Pasta with Slow Baked Tomatoes, Olives and Goat Cheese

Sometimes simple things are the best. One of my favorite “go to” meals is an easy one; pasta with raw chopped tomatoes, sliced Kalamata olives and goat cheese topped with a little high quality grated parmesan. For the pasta, I usually choose farfalle. I love the chewy texture with the fresh ingredients.

Sometimes, though I take this meal to the next level. I slow roast the tomatoes. I originally saw a recipe for “Very  Baked  Tomatoes” in The Café Beaujolais cookbook by Margaret Fox and John Bear (who eats there a lot!) I ate at Cafe Beaujolais http://www.cafebeaujolais.com/ years ago when I was in Mendocino for a pottery class. 

I must admit, there's was the recipe I used for years. The only difference now is that I guess at the amounts, the cooking temperature and the time.

The original recipe calls for plum tomatoes. They really are the best because they are more meaty than juicy, but I don’t have them on hand often. More recently I buy grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or Campari tomatoes.  I make this recipe when I need to use them up or they will go bad.

Tonight was the first time I tried the Campari tomatoes. They may not be the best because they are more watery and seedy than Roma’s but it works just fine with me.

So how do you make them? Well I use my toaster oven. I preheat it to 250. I have looked at a lot of recipes; some bake them at 200 degrees, some 350.  The Café Beaujolais version says 325. I baked mine at 250. Sounded slow to me!

While the oven is preheating, I  slice the tomatoes in half and place them on a baking tray cut side up. I drizzle  a little olive oil over each half,  chop up some garlic and distribute the pieces over each half  and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs from my garden. I almost always include rosemary and sometimes thyme. Dried herbs may work too but I prefer fresh.  I might also sprinkle a bit of sea salt or pink salt over the tomatoes. Sometimes I don’t so you don’t have to.

That’s about it for the preparation. All you have to do then is bake the tomatoes until they break down, collapse and caramelize.  I think the original recipe says bake at 325 for 2 hours but that is for the Romas, which are larger than the Campari tomatoes. I think I baked them for  about an hour.  The toughest part is waiting, watching and smelling the garlic and herbs as the tomatoes cook. (oh, and I am sorry  I have no pictures. I ate them too quickly)

Once the tomatoes are done you have choices. One night I just ate them as a side dish with a piece of halibut. Tonight, I made my favorite meal. I cooked up some pasta, drained it and put a serving amount (1 cup) in a bowl. While still hot, I threw in small pieces of goat cheese (maybe ½ oz or less for one serving) chopped black Kalamata olives (tonight just black olives because that is what I had) and the yummy tomatoes.

This  would be perfect but tonight I threw it all back in the pan after adding a small bit of sherry and some of the juices from the tomatoes. I heated it until all the cheese melted and the tomatoes broke up further making it a nice cheesy, tomato sauce. A sprinkle of Parmesan finished the dish.

Dinner served. Patron happy and well fed.

Some other ideas I haven’t tried but may;

The tomatoes chopped in an omelet or with scrambled eggs, a little fresh spinach and some feta.

Brushetta with slow baked tomatoes, perhaps?

Panini with slow baked tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.

 You can be creative once you realize how tasty and versatile they are. I hope you will try these. They are a great use for the times when you know you can’t eat another salad and the tomatoes are at risk of going bad.

It would make me happy to know you have tried these and commented on how you liked them. I do hope you enjoy them!

The joys of coconut oil

A friend of mine that is into “holistic” foods and supplements got me interested in using coconut oil.  

He suggested I try the unrefined, organic, cold pressed coconut oil, that among other things, it was great for cooking. I decided I would  try it.  He also suggested that I take a teaspoon 2x a day for health.  I tried that as well.

The results? Well first, for my health, I take a teaspoon and sit it out to warm slightly (actually I put it briefly on top of my drip coffee maker until it liquefies). It tastes pretty good. I feel healthy but that doesn’t prove anything. Although I think he has “sold out” a bit, here is what Dr. Oz has to say about the health benefits. http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/charles-mattocks/benefits-coconut-oil If Dr Oz says it, it must be true, right?

Cooking with coconut oil has been great.  I cooked my salmon with it the other night. All I did was put my salmon on a baking sheet, squeezed some lemon on it then spread coconut oil on top. I then added a sprinkling (not too much) of Pink Salt. I baked my salmon  filets at 350 degrees for 10 minutes per inch.

A minute or two before the salmon was done, I topped it with shredded coconut (yes I used the sweetened kind but fresh coconut would be great too) and let it lightly brown on top. That was all I did and it was fantastic. I am hooked.

I doubt my friend had any idea how hooked on coconut oil I could be. Being a native Floridian, I have always loved coconut...fresh off the tree! 

 I read an online article about using it as a conditioner for your hair, so what do you think I did? Yes, you guessed it. I washed my hair then got out of the shower and an urge to spread the stuff on my hair took hold.

So, I will tell you….you can’t just rinse it out and you can’t leave it in. I tried both. Leaving it in, I tried to dry my hair but all I got was greasy hair. Then I tried rinsing it with warm water.  It was still in my hair but I was able to at least dry it. It was late and I was tired so I rationalized drying my hair but leaving what was left of the coconut oil in my hair overnight. I then washed it in the morning (an old pillowcase is recommended). Voila, I have the softest, silkiest, shiniest hair that I have had in years. I love it.

My sister thinks I am addicted to the stuff….she may have a point.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4348/5-Ways-to-Use-Coconut-Oil.html

Easter and more eggs

I had a relaxing Easter holiday. My brother surprised us with a visit on Saturday night and on Sunday we had dinner in Palm Beach at an interesting restaurant, Buccan. They serve “little meals” (http://www.buccanpalmbeach.com/menus/buccan-menu-winter2011.pdf). We went with some long time family friends and it was a fun dinner. Each of us picked a couple of items that we then shared with the table. Actually, we over ordered but the food was fantastic and we enjoyed ourselves.

I was searching for a new or old idea for making my own Salad Dressing for dinner with my brother.  I offered to bring the salad and we were going to order out Pizza.  I remembered my LA Times California Cookbook (I notice you can get this cookbook now for as low as 90 cents! http://www.amazon.com/Angeles-Times-California-Cookbook-Plume/dp/0452254485) had several good dressings, so I took it out and while looking for one, came across another favorite recipe, Pizza Quiche.

Right now I am a bit “egged out” after the holiday. No, I didn’t color any eggs but I did eat quite a few hard boiled eggs last week. Still, I get busy working during the day and would love to have something already prepared for lunch. The pizza quiche would be perfect.

Of course the original recipe called for Pepperoni and since I don’t eat meat and pepperoni is the king of fatty foods, it just didn’t work for me.  I substituted a vegetarian pepperoni. I was concerned that I wouldn’t like it and others wouldn’t either. It was good. When I served it to carnivores no one was the wiser it seemed. Also, I have never made it with the can of tomato sauce in the recipe. The first time I made it, I had leftover homemade spaghetti sauce so I used that. It was so good that way. I now use homemade or store bought spaghetti sauce every time I make it. If you make this, don’t leave out the green pepper rings. It makes the quiche more attractive.

The quiche is pretty easy to make and it is a nice meal. If you are pressed for time or just plain lazy, most of the ingredients can be bought already sliced, chopped or shredded. For dinner, I would include a nice salad. For lunch a fruit salad would be nice with it. In any case, I hope you try it. I think you will enjoy it.

Pizza Quiche

8 oz thinly sliced pepperoni (or substitute veggie pepperoni)

1 (9inch) unbaked pastry shell

2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese

½ cup sliced black olives

1 cup chopped green pepper

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons flour

1 Cup of Milk

Grated Parmesan

1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce with mushrooms (or your favorite spaghetti sauce)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon basil

¼ teaspoon oregano

6 thin rings of green pepper (or green and red)

Sauté pepperoni for 2-3 minutes until warmed through. Set aside.

Prebake the pastry shell in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove it from the oven and sprinkle 1/3 cup of the Swiss cheese over the bottom evenly.

Sprinkle on half the pepperoni and top with olives, chopped green pepper, remaining Swiss cheese, and the rest of the pepperoni.

Beat eggs and flour until smooth.

Blend in milk, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, tomato (or spaghetti) sauce, salt, basil and oregano. Pour this into the pastry shell.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese and top with the pepper rings.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes longer, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. (Don’t over bake it!)

Remove from the oven and garnish the outer edge of the pie with prebaked pastry cutouts, if desired (ha ha ha, I don’t do that!)

Let stand 10 minutes before cutting in wedges.

Makes  4-6 servings.

Review: The George Foreman Indoor Grill

I spent the past week at my mother's house while she visited my sister in San Diego. I looked forward to cooking in a big, expansive kitchen and using my Coleman gas grill which I keep at her house.

I have considered buying a small indoor grill since my apartment does not allow my gas grill. I so miss outdoor grilling. Excited about the prospect of using "my" grill, I thought I would cook some kabobs for my sister and I on my last night at the house. Of course, as things go, it decided to pour rain that night. It was beautiful weather the whole week prior! I guess planning a grill night is like getting your car washed. That is the time the sky opens up and let's you know who "really" is in charge!

My mother has a George Foreman indoor grill and I have always wanted to see how well it worked for vegetables and fish. This was my chance.

I cut up some green pepper, yellow squash, mushrooms and onion then marinated them in an Italian Vinagrette (I chose whatever my mom had in her fridge!).  I also took some already cooked and cleaned shrimp that she had in her freezer and defrosted them in water, then marinated them in a combination of Sonny's Barbecue Sauce mixed with a Mango Sauce she had on hand (obviously my mother has a well stocked fridge!).

So here is what happened.... I put the vegetables on the grill first. I don't think I preheated it enough and the first thing I noticed was, I had forgotten to put down the drip pan. Between the the water in the vegetables and the vinagrette, I had to rush to contain the drippings! Not only that but the vegetables were sliding down the grill.

Once I was able to slow down the sliding vegies and close the grill, all seemed in order. You know the saying, "a watched pot never boils" ? Well checking the vegies constantly does not help the grilling process.  Not only that, but with the lack of preheating,  they seemed to be stewing not grilling.

Having a degree of ingenuity, I came up with a not so healthy but equally tasty solution, garlic butter.  Yes, my mother also had a tub of Land o Lakes Garlic butter in her fridge (she's such a thoughful mother!). I melted a bit of it and brushed a little on the vegies. Voila' my vegies quit stewing and started browning, leaving some very attractive grill marks.

I did try putting some vegies on a skewer but that didn't fare too well. The grill didn't close down enough to create enough heat.  So, when the (loose) vegies were done, I simple replaced the grill pan with a plate and slid them onto it.

I did skewer the marinated shrimp. With them all arranged in the same direction, they were flat enough for the grill. I added a little...yup..here it is again...garlic butter to the marinade, (Paula Deen would be proud of me) brushed a little on each shrimp and grilled them to perfection.

In the meantime, I cooked the only rice my mother had available (you didn't think I was actually going to the store for anything did you?), long grain "white" (blasphemy) rice.

Dinner was delicious! Once I get the hang of it, I think old Georgie will be a great addition to my pescatarian lifestyle. A little butter won't kill me. Will it?