Tri-Tip and Stuffed Tomatoes

Three's Company!

We have a friend spending the night which always means a little extra twist on dinner.  Barb is the first of two weeks of friends visiting.  It's really going to be a fun time around the house.  LOTS of food, of course.  It's what we do.

Which brings us right back to tonight...

We started with a tri-tip roast I cooked on the grill.  I did a dry rub with smoked paprika, Hungarian paprika, cumin, garlic, Mozambique Peri-Peri spice - a fiery hot pepper blend - and salt and pepper.  I liberally coated the tri-tip and onto the grill it went.

Meanwhile, I oven roasted some potatoes and then, when they were done, coated them with a mixture of 2 tbsp melted butter mixed with 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard.

And the tomatoes...

I started by hollowing out three tomatoes from the garden.

I had an orange cauliflower so I took maybe a cup and a half of florets and steamed them until mushy.  I mashed them and then mixed in a teaspoon of butter, salt, pepper, and maybe an ounce of smoked cheddar cheese.

I filled the tomatoes and topped them with buttered bread crumbs.  Into the oven for 15 minutes at 350°.

It really was a simple meal with just a couple of easy twists.

And right now there's peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream being made.

I love having friends over...


Orecchiette alle Cime di Rapa

Pasta Monday.  I have died and gone to Gastronomic Heaven.  How can so few ingredients pack such a wallop of flavor?  It truly boggles the mind.

First off, I love broccoli rabe.  It's a slightly bitter green with an earthy flavor that just works with anything.  Sauteed with a bit of garlic and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, it makes a great side dish.  Or - as in tonight's dinner - simply mixed with a couple of key ingredients and it really shows off.

Tonight's plate is one of those dishes where the picture just isn't going to do it justice.  Visually, it's gorgeous - the most beautiful greens imaginable.  Even the orecchiette takes on a slightly shimmering green tone.  Contrasted with the white white of the ricotta salada and it's visual perfection.

And then you take that first bite...

The flavors and textures all work with one another perfectly.  The bread crumbs add a really great contrast to the pasta and broccoli rabe.  Perfect.

This is one of those instances where it's much better that Victor is in the kitchen.  I tend to look at a recipe and then start adding things...  I could easily see mushrooms and onions and garlic and peppers and lord knows what else being thrown into the pot.  But the beauty of this dish is the simplicity.  It's the lack of ingredients that makes it so good.  And let's face it - restraint is not a word I know well.

I highly recommend it.

Orecchiette alle Cime di Rapa – Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

  • 1 ¼ lbs broccoli rabe, trimmed
  • Salt
  • 3 oz guanciale or pancetta cut into ¼ inch cubes
  • 6 tbls extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup coarse, plain breadcrumbs
  • 1 lb Orecchiette
  • 1 cup coarsely grated ricotta salata cheese (3 oz)

Cook broccoli rabe in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes.

Reserving the water, transfer broccoli rabe to a colander, rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Squeeze out excess water and roughly chop.

In a large skillet, combine guanciale or pancetta and 4 tbls oil, heat over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally until it begins to crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes more. Transfer mixture to a large serving bowl (big enough to toss the pasta)

Return skillet to medium heat, add 2 tbls oil and breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring constantly, until breadcrumbs are golden, about 5 minutes then remove from heat.

Return pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and add to bowl with broccoli rabe. Add breadcrumb mixture and ¼ cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Toss to combine. Moisten with extra pasta cooking liquid, if desired. Serve immediately, sprinkled with cheese.

This is one that will be made over and over.  And who knows...  maybe I will play with it a bit.  I think this would be good no matter what.


Sunday Frittata

Ah...  Sunday Breakfast!

Breakfast is one of my most favorite meals.  I love the bazillion-and-one flavor combinations that one can come up with.  Sweet stuff and savory stuff and everything in-between.

In my restaurant-cooking days, it was probably the most difficult meal to cook.  Folks have some really serious issues about how they want their bacon cooked and how they want their eggs cooked - to the point of being completely and totally overly-neurotic about it.  Really overly-neurotic.

But I digress...

This was a really simple throw-together using leftovers in the 'fridge.

I cut up about a cup of cooked teeny potatoes from the other night and cooked them with 3 green onions and 1 stalk of broccoli.  I mixed up 4 eggs, poured them in, topped it with some buffalo mozzarella and a sliced tomato from the garden.  Salt and pepper.

I stuck the pan under the broiler for about 5 minutes, and breakfast was served.


Sunday Brunch

What a fun day we had today!  Our dear friend Ruth was visiting from Vermont, so she stopped by to spend a few hours with us.  Naturally, that means food.

I made a variation on the Rustic Summer Tart from a couple of weeks ago.

Here's the original recipe and my changes will follow...

Rustic Summer Squash Tart Recipe

By Woman’s Day Kitchen from Woman’s Day | August 1, 2008

Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb mixed summer squash (zucchini, yellow squash and pattypan), cut in 1/4-in. rounds
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or marjoram, plus sprigs for garnish
  • 1 tsp chopped garlic
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 refrigerated pie crust (from a 15-oz. box)
  • 4 oz Roquefort cheese, Gorgonzola or other good-quality blue cheese
  • 1 roasted yellow or red pepper (freshly roasted or from a jar), cut in strips
  • 1 large plum tomato, sliced, seeds removed
  • 1 large egg, beaten

Recipe Preparation

  1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add squash and shallots and cook, turning pieces as they start to color, 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in thyme, garlic and pepper to taste. Cool to room temperature.
  2. Heat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; unroll or unfold pie crust on the parchment. With a rolling pin, roll crust to a 13-in. round. Crumble half the cheese over crust to within 2 in. of edge. Arrange squash mixture, pepper strips and tomato slices on cheese; fold edge of the crust over filling and brush crust with egg.
  3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until pastry is golden. Slide tart, still on parchment, onto a wire rack. Crumble remaining cheese over top. Let cool before serving.

I made it with arugula, mushrooms, leeks, red onions, zucchini, red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, really good gorgonzola, and assorted fresh herbs from the garden.  And homemade crust, of course.

A bit of fresh fruit, of course...

And scones.

This is the second batch I made.  I forgot the baking powder in the first batch.  They didn't come out very well.

The second batch came out great!

Scones

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup jam

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine meal. Gradually add 1 cup cream, mixing until dough comes together. Pat to 1/2-inch thickness. Ccut scones into wedges.  Make indentation on top of scone and fill with 1 teaspoon jam. Transfer to baking sheet. Bake scones until brown, about 18 minutes. Serve warm.

We had a lot of fun sitting around and talking up a storm.  And eating.

And we'll be seeing her in October in New Hampshire.

Life is good.

Oh...  And tomorrow is Victor's Pasta Day.

Life is really good!


Steaks and Corn Relish

Gorgeous weather outside.  Perfect for firing up the grill.

I grilled a couple of steaks with the Gates Kansas City BBQ Sauce and topped them with a bit of the gorgonzola cheese I picked up the other day.  The cheese is great and it went well with the spicy-hot BBQ sauce.

Sitting under the steaks is a corn relish.  I had an ear of corn, a yellow squash from our next door neighbor, and some odds and ends that needed using up.  And deep-fried potato-tots.

There are no right or wrong amounts for the relish.  Use what you have and have fun with it!  The yellow squash we had was not a typical summer squash.  It was quite hard and needed cooking to make it tender.

Corn Relish

  • corn cut from 1 ear, cooked and cooled
  • 1/4 red onion, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 yellow squash, diced, cooked, if necessary,and cooled
  • 1/4 cup sliced olives
  • 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients, cover and refrigerate.

We're getting ready for the onslaught.  Our niece is down visiting from North Jersey so we're going to make homemade ice cream with her - and whatever other family members make it over.

It should be fun!


Moosewood Muffins

Sh-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h!  Don't tell Diane, but I made muffins to bring into work for her birthday tomorrow.

Banana Nut.  From the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home Cook Book.  It's a great recipe, really versatile, and pretty much never-fail.

Just to make them slightly more decadent (they are for a birthday girl after all!) I dipped the warm muffin tops in melted butter and then rolled them in cinnamon sugar. Yum.

Here's the recipe.  As it states, the wet/dry ingredients are just the base for the muffins - it's not a plain muffin.  You have to keep reading and make one of the variations.

Have fun!

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home
Muffin Madness

Basic Wet Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 - 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Basic Dry Ingredients

  • 2 cup unbleached flour (I use whole wheat)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and any spices your variation calls for.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, being careful not to overmix the batter  Fold in the additional ingredients called for in your variation.

Spoon batter into oiled standard muffins tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until puffed and golden brown.  (If you are using mini-muffin tins, bake for 10-15 minutes.)  A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.

Additional Ingredients:

The basic wet and dry ingredients are not intended to be a recipe for plain muffins; always choose one of the variations.

  • Apple muffins: Add 2 cups of grated tart apples and 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel to wet ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to dry ingredients.  If you like, fold 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter
  • Banana muffins: Add 1 1/2 cups of mashed ripe  banana to wet ingredients.  If you like, fold 1 cup chopped nuts and/or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to batter.
  • Blueberry - lemon muffins: Add 1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries and 1 tablespoon of freshly grated lemon peel to wet ingredients.
  • Zucchini muffins: Add 2 cups of grated zucchini to wet ingredients and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom to the dry ingredients. Fold in 1/2 cup of raisins or currants and 3/4 cup of chopped nuts if you like, into the batter.

Happy Birthday, Diane!


Farro, Eggplant, and Buffalo Mozzarella

 

Dinner tonight was slightly different than I originally envisioned.  I planned on making farrow cakes/patties, frying them, and topping them with the eggplant and tomato sauce.  Alas... the farrow just didn't want to hold together in a patty shape.

No matter.  It came out pretty good, nonetheless!

I had a homegrown eggplant from our neighbor up the street that I definitely wanted to use tonight.  She's cute.  She just leaves an eggplant or a zucchini on the table by our back door now and again.  I have told her for years that I will take any and all homegrown produce she wants to send our way, but I think she's a bit embarrassed and doesn't want to be seen as the neighbor everyone hides from when they see her with her bounty.  Nope.  Not me.  You grew it, I'll cook it.  Bring it on!

So dinner tonight was actually vegetarian.  Not unheard of, but not the most common for me, either.  But it worked.

Because I planned on making patties from the farrow, I added an egg to help bind it.  Because I added the egg, I had to saute the mixture to cook it.  This recipe is for making it as a side dish without the egg, because I'll never try and make farrow patties, again.

Farrow with Gorgonzola

  • 1 cup farrow (or brown rice)
  • 2 oz gorgonzola
  • 2 tbsp minced parsley
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Cook farrow (or rice) according to package instructions.  Drain completely.  Stir in gorgonzola, parsley, garlic powder, and S&P.

Serve

The eggplant and tomatoes were another simple saute.

Eggplant and Tomato Sauce

  • 1 medium eggplant
  • 6 plum tomatoes
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 cup button mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (I used basil oregano, rosemary, and sage)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • buffalo mozzarella

Peel and dice eggplant.  Sprinkle with salt and put in colander to drain - about 30 minutes.

Coarsely chop onion, garlic, tomatoes, and mushrooms.  Add onion to skillet and cook until translucent.  Add garlic and then mushrooms.  Add wine and cook until it is almost evaporated. Add eggplant and tomatoes and cook until they release their juices and begin to break down.

Continue to cook until slightly thickened.

Stir in fresh chopped herbs and check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper, if desired.

To assemble:

Plate farrow.  Spoon tomato and eggplant sauce on toip and top with slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella.

Brussels sprouts are probably my most favorite vegetable. A lot of folks don't like them because they think they're too bitter.  Slicing them really thin and sauteing them with a bit of olive oil, garlic, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar makes them a really delicious vegetable and they're not in the least bit bitter.

Really.


Basil and Sun-Dried Tomato Pestos

It's that time of year when we have more basil than we will ever be able to consume.  We started off with three plants this year.  One went to seed really quickly, but the other two took off.  It's been great.

But there comes that moment in time when one realizes that it's either make pesto or watch it all wilt, wither, and die.  The basil, of course, was cheap.  The pine nuts are anything but.

There's a shortage of pine nuts.  An actual world-wide shortage.  It's sent prices skyrocketing; $16.00-$30.00 and more per pound! I bit the bullet and bought some today.  Yes, one can substitute walnuts - and walnuts actually make a pretty good pesto - but Victor is planning a pesto pasta for his next Monday Feast, so nothing but the best, ya know?!?

He made two different pestos tonight - a traditional basil and a sun-dried tomato pesto.  The traditional is from la Cucina Italiana, the sun-dried tomato is his own.

From Victor:

Genevese Pesto

  • 1 ¾ cups packed fresh basil leaves
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • 2 large cloves of peeled garlic
  • 1 ¼ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino or Parmesan cheese (any GOOD fresh grated cheese)
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil.
  • Salt-Pepper to taste

Now if you are REALLY brave and want to be authentic do the following.

Get your mortar and pestle (yes YOUR mortar and pestle. What do you mean you don’t have one??). Put about ½ of the basil in the mortar. Using the pestle with a rotary movement, grind the basil against the wall of the mortar until mostly ground, then, in batches, repeat with remaining basil until all the leaves are ground.

Working with 1 tablespoon at a time, add and grind pine nuts, then add garlic (thinly sliced) and a generous pinch of salt: grind until garlic is ground.

Working with 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time add and grind cheese.

Working with 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, drizzle in oil, grinding and mixing to incorporate as you go, until the pesto is combined and smooth.

OR……do what I do and place all ingredients in a food processor with the metal blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. Then with the machine running, pour the olive oil slowly down the tube until everything is incorporated and finely minced. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

  • Approx. 8-9 oz. sun dried tomatoes (dry, not in olive oil)
  • 1 cup (packed fresh basil leaves
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves of garlic – peeled
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • Salt-Pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put all the ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor with the metal blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. Then with the machine running, pour the olive oil slowly down the tube until everything is incorporated and finely minced. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

For Penne pasta with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto – cook 1 lb. penne according to package directions. When the pasta is al dente, reserve about a ½ cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. In a large serving bowl add the pesto and the hot pasta and toss to coat adding just enough of the pasta water to moisten. Serve with extra Parmesan cheese.

We're eating well around our house!


Tri-Tip and Artichokes

Artichokes are great.  Stuffed artichokes are greater.  Victor's stuffed artichokes are the greatest!

I knew the minute I saw the artichokes today that Victor was going to be stuffing them for dinner tonight. He just does a good job of it.  The recipe gives ingredients - not amounts - because they vary according to how many you're making.  Besides...  these ain't the sort of thing where you have to put 1/8 tsp of this and 1/4 cup of that, anyway.  They're stuffed artichokes.  You can't screw 'em up!

Victor's Stuffed Artichokes

  • bread crumbs (He used panko this time around because that's what we had in the house.  He has also used store-bought and freshly made.)
  • grated parmesan cheese (Maybe 3 bread crumbs to 1 cheese.  Don't be cheap with the cheese.)
  • Italian seasoning
  • red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper

Trim outer leaves.  Mix all ingredients.

Liberally stuff the breadcrumbs into the artichokes.   Pull the leaves out a bit and really go for it.

Drizzle with olive oil and steam for 35 to 45 minutes.

Drizzle with olive oil again just before serving.

They really do rock.

Since we were going Italian with the artichokes, I marinated the tri-tip in olive oil, red wine, and garlic.  Really basic.  And then grilled it to rare perfection.

I cubed a couple of red potatoes, boiled them in salted water, drained them, and then quickly browned them in a drizzle of olive oil with salt, pepper, and garlic.

And we still have walnut pie.


Linguine al Limone

We were supposed to meet friends at a local church Italian Festival at 5pm.  We didn't see them, didn't see a lot of 'festival" and it started raining.  We came home.

Victor, who had been eyeing my most recent copy of La Cucina Italiana announced he was cooking dinner.  I, of course, am no fool.  I agreed heartily and left the kitchen.

The latest issue is The Pasta Issue.  Pasta to an Italian is like - well...  Pasta to an Italian.  They just go together like Fred and Ginger, or Fred and Ethel, or Ethel and Merman.  A perfect pairing no matter how you say it.

Tonight's pasta was Linguine al Limone.  Linguine with Lemon.  An interesting combination and one neither of us had tried before.  And we had all the ingredients!

Linguine al Limone

  • 1 pound linguine
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano plus more for sprinkling
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp whole milk
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped chives

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente.  Meanwhile, place egg yolks in a large bowl.  Grate the zest of 1 lemon into the bowl.  Add cheese and pepper; whisk to combine, then whisk in cream, milk, parsley, chives, and generous pinch of salt.

When pasta is al dente, drain and return to pot.  Immediately add egg mixture and toss together to combine well, then divide among serving bowls.  Grate fresh lemon zest (from the remaining lemon) and cheese over the top.  Serve immediately.

This totally rocked.  Totally and Completely.  As in I cleaned my plate.  Totally and Completely.

It absolutely had everything going for it.  The flavors were perfect, nothing was overly-pronounced (I won't say I was concerned about the amount of lemon, but I did think it would be stronger) and it was perfectly balanced.  I was impressed.  So was Victor.

The best thing about this is Victor is going to make ALL of the pasta recipes in the magazine!  Monday Pasta Day is being introduced - hopefully starting tomorrow!

I'll supply the bread.

Speaking of...

Another loaf of the no-knead bread.  I brushed butter and garlic on top before I baked it.

Yum.

I can't wait for dinner tomorrow!


Eggplant

 

I love this time of year.  Okay...  clarification.  I absolutely loathe and despise the weather.  The heat and humidity is murder.  But I love the produce!

Our tomato plants are doing well - the squirrels are having a feast - and our neighbor is keeping us supplied with zucchini and eggplant.  I am the neighbor who welcomes produce with open arms.  I do not run and hide when I see you walking down the street with a bag of zucchini.  I run out to greet you.  You have stuff you grew in your yard?  I'm here for ya!

So...  we we've been looking at a perfect eggplant for a couple of days.  Wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it.  This afternoon I was looking at the basket with our summer bounty and eggplant wrapped around tomato sticks popped into my mind.  I took it a step further and added some pecorino romano and fresh basil, but that was about it.  Eggplant Roulade was born.

A mandoline really helps here with the cutting of the eggplant, but a sharp knife will work, too.

Eggplant Roulade

  • eggplant
  • olive oil
  • garlic powder
  • plum tomatoes
  • basil
  • pecorino romano cheese
  • salt and pepper

Slice eggplant lengthwise no more than 1/4"  thick.  Lightly brush each side with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and broil about 2 minutes.  Flip the slices over and broil another 2 minutes.  Allow to cool.

Slice roma tomatoes lengthwise into matchstick-sized pieces.  Shred fresh basil - about 1 leaf per roulade. Shred enough cheese for about 1 tbsp per roulade.

Sprinkle cooled eggplant with cheese and then basil.

Take a pinch of tomatoes and place along the top of the widest end of the eggplant slice.

Carefully roll and place seam-side down in a broiler-proof pan.

Broil until cheese melts and they are heated through.

These were fun.  Great flavor and a great way to experience the flavors of summer!

I grilled a pork tenderloin to serve along with these.  Marinated in red wine, olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning.

Now... If only the temperature would drop and the humidity would go away.....


Rustic Summer Tart and Tomato Salad

We had our semi-annual dinner with Linda and David on Saturday.  It's always a really fun time - and there is always so much food it's ridiculous.  They're under the impression we like to eat, and they really like to eat, so the food just keeps coming!

One fun thing Linda made was a Rustic Summer Squash Tart.  She cut the recipe out of a Woman's Day magazine a couple of years ago and decided we were just the folks to try it out on.

I'm glad she did.

It was really good!  The photo above  is from the magazine.  The actual recipe makes a single large tart.  Linda served hers as an appetizer, so she made it thinner and wider.  Her version was a lot easier to eat standing!

I decided to make two individual tarts for our dinner tonight.  It also calls for a refrigerated pie crust.  Naturally, I had to make my own, because...  well... they're so easy to make and they taste so much better.

I followed the concept, but tweaked the filling a bit to use up some things in the refrigerator.

Rustic Summer Squash Tart Recipe

By Woman's Day Kitchen from Woman's Day | August 1, 2008

Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb mixed summer squash (zucchini, yellow squash and pattypan), cut in 1/4-in. rounds
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or marjoram, plus sprigs for garnish
  • 1 tsp chopped garlic
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 refrigerated pie crust (from a 15-oz. box)
  • 4 oz Roquefort cheese, Gorgonzola or other good-quality blue cheese
  • 1 roasted yellow or red pepper (freshly roasted or from a jar), cut in strips
  • 1 large plum tomato, sliced, seeds removed
  • 1 large egg, beaten

Recipe Preparation

  1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add squash and shallots and cook, turning pieces as they start to color, 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in thyme, garlic and pepper to taste. Cool to room temperature.
  2. Heat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; unroll or unfold pie crust on the parchment. With a rolling pin, roll crust to a 13-in. round. Crumble half the cheese over crust to within 2 in. of edge. Arrange squash mixture, pepper strips and tomato slices on cheese; fold edge of the crust over filling and brush crust with egg.
  3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until pastry is golden. Slide tart, still on parchment, onto a wire rack. Crumble remaining cheese over top. Let cool before serving.

For the filling, I used 2 pattypan squash, 1 zucchini, fresh spinach, and an andouille sausage that I sliced into rings and sauteed - and the other stuff listed.

I made my basic food-processor pie crust and put the remaining half in the freezer for another day.

And while I was relaxing, waiting for the tarts to cook, Victor moved into the kitchen and made Tomato Salad from some of our bounty of tomatoes from the garden!

Amounts are going to be determined by how many tomatoes you have.  Don't worry.  Just make it.  Ya can't screw it up!

Tomato Salad

  • Fresh tomatoes, sliced
  • red onion, sliced
  • minced garlic
  • red wine vinegar
  • olive oil
  • fresh basil
  • salt and pepper

Mix and refrigerate.

One of life's great pleasures is to have some fresh crusty bread to sop up all of that lovely juice in the plate.  I didn't make any today because we were having the tart with a crust, but I did make a batch of dough so we can sop tomorrow!

Perfect.