The Quick Fix: Baby Tomato Recipes

Brace yourself for the onslaught of summer tomatoes. I especially love baby tomatoes. They're versatile, easy to use and as the band Cameo says, "They taste like Can-day." Get them at your local farmers' market now through September. Baby tomatoes come in a vibrant array of varieties, so the more you mix and match, the more colorful, tasty and healthy your meals will be.

Here are some super quick and easy recipes you can make with baby tomatoes throughout the season.

One Recipe, Many Uses
Slice the tomatoes in half and catch their juices in a big bowl. Mix with minced fresh garlic, torn basil leaves, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for a few minutes to let the flavors meld. Then, toss over:

A piece of fish, chicken or steak hot off the grill.

Hot pasta like farfalle or spaghetti and finish with lots of grated parmesan or pecorino cheese.

Some garlic-rubbed, grilled bread for a great bruschetta appetizer.

Salsa
Slice tomatoes in quarters, catch their juice and mix with chopped red onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice and zest, salt and pepper to taste. Let the flavors meld and use as chunky salsa for chips, over grilled quesadillas, or fish or skirt steak tacos.

Also, check out this 15 minute roasted tomato pasta recipe I wrote last summer.

The Real Food Rehab Holiday Gift Guide: Fred Bamesberger

The way Fred Bamesberger and his family live is something I aspire to. There's a warmth and thoughtfulness in every detail of their surroundings. Everything he designs is decidedly modern but his materials are of the earth and his techniques are often those of centuries-old craftsmen. Sharing a meal at their home is always a treat because Fred applies the same resourcefulness and skill to his culinary endeavors as he does to his design practice; his meals are rich in organic materials and always impart the most delicious workmanship. Take it away Fred....

WHO Fred Bamesberger is an architect who designs everything from buildings, to furniture, to objects and jewelry. His work reflects a commitment to optimism and the power of creative architecture to affect change. He creates spaces that offer their inhabitants a balance of serenity and playfulness, comfort and discovery. Above all, he wants his work to contribute to the lives and landscape that will come after our own. To that end, he is conscious of creating durable and environmentally sensible solutions that last.

THE GIFT I always struggle with the gift. You want to give something special, personal, authentic, but not too expensive. My wife Leslie and I usually make gifts for friends and family from our garden. Some of the past years' gifts have included Bosc pear butter, hot pepper jam, or limoncello from our very missed lemon tree. Other years it's more complicated, like the walnut tray with an inlay of cut whole walnuts. This year is a bit different. I'm recommending the new Momofuku Cookbook. It's fun, and well written in a style that accurately and authentically reflects the attitude of its author David Chang. He shows how to take something as humble as ramen and turn it into Art.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE? Valparaiso, Indiana

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? Everything inspires me. I'm inspired everyday by the landscape and nature surrounding me, and I want to share the things that move me. I try to take time every day to walk and see and listen to the flora and fauna surrounding me. Gardening and teaching my daughter Ruby to get dirty, inspires me. We recently rehabbed an old farmhouse nearby and share this with people who want to slow down and recharge. When we need a break from the slow-life, we head to NYC to relax. This past trip we were inspired by the Pork Buns at Momofuku Noodle Bar.

GO-TO DISH WHEN COOKING FOR YOURSELF? I like to grab some of our oven roasted tomatoes. We take the surplus heritage tomatoes during peak season in the summer and roast them with salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil and fill up the freezer. A pack of these can turn into a pizza, pasta sauce, salad, or a simple side dish of its own.

Klee For A Day

I love the abstract quality of these photos. Sometimes when I'm photographing, I forget they're tomatoes - they become these beautiful blocks of light, color and shape.

I swear my tomato obsession is almost over, but here's what I did today - it's quick, easy and delish. I cut up a bunch of tomatoes into quarter-inch slices and placed them on a baking sheet with a little olive oil and salt (you could do herbs too) and stuck them in the oven at 225 degrees for almost three hours until they looked like fruit leather. I ate a bunch right out of the oven but you can add them to pasta, braised dishes, sauteed veggies, salads or on a bagel and cream cheese - the possibilities are endless. I'm going to store the rest in a jar covered in olive oil in the fridge.

(Last Call) Roasted Tomato Pasta

It's almost that time. And I must confess it makes me a little sad.

The growing season's almost over and we'll only have local tomatoes for a little while longer. I've been growing some with my neighbors in our yard and another variety on my deck and they're just now ripening! The season got a late start because of the wet spring and relatively cold summer. But, I've finally got some beauties; sweet, ripe and ready to go.

This pasta's as gorgeous and tasty as it is quick and easy. So, serve it to your loved ones on a busy weeknight or to dinner guests on a leisurely Saturday night.

I used homegrown tomatoes that were medium-sized and sliced them in half but it'll be easier if you just use small, sweet cherry or teardrop tomatoes. If you go to the farmers' market you can mix and match varieties in different shapes and colors. I also used green and purple basil from my deck, so if you have basil plants, this is the perfect opportunity to use them up!

(Last Call) Roasted Tomato Pasta

Adapted from Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries

Ingredients

1 pound dried pasta - I used spaghetti but short pasta like Orecchiette would be great, too.
3 lbs. local cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic peeled and sliced thin
30 basil leaves
3 oz. fresh Chevre
or
4 tbsp. organic heavy whipping cream and grated Pecorino to taste
olive oil
salt & pepper

Instruction

First Thing: Set your broiler on high

Boil pasta in a large pot of salted water.

Rinse and dry tomatoes well. In a roasting pan or baking dish, toss tomatoes and garlic together in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Throw the pan under the broiler, very close to the flame. You want to broil them until the skins split and get nice and charred in some places and the tomatoes give of their juices. This should take about 5 minutes depending on the heat of your oven but check after 3 minutes and don't let them burn. Remove from the oven and crush the tomatoes in the pan with the back of a fork.
Pull the pasta al dente and drain. Toss the crushed tomatoes with the basil into a serving bowl and let the basil wilt from the steam and heat. Season with salt and pepper and either throw in the goat cheese or the cream depending on your preference. If using cream, add some grated Pecorino cheese as well. Fold pasta into the mix and toss together gently with tongs and serve.

Panzanella Salad With Bacon & Eggs

Now that tomatoes are truly in season and I happened to have a few overripe ones begging to burst on the counter and a day old loaf of bread to boot - I intuitively knew it was time for Panzanella.

Panzanella is an Italian bread salad with cucumbers, onions and tomatoes tossed with red wine vinaigrette and chunky, buttery, garlicky croutons.

I made the croutons early this morning and I'll be frank; it was nearly impossible for me to stop nibbling on them warm from the oven.

Then it hit me.

Soft boiled eggs and bacon! I was imagining the eggs melding with the vinaigrette and tomato juices - and then the salty, crispy bacon folded in.

I was salivating.

So, I made it for breakfast and have enough croutons to make it again for dinner. I am downright giddy.

Panzanella would be great as a side or a main dish for any meal. I think the one thing that might take it over the edge would be to serve it with a plate of some exquisite goat cheese like Capriole's* Piper's Pyramid.

This salad is truly a seasonal delight - don't let summer get away without it.

Panzanella Salad with Bacon and Eggs

Ingredients:

Croutons:
1 rustic country loaf cut up into chunky 1 inch cubes
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 small cloves garlic, minced

Eggs & Bacon:
2 large eggs either boiled or poached to your preference
3 to 4 thick slices of bacon fried until crisp

Salad:
2 medium tomatoes and all their glorious juices roughly chopped
1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped
1 half large red onion sliced into half moons
handful torn basil leaves

Dressing:
good red wine vinegar & extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Make croutons by gently heating butter, olive oil, garlic and some salt in a sauce pan. Heat for just a few minutes until you can smell the garlic permeate the fat. Do not let garlic brown at all. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Toss in a mixing bowl with bread and use your hands to evenly coat all the croutons. Lick your fingers dry and bow your head in gratitude. Place croutons in the oven on baking sheets at 350 for 7 to 10 minutes until golden brown and slightly crunchy. They will harden more as they come to room temperature. You will have extra so keep them in a sealed container for later use. You can then re-warm them in the oven for a few minutes if they've gotten any humidity in them.

Cut up tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in a bowl, season with salt and pepper.

Toss the tomatoes, cucs, onions and croutons together and add the vinegar and olive oil to taste. I would add a little more vinegar than you think you'll need because it's tang will get absorbed by the bread. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature so flavors can meld. Tear basil and toss in. Slice eggs and crumble bacon and place on top or serve on the side.

*Capriole Goat Cheeses are locally produced in Southern Indiana and sold at Green City Market, Whole Foods and Pastoral in Lakeview and in the Loop on Lake Street.

The Promise of Pizza

For way too long I denied my love of good pizza. It all had to do with some screwed up notions about which foods I considered to be healthy or unhealthy. Thank goodness I'm finally unshackled because I really love pizza. I truly believe when we deny the things we love the most that's when we create an unhealthy situation. It sets up a guaranteed, never-ending, self-punishing trigger. My advice? Be honest with yourself about your most fervent pleasures; own and revel in them. Give yourself permission to enjoy them from time to time and earn your own trust around them. That way, they cease to be your adversaries. Even better if you can replace the processed versions with real ones along the way.

I love a good, blistery, slightly chewy, thin crust pizza and lately, I've had this burning desire to learn how to make it from scratch. It's seriously daunting for me - I've never worked with yeast. Not to mention, there are so many pizza dough recipes out there making all kinds of promises, it's hard to know where to begin. So, for my first foray, I went with someone who has never let me down...Martha. The one, the only.

At the library, I picked up The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics and in it, there was a recipe for pizza dough. I followed it to the letter. After the second rise, I punched down the dough, turned it out onto my pastry board and cut in into six, equal-sized discs. I wrapped each one individually in plastic wrap and placed them in my fridge. I left for a few hours, came home and checked on the dough only to find that the Michelin Man had taken up residence in there! The dough had expanded yet again, so I peeled away the plastic, punched it back down, rolled it out, cut and wrapped it once more.

The thing I've neglected to share is that it was also my good friend's birthday that evening and she had come to rely on eating very well in my home, so there was a lot riding on this. I could feel the pressure mounting.

I had planned to grill the pizzas. Our first pizza, a classic Margherita - fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella - died a slow death on the grill because of my own incompetence - I forgot to properly oil the dough and added the toppings before their time. However, there were pieces of the dough that tasted like the charred, chewy and smoky hardwood flavor I was going for which, gave me hope. I decided not to take a chance and blow the next pizza so I popped it in the oven. This one was an homage to a pizza I'd had at my favorite Chicago restaurant, Avec. Thinly shaved beets, arugula, marjoram, Manchego cheese and Nicoise olives. The toppings were stellar but the crust, honestly, had little flavor. But with enough wine, laughter and open air we managed to still enjoy it.

I declare that I am making a commitment right here and now to master pizza-making. There will be ongoing posts until I get it right. Until it meets my very high standards. Until I become fluent in the language and the feel of it. Until I can imagine that Martha's coming for lunch, and know without a doubt, she's going to be absolutely blown away.