Summer tomatoes, how do I love thee?

On BLT's, oven-dried, oven-roasted, in a sauce...

I had some less-than-stellar farmstand beefsteak tomatoes last week taking up space in my fridge. Actually, just several slices from one large tomato. The flavor was only so-so in the BLT's we'd sliced them for, but I was reluctant to throw them out, so there they sat.

Then something (probably something on Pinterest) made me think of oven-dried tomatoes. Which are basically sun-dried tomatoes, with more control and fewer bugs.

Tried it: uh, YUM!

Below are links to several recipes, but since most of them call for Roma or cherry tomatoes, I was kind of improvising. The first one on the list is the process that I more-or-less followed. Here's mine:

• oven preheated to 200 F
• large tomato, sliced into 1/4" slices
• seeds and the jelly around them poked out and set aside
• tomato slices on a cooling rack; rack nestled in my favorite baking sheet
• checked after a couple hours.

Because mine were thin and mostly jelly-less, they dried out pretty quickly. In two or three hours, some of them were already crispy. So crispy, in fact, that the pieces with a fair amount of peel were like super-tomatoey potato chips. And the tart, intense flavor? Hugely improved over the disappointing fresh version. I chowed down! (Hubs thought they tasted kinda burnt, but I thought they tasted great! Maybe he just got a bad one.) I'll probably try some more next week, to see if I can recreate that great accident.
> Oven-dried tomatoes from About.com
> Oven-dried tomatoes from Food Network
> Oven-dried tomatoes from Tomato Dirt

I mentioned that I had poked out the juices/goop from the slices before baking. One of the recipes I read mentioned "tomato water;" never heard of that, so I googled it. One "recipe" required a food processor, cheesecloth, and eight hours. But I wasn't up for that, so I just took the goop, seeds and liquid and poured the whole mess through a sieve. It yielded about a couple tablespoons of tomato-pink liquid. There wasn't enough of it to use in a recipe, but I tasted it -- then added a wee bit of salt -- and tasted it again, and it was delish! I can see it being a great liquid to poach fish in, or to put up in the freezer to add a little genuine summer taste to a winter marinara or soup.
> About tomato water, from Bon Appetit
> About tomato water, from New York Times

Also, if you want something a little less dehydrated, here's a recipe for roasted tomatoes, which just takes them to a concentrated but still fairly moist stage. I haven't tried this method, but if I did, I would make them without the herbs, to make them more versatile. 
> Oven-roasted tomatoes from Kalyn's Kitchen

How to correct too-tart tomato sauce without adding sugar or sweetener

"Unless you are using sweet, height-of-summer tomatoes, chances are your tomato sauce will taste more tart than you might like. Many recipes call for adding a pince of sugar... but sugar doesn't eliminate the tartness; it just makes the sauce sweeter. Nevertheless, I did that for years until my scientist husband reminded me that the way to neutralize an acid is with a base. He suggested adding a pinch of baking soda to overly tart tomato sauce.

"It works like a charm. You don't need much baking soda to have an impact, so start with a pinch. The sauce will foam briefly as you stir it in. Let the sauce simmer for a minute or so, then taste again. Add a little more baking soda if necessary. Be careful not to add too much or your sauce will taste soapy."

From the cookbook Four Seasons Pasta, by Janet Fletcher, p. 26.

Image source: Wikimedia

Quick and easy avocado salad: the perfect last-minute potluck food

This is a repost, but it's worth it. This is the recipe I turn to every summer when tomatoes are ripe, and I need a quick, easy side dish. Also, my version has evolved, both in ingredients and method, so I'm including my up-to-date version in this post.

Looking for a quick, easy dish to take to a Fourth of July party today? This is it! You can whip it up in about 10 minutes, and although it might taste better if it sits for a bit, you can serve it right away. And because it has no mayo, you don't need to worry about it sitting at room temp for a few hours. Perfect for a potluck, barbeque or picnic! Plus, it's just chock full of healthy stuff, and has no sugar in the dressing! Just a minimal bit of honey -- which you could leave out, if you want.

The original recipe is from Ina Garten, although she calls it "Guacamole Salad".

I do make a few minor tweaks. Being the spice wimp I am, I leave out the jalapeno and cut back on the cayenne. But I also add in some chopped cilantro, and as I said, I've altered the method.

Avocado Salad

    2 limes

    1/2 t. honey

    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    1 clove garlic, minced

    1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

    1/4 cup good olive oil

---

    1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (or 1 lb. large tomatoes, chopped*)

    1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1/4-inch diced

    1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

    1/2 cup diced red onion  

---

    2 (or more) ripe Hass avocados,  diced at the last minute

    chopped cilantro, to taste

    additional salt and pepper, to taste, if needed

Grate the zest of the two limes (just the green part!) into the large bowl you'll be using for your salad; set aside. 

Juice the limes and measure 1/4 cup of the juice. In a small bowl, whisk together the measured lime juice, honey, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper; then add the olive oil and set aside.

Place the tomatoes*, yellow pepper, black beans, and red onion into the large bowl with the lime zest. Re-whisk the dressing and pour it over the vegetables. Toss well, and store till ready to serve. Keep at room temp if you will be serving within an hour or so; refrigerate for longer storage. If refrigerating, remove about 30 minutes before serving time.

Just before you're ready to serve the salad, dice the avocados and chop the cilantro, and fold them both into the salad. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve at room temperature.

*If using large tomatoes rather than grape tomatoes, don't include them at the beginning; add them with the avocado. You may chop the tomatoes ahead of time and store at room temperature.

12 Mediterranean Diet Recipes to Try

With more and more evidence pointing to the Mediterranean Diet as both good for you and easy to live with, I'll be exploring more of these recipes. Here are a few I've got my sights on...

Chopped Greek Salad with Chicken, from Eating Well.

Grilled Rosemary Salmon, also from Eating Well

Insalata Caprese II, via AllRecipes

Greek Island Chicken Shish Kebabs, via AllRecipes

Spinach and Feta Pita Bake -- sort of a 15-minute pizza; via AllRecipes (400+ reviews; 4.5 stars)

Mediterranean Chicken, made entirely stove-top; via AllRecipes

Fattoush Salad is ubiquitous in Wichita, and with good reason: Lebanese is our strongest ethnic influence here -- plus, it's delicious. Here's Kalyn's Fattoush recipe.

Greek Feta Yogurt Dip, from Jeanette's Healthy Living

Chicken Breast with Prosciuto, from Tobias Cooks

Zaatar and Lemon Grilled Chicken, from Sunset

------------

And a couple bean salads to try (no good pics):

Mediterranean Inspired Kidney Bean Salad, from Delectably Healthy

Bean Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, from the Mayo Clinic

Ina Garten's "guacamole" salad

The recipe is Ina's; the photo is mine!

Looking for a quick, easy dish to take to a Fourth of July party today? This is it! You can whip it up in about 10 minutes, and although it might taste better if it sits for a bit, you can serve it right away. And because it has no mayo, you don't need to worry about it sitting at room temp for a few hours. Perfect for a potluck, barbeque or picnic! Plus, it's just chock full of healthy stuff, and has no sugar in the dressing!

The recipe is from Ina Garten, and although she calls it "Guacamole Salad," I think of it as avocado salad.

I do make a few minor tweaks. Being the spice wimp I am, I leave out the jalapeno and cut back on the cayenne. But I also add in some chopped cilantro. And after making it the first time, I think I'll double the avocado next time.

It's so yummy, I could eat it straight out of the bowl. For lunch. And I have!