Saw this
tomato soup recipe in my most recent issue of Saveur, it epitomizes my mantra…less
time at the stove, more time at the table.
Core and quarter four tomatoes and place in a large bowl along with half
a chopped onion, a smashed garlic clove, a third of a baguette cut into large
chunks, and a tablespoon and a half of kosher salt. Bring
your kettle to a boil and fill the bowl with enough hot water to submerge everything. After an hour, squeeze the
liquid out of the bread and put it into a Cuisinart with the drained vegetables, a
tablespoon of sherry or red wine vinegar, and a cup of the reserved liquid. While running the Cuisinart drizzle in a cup
of your best olive oil to create some thickness to your mixture, salt and
pepper to taste. Serve at room
temperature or chilled, either way with a chopped hard boiled egg….some
prosciutto too if you have it. Amazing!
I love the crisp days and cool nights but it’s sad to
think that tomato season is coming to an end.
And while the tomatoes may not be as incredible as they were a couple of
weeks ago I find roasting them coaxes out the last of that peak summer
flavor. Simply rinse, halve, and gently
toss your tomatoes with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place them cut side up in a baking dish or
cookie sheet and roast for an hour at 350, then toss with some fresh basil and
an extra drizzle of olive oil. They’re
great hot as a side dish, or cold on a sandwich or piece of fish later in the
week. Enjoy them while they last!
I can’t get enough corn these days…it’s been an
incredibly sweet year. So to prolong the
season I spent an hour shucking and bagging thirty ears so I could savor it all
winter. To start I got a large pot of
water boiling and after husking in batches of six I dropped the ears into the
simmering pot for two minutes then quickly into a waiting ice bath. Then it was just a matter of cutting the
kernels from the cobs and spooning them in freezer bags. But don’t throw out those cobs. Break them in
half and put them back in the pot and boil for about three hours or until the
liquid is reduced by at least three quarters.
It helps to rotate the cobs half way through. What you end up with is a concentrated corn
stock that’s unmatched for soups, risotto, or pasta sauce. Try a corn and potato vichyssoise, or roast
corn and leek risotto, only this time of year will they taste this good.
I usually don’t think of pickled beets until mid-winter when
I dig into that first jar I stored in the pantry several months before, but why
wait? Peel , halve and cut your beets
into eighth inch slices then lightly boil in salted water for five minutes or
so…they’re best when they still have a crunch.
When they’ve hit the desired crunchiness run them under some cold water
to stop them from cooking any further.
Then it’s as easy as combining them in a Tupperware with some white
vinegar for a couple of days, a thinly sliced onion or a pinch of cayenne
pepper are great options. And don’t
discard those beet greens, they are so satisfying sautéed with some sliced
garlic and extra virgin olive oil.
For tomato fans in Vermont it doesn’t get any better than
right now, it’s a short season but so worth the wait. This is a twist on a classic, I call it my
Milanese Caprese Salad. Let a thick
slice, about a half inch, of mozzarella sit out until it reaches room temperature. Toss your tomatoes, fresh basil, extra virgin
olive oil, and a generous amount of kosher salt in a bowl and serve over the
mozzarella. Serve with a knife, fork,
and fresh baguette…it can only be described as heavenly.
