 30 minutes after which time the tomatoes should have some blackened areas.
After the tomatoes have cooled a bit put them through a food mill set over a large pot or bowl. If you do not have a food mill, peel them by hand, squeeze the seeds into a colander or strainer over a bowl, and put the flesh into a food processor. Extract as much juice as you can from the seeds and add to the flesh. You may have to work in batches. Put the milled or processed tomatoes into a suitable stock pot.
Pour a bit of dry white wine—perhaps a half cup—into each baking sheet and deglaze it using a nylon spatula. Add the wine to the stock pot with the tomatoes. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to cook out the alcohol.
Cool in the refrigerator and freeze in suitable containers; I use one quart screw top containers. To use simply thaw and season appropriately.
The head of cabbage that I bought at the Vestal farmers’ market a few days ago has been eyeing me reproachfully from the back of the kitchen counter threatening to go bad if I did not put it to good use soon. A quick Internet search led me to this interesting recipe that I have adapted to what I had on hand and to a quantity suitable for two. Feel free to use more or fewer vegetables or to substitute whatever you have. As long as you have a good stock as a base it is almost impossible to ruin beef stew. By the way, the tomatoes I used really were brownish red.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat and brown the beef cubes well. Remove and set aside.
Turn the heat down to medium, add a bit more oil if needed, and sauté the onion until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, a minute or two. Pour in the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot.
Add the tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, raisins, and bay leaves to the pot. Pour on the beef stock and season with salt and pepper. (Go easy on the salt as you can adjust it later if need be.) The stock will not quite cover the other stew ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for an hour, stirring from time to time.
The secret to great eggplant parmesan is a great tomato sauce. And a great tomato sauce starts with a great trito, the Italian version of the French mire poix or the Spanish soffritto. Because I was making a meatless sauce I elaborated the trito somewhat to intensify the flavors—and to use up some odds and ends. This recipe calls for canned tomatoes because fresh local Romas are not yet available but if you can get fresh by all means use them. There will be lots of extra sauce for other Italian dished. Freeze whatever you will not use within a couple of days.
Trim the ends off of the eggplant and square two opposite sides. Cut into slices about ⅜ to ½ inch thick. Wrap and set it aside.
Coarsely chop the side pieces you cut from the eggplant, onions, carrot, celery, garlic, and pepper. Put into a food processor, in batches if need be, and reduce to a mince.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat then add the minced vegetables. Stir in ½ teaspoon of salt. Cover and sweat gently for 10 minutes or until soft but not colored. Add the herbs, recover, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine, water, and bay leaf, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for an hour.
Fish out the bay leaf and discard. Using a stick blender puree the sauce thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If you do not have a stick blender, let the sauce cool a bit, then puree in batches in the food processor.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Brush the eggplant slices lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. (Be sparing with the oil because eggplant is a like a sponge and can easily become greasy.) Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium high heat and, working in batches, brown the eggplant nicely on each side adding a bit of olive oil to the pan as needed. Set aside.
Cover the bottom of an 8” x 10” x 2” metal or ceramic baking dish with a thin layer of the sauce and sprinkle with a bit of parmesan cheese. Layer the eggplant overlapping the slices. Cover with more sauce, parmesan cheese, and the shredded. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes or until just bubbling. Turn on the broiler and finish until nicely browned. Allow to set for at least five minutes before serving.
Originally a simple peasant dish, cassoulet has, in the best French culinary tradition, been endlessly complicated to where it has become a 2-day project. This version, assembled mostly from pre-cooked ingredients, returns cassoulet to its humble roots.
If you read the recipe I posted last December you may recall that I recommended avoiding smoked sausages like kielbasa. Necessity has led me to recant. (I would still avoid store-bought kielbasa because it usually is really nasty.) I had some lovely smoked chorizo from Sunny Hill Farm that was threatening to succumb to freezer burn and some homemade smoked bacon that was nearing old age so I used both. Duck confit is traditional in cassoulet but, alas, I had none so this version is poultry-free. The beans are from the double batch I made the other day when I made Tuscan salad and the tomato sauce is the extra I made for yesterday’s eggplant parmesan. You could use canned for either or both. And, to make the dish gluten-free I made the crust with corn flakes instead of bread crumbs. Use whichever suits your table. Note, by the way, that quick is a relative term. Set aside about an hour to make this dish.
Serves four or more
Pour the olive oil into a small Dutch oven (I use a 3-quart one) over medium heat and render the bacon until crispy and browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat, reserving the extra.
Working in batches, brown the sausage well in a single layer. Remove and set aside.
Let the pot cool a bit then set over medium-low heat, adjust the fat, and cook the onion and garlic, stirring from time to time, until soft and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
Return the meats to the pot along with the beans. Pour on the tomato sauce and enough bean cooking liquid or water to just cover. Stir in the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes to meld the flavors.
While the cassoulet is simmering, preheat the oven to 350°. Put the corn flakes, thyme, and oregano into the food processor and reduce to a coarse meal. Spread over the top of the cassoulet, pressing down gently with the back of a large spoon so that the juices moisten them. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a crust forms. (Traditionally the crust is supposed to be broken and allowed to reform 7 times!) Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Fortunately by the time temperatures rise into the upper 90s in July fresh local produce has started to fill the farmers’ markets and to emerge from the garden. Add some cannellini beans and you have a wonderful cool salad perfect for dinner on a steamy evening. I made the beans from dried in my pressure cooker but canned ones would be fine too. And you could use zucchini in place of the summer squash. While romaine lettuce is traditional, I used red leaf because that is what was available fresh at the market. Enjoy with a cool glass of white wine.
Rinse the beans and pick over for any small stones or discolored beans. Put in the pressure cooker with 4 cups of water. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes or as directed in the instructions that came with your unit. When done, drain and set aside.
Combine ¼ cup of olive oil with the lemon juice and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently stir into the still-warm beans and set aside to cool. The beans are best at room temperature.
Trim the ends off of the squash and slice lengthwise between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to very hot. Cook the squash for a couple minutes, turning to create nice grill marks, until just softened. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Mix a bit of olive oil and wine vinegar in a bowl and lightly dress the lettuce leaves. Slice the tomato ¼-inch thick.
Arrange the lettuce leaves, squash, and tomato on individual plates or on a serving platter in a pleasing patter. Add the beans to the center of the dish. Garnish with the chopped scallions and dust with the parmesan cheese. Serve at room temperature.
The Internet is a wonderful resource for cooks but it is not without its pitfalls. Search for a classic dish and you will find dozens of recipes most using different ingredients and techniques. But read through enough of these and usually a pattern will emerge. Take this classic fish dish from the Tuscan port of Livorno. Some recipes have you fry the fish, some do not; some bake the dish, others not; some have potatoes, some not. What is consistent, however, is that all contain tomatoes, olives, and capers. Some recipes use the tomatoes chopped up while others use a tomato sauce. I chose the latter because I happened to have some marinara sauce in the refrigerator. Another feature of the dish is that it usually contains a fair bit of olive oil. While some call for the oil to be poured over the fish I opted to blanch potatoes in it to reduce the baking time and minimize the chance that the fish would dry out. Caution: do not be tempted to top this dish with Parmesan; Italians never use cheese with fish.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Heat the oil in a large skillet until a potato slice dropped into it immediately sizzles. Add the potatoes one slice at a time in one layer. Fry for about 3 or 4 minutes, turning once, until they are lightly browned but not crisp. Remove to a colander to drain and cool. Repeat until all the potatoes are done.
Put the onions into the hot oil and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and squeeze out as much oil as you can. Set aside.
When they are cool enough to handle, arrange half of the potato slices on the bottom of a small baking dish, overlapping them. Spread the onions over the potatoes. Place the fish in a single layer over the onions and distribute the anchovies on top of it. Sprinkle the olives and capers over the dish then cover with the rest of the potato slices. Season with salt and pepper. Finally, pour over the marinara sauce to cover.
Bake in the hot oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until a thermometer stuck into the fish reads 140°. Garnish with the shredded basil leaves and serve immediately.
This cool salad made with garden-fresh vegetables and herbs is perfect for a summer dinner. Add some crumbled toasted or fried pita bread and you have Lebanese fattoush.
Serves 2 as a side dish
Peel the cucumber and halve it lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, scrape out the seed. Cut into ½-inch dice.
Cut the tomato in half crosswise and squeeze out the seeds. Cut into pieces the same size as the cucumber.
Trim the roots and any limp green from the scallions. Cut them crosswise, again into pieces the same size as the cucumber.
Peel the garlic and crush the cloves into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and olive oil, mixing well. Or, do as I do and put everything into a mini-blender and give it quick whiz.
Combine the vegetables, dressing, and herbs in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator.
The taxonomy of chili is always a matter of contention. While Chili con Carne, literally peppers with meat in Spanish, is the inclusive term for what is usually called chili, in my experience the longer name usually refers to a stew containing beef, peppers, beans, and tomatoes. Texas chili, on the other hand, contains no beans and often no tomatoes while Cincinnati chili contains tomatoes but no beans. Some claim that authentic Texas chili uses cubed meat; Cincinnati chili, ground meat. This recipe based on ground beef with kidney beans is pretty much what I remember my mother making when I was a boy so I supposed you could call it New England chili. Whatever you call it this is a tasty warming dish perfect for a cold winter night.
Rinse dry beans and pick over for any discolored ones or small stones. Place in the pressure cooker with the 8 quarts of water. Cook at high pressure for 20 minutes, timing from when the cooker reaches full pressure. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then open according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Drain the beans reserving the cooking liquid. (If you do not have a pressure cooker simply double the cooking time.)
Film a large non-stick skillet with oil, set over medium heat and, working in batches, brown the meat. Set aside.
Heat a large, cast iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot add about 1 Tbsp. of oil and cook the onion, pepper, and jalapeños until softened. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Cook for about 1 minute then stir in the chili powder, cumin, and vinegar. Put the meat and beans in the pot along with enough of the reserved cooking liquid to just cover. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, uncovered. Cook for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, and adding a bit more bean cooking liquid or water as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with chopped onions, chopped pickled jalapeños, shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, sour cream, and perhaps a piece of corn bread.
While casting about for something to fix for dinner tonight I came across a bag of frozen lamb spiedies hiding in the back of the freezer where they had been, I think, since Fourth of July. So, I thawed them and put together this simple casserole using a few more things I needed to use up.
Lightly oil a medium-sized baking dish. Spread the potato slices in the bottom in a couple of even layers. Sprinkle with half the garlic, salt, and pepper. Place the tomatoes over the potatoes; add the rest of the garlic and season with oregano and more pepper. Cover the tomatoes with a thin layer of spinach, still frozen. Top with the spiedies and bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are done.
Ok, I admit that I am using the term “enchilada” somewhat loosely because in this dish the tortillas are layered rather than rolled. In the past I have made pork enchiladas with just the pork picadillo but I wanted to add more vegetable content to the dish. The addition of low-fat refried beans makes this a nicely balance one-dish meal especially if accompanied by a green salad.
This recipe that I adapted from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen (Scribner, NY 1996) consists of four parts: the sauce, the beans, the picadillo, and the final dish. Any or all of the first three can be done ahead. And for that matter you could use canned refried beans. If you do make any parts ahead remember to bake the final dish a bit longer to ensure that it is heated through.
2 or 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 28-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes, preferably no-salt added
2 to 4 (or more) canned chipotles en adobo with a tablespoon of the adobo
1 Tbsp. oil or lard (the latter being more authentic)
Salt to taste
Put the unpeeled garlic cloves in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat and roast, turning regularly, until soft and partly blackened. Let cool, peel, and put into the bowl of a food processor. Add the tomatoes and chipotles to the bowl and process to a medium puree.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat. When the oil is nearly smoking, dump in the puree all at once. Stir as it sizzles then cooks down for about 5 minutes. It is done when the bubbles leave little craters in the surface of the sauce when they burst. Taste and season with salt.
8 ounces dried pinto beans
4 cups carnitas cooking liquid or water
1 Tbsp. oil or lard
Salt and pepper to taste
Rinse the beans and pick over for discolored ones or small stones. Place in a pressure cooker along with the liquid. Cook on high pressure (15 psi) for 35 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes then release the pressure according to manufacturer’s instructions. Drain the beans reserving the cooking liquid.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the beans and ½ cup cooking liquid. Mash with a potato masher, adding more liquid as needed until you have a slightly lumpy thick paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
1 Tbsp. oil or lard
8 ounces shredded carnitas
1 medium onion, chopped
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ cup currants or raisins
1 cup tomato-chipotle sauce
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and fry the onion and pork together stirring regularly until the mixture is crispy, about 15 minutes. Add the cinnamon, pepper, cloves, raisins, and sauce. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
14 corn tortillas
The tomato-chipotle sauce
The refried beans
The picadillo
4 ounces shredded cheddar or jack cheese
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Wrap the tortillas in a kitchen towel and place in a large steamer. Bring to a boil for one minute then let steam off heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut all but 3 tortillas in half. (You will need only 12 but I find that a couple always stick to the towel.)
Put a light coating of sauce in an oven-proof pan roughly 8 inches by 12 inches by 2 inches deep. Arrange the tortilla halves along the outside edges of the dish, cut side out, and finish with a whole tortilla in the middle, using a total of 4 tortillas. Spread on the beans and a small amount of sauce, about ½ cup. Arrange another layer of tortillas on top of the beans and spread with the picadillo and another ½ cup of sauce. Cover with the last layer of tortillas, the rest of the sauce, and the cheese. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is slightly brown.
