the year of the tomato

I grew almost all of our tomatoes from seed this year -- some from heirloom seeds that I saved from last year's tomatoes, and some from heirloom seeds that I bought. Some were mystery varieties, like a small plum tomato that is pale red and pointy on the end.

Tomatoes are easily my favorite ingredient - fresh they are delicious, they meld well with herbs to make sauces and creamy soups, and are a salad staple. One of my favorite meals is a caprese salad made with colorful heirlooms and local mozzarella (but only if the basil is fresh!).

Here are some heirlooms dressed with just cracked pepper and smoked chardonnay salt:All sorts of tomatoes heading to the oven to roast for tomato bisque:Tomatoes, beans, and husk cherries heading to a friend's house (note one of those mystery tomatoes in the box on the right):
My most recent harvest -- note the white tomato (it's a Fantôme du Laos and very rare):
Also, check out these pole beans from seeds I saved last year (and Ukrainian yellow mushroom beans on the bottom) - I know it's not the year of the bean, but look how long they grew!
Here are some of the beans I will save for next year - valentine black bush beans, yellow mushroom beans, and some heirloom pole and bush beans from last year's crop:

German lunch

Homemade pork schnitzel, spätzle (spaetzle), and sliced and seasoned heirlooms. Delicious. =)

Zebra art & grill, Ibiza

Delicious lunch in Ibiza - took us nearly forever to find a place that served non-British food, but it was well worth the search.

Tomates asados con mozzarella di buffala - roasted tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella

Very cool clear balsamic vinegar from Barcelona

Galtas de cerdo - pork cheeks (really!)

Tallerines frutti di mari - seafood noodles

Tarta de queso - cheese cake

Pera al vino tinto - pear poached in red wine

Little kitten that sat near us while we ate

fresh tomato bisque

This is absolutely my favorite soup to make (and eat!). It's delicious hot or cold -- so it's versatile for any season. I can't wait until my heirlooms are ready to pick, and I can make it again. It's a little labor-intensive, but so very worth it. As usual, I don't write official recipes, but will tell you about my method.

I quarter the tomatoes, slice some onions (shallots would be great here, too, but I use sweet onions), add some whole garlic cloves, and throw them into an oven with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper.
I roast them until the onions are soft...
Then I add chicken stock, puree everything with a stick blender, and strain it twice. The result -- a sweet, savory and silky bisque. Lovely by itself or with bread to sop it up -- you won't want to leave a drop. =)

Oven-dried Cherry/Grape Tomatoes

A few weeks ago, we found ourselves with an abundance of tomatoes -- a mix of salad tomatoes, sauce tomatoes, heirlooms, cherry and grape tomatoes. I had been wanting to test this whole oven-dried tomato idea -- which was an ideal option given that the sun hadn't shown its face for days.

I sliced the tomatoes in half -- I only used the cherries and the grapes -- and laid them cut-side up on a baking sheet (with the help of my 3-year-old niece).
I drizzled the whole thing with extra virgin olive oil, and seasoned the 'maters with salt and pepper.
I put them in a 250 degree oven, and let them hang out for a few hours. The length of time really depends on size and thickness of the tomatoes.
I packed them in jars with extra virgin olive oil, and stuck 'em in the fridge. Some recipes claim that they stay good for only two weeks, but mine are still going strong. My hope is that the olive oil will take on the essence/deliciousness of the sweet tomatoes, and I'll be able to dress salads with it or drizzle it over focaccia dough before baking.

dinner party apps

I know... I haven't blogged in a long time. It's been (yikes!) over a month. I've been making/eating good food in the meantime but haven't had time to write so much as a paragraph about what I've been cooking. In fact, I've barely had time to enjoy a meal sitting down. I've started a new job, and technically am working three jobs right now. One will end this week just in time for another to start. Luckily I'm good at time-management and am great at multi-tasking. Yay for being type-A!

Anyway, these are some tasty apps that I whipped up for a dinner party last night. I carved out some squarish pieces of puff pastry, carved out a smaller square (halfway through the dough) to make a raised edge, pressed in some feta cheese, added a tomato slice (1 slice of San Marzano plum tomato or a quarter slice of a larger tomato), and drizzled with herby oil (1 cup extra virgin olive oil and mixed garden herbs, along with some salt and pepper -- whipped into happiness with an immersion blender). Just a few minutes in the oven and we were ready for the party!

I got to cook!!!!

I had dinner at a friend's house last night, and I have to say, I was so glad to be back in the kitchen again. This study-abroad-without-kitchen-priveledges thing is killing me. My friend made a caprese salad, and I roasted some veggies (shittakes, zucchini, onion, green pepper, and garlic) and served them over fresh pasta. Delicious. And it was great to chop things again. =)

Pix from Mario