THE BEET : VOLUME 12, ISSUE 13

 THE BEET : VOLUME 12, ISSUE 13

CSA pickup times are, as always, Thursday, 5pm-7:30pm at PS 56 at Lewis and Gates

In this week’s BEET:

1. CSA FYIs

2. Tomatoes: More Recipes If you're like me, you're eating Ted's delicious tomatoes every day and still looking for ways to make them. This week's Beet has 4 more tomato recipes, including some favorites from old issues of The Beet that will keep in your freezer past the current season. (Did you miss last week's tomato recipes? Check out last week's Beet for recipes for a divine heirloom tomato salad, a recipe for italian-style dried tomatoes, and for a baked tomato recipe.)

CSA FYIs

• PLEASE BRING PLASTIC BAGS!    Our on-site stash is gone and we need CSA members to replenish! You'll appreciate your fellow CSA members' plastic bag generosity the next time you forgot to bring bags to the pickup. Thank you!

• Lewis Waite Share pick-up TODAY If you placed your order by Sunday September 8th.

• Reminder: A LA CARTE Milk not Jails orders to be delivered NEXT THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 If you ordered an a la carte Milk Not Jails order by Sunday, September 8, the delivery will be NEXT Thursday. Milk Share orders continue weekly pickups as always.

 Recipes: Tomatoes. Part II:

Tomatoes Provencale (From http://amycotler.com The Locavore Way via The Beet, Vol. 9 No. 9)

"A classic, these are shockingly good when you use local tomatoes. The picture below shows them prepared with multi-colored heirloom tomatoes (from Moon in the Pond Farm) and basil (from my garden) before they’re sprinkled with cheese and popped in the oven. You can use a local aged cheese, such as Hawthorne Valley Farm’s sharp Alpine Cheese, or any sharp hard grating cheese, but local feta or goat cheese work well too." Makes 4 servings

4 fresh local tomatoes, ripe but not mushy 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt 3/4 cup dried bread crumbs* 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped finely 2 tablespoons olive oil l large scallion, finely chopped, or 1 tablespoon chopped chives 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 4 freshly harvested cloves) 2 teaspoons fresh or l teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup local grated or crumbled cheese (see headnote above)

l. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half through their circumference. Using a spoon, remove most of the seeds from each tomato and discard. Scoop out about half of their pulp, then chop and set aside on a plate. Sprinkle the tomato cavities with about half the salt,then invert on a rack to drain.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, basil, olive oil, scallions or chives, garlic, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Tip the plate with the chopped tomatoes and spoon off most of their liquid. Add the chopped tomatoes to the mixture. Divide equally among the tomato cavities. Sprinkle each with some of the cheese.

3. Place the tomatoes in a baking dish. Bake until tender, but not falling apart, about 10 minutes.

*Store-bought bread crumbs work fine for this recipe. But, you can make your own by using using stale or toasted white or whole grain bread, pulsed into crumbs in the food processor. (2-3 slices will make the 3/4 cup you need.)

Simple Romesco Sauce

culinarycafe.com via Volume 5. No. 12 of The Beet

Ingredients

2 slices country bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 cup whole almonds

1 lb tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 tlb paprika

3/4 cup fruity Spanish olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl,

soak the bread cubes in the vinegar for 20

minutes. Toast the almonds for 10 to 15

minutes, watching closely.

Cool completely.

Grind them in a food processor until they are

fine but not oily. Drain the bread and add along

with tomatoes, paprika, salt and pepper to the

processor and grind together briefly until evenly

pureed. With the motor running, add the olive oil

in a thin stream. Place in 3 or 4 one-cup

containers and freeze.

Blender Hot Sauce

Moosewood Restaurant Low-fat Favorites Cookbook via Volume 5. No. 12 of The Beet

“When you want a homemade hot sauce and you want it without a lot of fuss, try our quick blender method. The sauce takes almost no time to prepare, and then it dutifully simmers on

your back burner while you move on to create the rest of your meal. ... [This] will add a rich spiciness to bean dishes, chili, enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, frittatas, and casseroles.”

1/2 C chopped onions

1/2 C chopped bell peppers

[use any of the

farm’s sweet peppers]

1 fresh hot chile, seeds re

moved if you prefer a

milder ‘hot’ (or see note at end about

substituting cayenne)

3 cloves garlic, pressed

2 C chopped fresh tomatoes

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 tlb chopped fresh cilantro

salt to taste

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients but the salt and purée until smooth.

Transfer purée to a soup pot and simmer on low heat, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the flavors have mellowed. Stir often as it cooks and use a heat diffuser if needed, to prevent sticking. Add salt to taste. Hot sauce will keep for about 2 weeks refrigerated and tightly covered. [Try freezing the sauce in an ice cube tray. When frozen pop the cubes in a plastic freezer bag. Remove as much of the air in the bag as possible to prevent freezer burn. Defrost individual servings.]

Note: in place of the fresh chile, 1/4 tsp. of cayenne can be used. After adding the cayenne,

cook the sauce for 15 minutes, taste it for hotness, and sprinkle in a bit more if desired. Be

careful not to be heavy-handed since the hotness of the sauce will increase somewhat as

it cooks. If not cooked sufficiently, cayenne can be harsh so it is not recommended that you add it after cooking.

Moroccan Style Tomato Soup With Chickpeas

(From Mark Bittman's Summer Tomato feature which includes several other exceedingly simple tomato recipes)

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon ginger

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons coriander

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 pounds tomatoes, chopped

2 cups of stock

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

Parsley or cilantro for garnish

Preparation

1. Cook onion and garlic and ginger in olive oil for 5 minutes. 2. Add 2 teaspoons each cumin, coriander and cinnamon; cook for 1 minute. 3. Add tomatoes, stock and cooked chickpeas. 3. Simmer until saucy. 4. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.