Tomatoes

This salad is a proven winner! So easy to make, so beautiful to look at, so DELICIOUS to eat!

Radical Roots Tomato Salad

Tomatoes, quartered or chopped

Sweet or Red Onion, chopped

A dozen Basil leaves, chopped

Olive Oil

Cider or Wine Vinegar

Sea Salt

Use a beautiful shallow bowl. I love to use our clear glass pie plate to allow the color to shine through. Place a layer of tomatoes on the bottom, lightly sprinkle with salt and a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar. Add some of the chopped sweet onions and basil. Repeat one or two more layers. Top with a sprig of basil. Serve at room temperature and watch your family/guests/self enjoy!!!

Oooh - you could certainly add feta cheese and olives too!

Thanks to Martha and Richard for this delicious recipe!

Tomato Cobbler 

(adapted from Martha Stewart Living, July 2011)

Filling:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2.5-3 pounds cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Biscuit topping:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Coarse salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (2 1/4 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon, for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing

Make the filling: Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool.

Toss onion mixture, tomatoes, flour, and red-pepper flakes with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and some pepper.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Make the biscuit topping: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small clumps form. Stir in cheese, then add cream, stirring with a fork to combine until dough forms. (Dough will be sticky.)

Transfer tomato mixture to a 2-quart baking dish (2 inches deep). Spoon 7 clumps of biscuit dough (about 1/2 cup each) over top in a circle, leaving center open. Brush dough with cream, and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon cheese. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling in the center and biscuits are golden brown, about 50-60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 20 minutes.

Green Bean and Tomato Salad

Bon Appétit | June 2000

• 1 ½  pounds green beans, trimmed
• 3 cups tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Feta cheese and almonds, optional 

Cook green beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain well. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Pat dry, then wrap in paper towels. Enclose in plastic bag and refrigerate.)

Combine beans, tomatoes, onion and basil in serving bowl. Whisk oil, vinegar and sugar in small bowl to blend. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Add dressing to vegetables; toss to coat. Cover; chill at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, tossing occasionally. Add crumbled feta and almonds, if desired. Serve salad cold or at room temperature.

Penne with Tomatoes, Basil and Mozzarella

An un-cooked pasta sauce that is perfect for summer meals!

Thanks to our friend Jen for this recipe. She exclaims, “Made this with the tomatoes you gave me, YUM! The kids gobbled it up!”

• 1 pound ripe and juicy small omatoes, cut in to quarters
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt (preferably coarse sea salt)
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (or minced fresh hot pepper)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 10 -20 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• ½ pound fresh mozzarella, torn into small pieces

Toss the tomatoes, oil, salt, hot pepper in a large bowl. Whack the garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife and toss into bowl. Let marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil and cook penne pasta for 10-12 minutes, until done.

Remove the garlic and toss in the basil. Drain the pasta, add it to the bowl, and toss well to mix. Check seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper as needed. Gently stir in the mozzarella and serve at room temperature.

NOTE: The melting of salt is a chemical reaction that draws the liquid from the tomatoes. The larger the salt crystal, the more liquid it will draw out. That is why coarse sea salts will make a juicer sauce.

Radical Roots TANGY TOMATO SALAD

• About 20 Plum or Mountain Magic Tomatoes
• 1 large Sweet Onion
• 1 bunch Cilantro
• 1-2 Hot Peppers (any kind you like)**
• 1 Cucumber
• Lime Juice, squeezed from half a lime
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Chop everything bite size. Squeeze lime juice into veggies and mix gently. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld. ENJOY!

**The HOT of the hot pepper really comes from the seeds so you can control the heat by the amount of seeds you include.

CANNING SALSA

Thanks to Gretchen and Davis for sharing this recipe.

Saute to caramelize:

6 cups chopped onions

1/2 cup oil

Add:

4 jalapeno peppers, minced

12 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup cilantro, minced

Add:

1 gallon red tomatoes, chopped

4-6 cups green tomatoes or tomatillos, chopped

2 Tablespoons salt

2 Tablespoons cumin

2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 cup cider vinegar

Cook over medium heat for 2-6 hours. You can also roast this in the oven.

Hot pack and boiling water bath for 15 minutes (add 5 minutes for each 1000' elevation). Makes about 10 pints.