Lasagna Casserole with Polenta, Mozzarella and Parmesan

Sometimes a recipe enters my lexicon of food preparation and I forget that it has some significance to my Tomato Quest; i.e. finding ways to use tomatoes.  I really consider tomatoes to be a super fruit - they can be used in so many ways and, when they are the perfect ripeness and sweetness, are just as good raw as they are cooked.

So there I was, looking for a new(ish) recipe appropriate for colder weather and a recipe from my past came to mind.  This is a good alternative to a traditional lasagna with the wide noodles.  One can also entirely leave out the meat for a more vegetarian friendly dish.

NOTES:

• If fresh basil is not available, make the sauce with canned whole tomatoes that have basil already in cooked with the tomatoes.  If you prefer a Fontina over a Mozzarella, feel free to experiment and substitute.
• Also – you can use a jar of prepared Marinara or other type of spaghetti sauce if you need to save time.  Make sure to heat the sauce, add the sausage, and allow to simmer for a few minutes before using it to prepare the casserole.
• You can also use prepared polenta, but I find that the cost is more than I want to spend, and I really prefer to spread the polenta mixture as opposed to cutting the log of polenta and layering the indivual pieces.
• This dish could probably meet Vegan requirements if you could find a reasonable alternative to the cheeses used in the recipe.
• For the oven dish I have also used a bread/meatloaf style dish which actually allows a better cut of the "lasagna" for serving.

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped carrots

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes (with basil if you have it)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano (or 1 Tbsp fresh, chopped)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

3 whole Italian style sausages

4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup polenta or coarse cornmeal

2 cups grated Low Fat Mozzarella cheese

¾ cup finely grated Parmesan

Instructions/Method

1.  Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan.  Remove casings from the sausage and place the sausage in the non-stick pan.  Cook and lightly brown the sausage over medium heat, breaking up the sausage so that it is in smaller, crumbly, pieces.  Set aside.

2.  Heat olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat; add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until onions are translucent and carrots just tender (5-10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the tomatoes and their juice (break up tomatoes as you put them in), parsley, and oregano. Add the pre-cooked sausage and bring the sauce to a simmer, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced to about 3 cups. Mix in fresh basil, season to taste with salt and pepper.

3.  In a large saucepan, bring a quart of water to a boil, adding a teaspoon of salt. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often and gradually add the Parmesan cheese.  Cook until thick and about 10 minutes.  The polenta mixture needs to be cooked through – taste to make sure that the polenta is not still grainy in texture, but more like a smooth Cream of Wheat.

4.  Prepare a baking dish, brush 8x8x2 Pyrex or ceramic baking dish with olive oil. Spread 1/3 of the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Pour half of the polenta over the sauce. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Pour another third of the sauce over the cheese. Pour the remaining half of the polenta over the sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, cover with remaining sauce. Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.

5.  Bake in the preheated oven until completely heated through, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

6. Use a knife to cut the servings and a square-edged spatula to place on plates.  Garnish with additional parsley or basil and some freshly grated parmesan.

Serve with your favorite medium-bodied red wine and a green salad dressed with a light vinaigrette. 

Yield: Serves 6.

You can also find this recipe on my Cooking 4 U Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=323344384364705&id=119308178101661

Loving Tomatoes

Tomatoes, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.  I love thee in the morning, in my omelet.  I love thee at lunch, in my salad.  I love thee with my dinner, in the evenings.

According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatoes#Tomato_records ), tomatoes are now grown and eaten around the world.  They are used in many diverse ways.  From salads to ketchup; from salsa to tomato juice; whole or diced sent; fresh or canned; on pizzas or in stews; in Italian or even Middle Eastern cuisines.

In terms of nutrition, tomatoes are considered to be of great benefit.  They contain lycopene and are considered to help prevent prostate cancer and to decrease the risk of breast cancer.  According to the United States department of agriculture (http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/7228.pdf), California accounts for over 90% of U.S. production of tomatoes.  Is it any wonder that tomatoes are ubiquitous in California cuisine?

Today’s recipe incorporates tomatoes with orzo and feta cheese.  Orzo is small pasta that resembles grains of rice.  It can be served warm or cold and blends well with vegetables. 

Tomato and Orzo Salad with Feta

Ingredients

• 1 cup Orzo (a package usually yields about 2 cups or 16 oz.)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped (or 1 tsp. dehydrated garlic flakes if you are out of fresh)
• 1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil (or you can use grape seed oil)
• 8-10 asparagus spears, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup packed fresh spinach - chopped (you can substitute half of the spinach with arugula if you want a little more bite to the dish).
• ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• ¾ cup coarsely chopped tomatoes (or use cherry or grape tomatoes that you have cut in half).
• Juice of ½ large Lime
• Juice of ½ Lemon
• 1/3 cup feta cheese (you can also substitute grated or shredded Parmesan – but do not use a powdered Parmesan)
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Using, a medium sauce pan, bring 4 cups of water to boil, adding a pinch of salt. Stir in the orzo and cook according to package directions until tender (About 10 minutes, less if you like your pasta al dente). Drain Orzo and set aside in a large bowl.

2. Start the sauté of the fresh garlic in the olive oil and add in the asparagus. Sauté the mixture for 3 or 4 minutes.

3. Stir in the spinach/arugula. Continue to stir and cook only until asparagus is tender crisp and the spinach shrinks down a bit.  (An alternative is to cook the spinach, but stir in some chopped Arugula at the very end of cooking.)

4. Add the vegetable mixture to the Orzo in the bowl. Add the tomatoes, fresh chopped parsley, the fresh lime and lemon juice and the red pepper flakes as well

5. Fold the veg mixture into the Orzo until well incorporated, but do not over stir.

6. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top of the salad and finish by seasoning with salt and pepper.  You may also add more lemon or lime juice if you so desire.

7. Serve warm as an accompaniment to your favorite chicken, fish, or lamb dish.

Serves 4-6

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I think my favorite season is fall.  During fall, I am already prepping and getting ideas for the holidays to come.  In the midst of this I am also busy collecting the last burst of love from my tomato plants.  This year’s crop has been a very pleasant surprise.  While many other people were singing the tomato woes – small yields, etc.,  I have been fortunate with my little raised garden bed. 

This year we planted Beef Master (beefsteak size and sweetness), Early Girls (for a more immediate tomato fix because they are the first to bloom and grow, and grape tomatoes.  These last ones have been a source of endless delight!  Sweet and wonderful!  I have truly enjoyed the bounteous crop.

Because the weather is changing and we get a few cooler nights and days, my thoughts turn to soup for the first time in months.  I was recently at a point where I could not get my surplus tomatoes to the Outreach Pantry and some of them were getting a tad juicy for slicing for sandwiches or quartering for salads.  And I had more than a few of them and no space to freeze any more sauce or salsa.  What do I do with all the tomatoes?

Ah ha!  Soup…. But it had to be easy and quick.  I decided to cut up the tomatoes into smallish chunks and add some vegetables.  What follows is a recipe for Garden Soup, tasty and easy to make.

 Garden Soup

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 ½ pounds of very ripe tomatoes coarsely chopped (if you do not have fresh very ripe tomatoes use a large can of diced tomatoes)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 summer squash (one green and one yellow zucchini)
• ½ large sweet red bell pepper (or if you have an orange or yellow one use that – just don’t use all green bell pepper)
• ½ medium green bell pepper
• McCormick’s Perfect Pinch Mediterranean seasoning
• 1 small white or yellow onion
• 1 large shallot
• 6 large basil leaves
• 1 ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• ¼ tsp Cayenne pepper (optional)
• Crumbled Feta Cheese or large grated Parmesan

Directions

• Take your chopped tomatoes and place in a medium-large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add a pinch of salt and an equal amount of pepper.  Turn the burner on very low and allow to heat slowly while you prep the other ingredients.

Prep the rest of the veggies:

• Peel, then quarter the onion and then slice into ¼ inch quartered rings.
• Smash, and then dice the garlic cloves.
• Peel, then dice the shallot.
• Remove the seeds and white ribs from the peppers you are using and cut them so that they are ¾ to 1 inch squares.
• Remove the stem and flower ends from the squash and cut into thick ( ¼ to ½ inch slices)
• Wash the Basil Leaves and pat dry. 
• Put your olive oil into a medium to large sauté pan and turn burner on to medium-low.
• Add your onion slices and diced shallot and sauté – stirring them for about 4 minutes.  You want them softened but not translucent.
• Add a pinch of salt and the McCormick seasoning.
• Add the garlic and the peppers and continue to sauté, stirring to make sure you do not scorch the garlic.
• Add the squash and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.  Don’t overcook the squash – it needs to be warmed through but still al denté.
• Add all the sautéed vegetables to the pot with the tomatoes.  Add the Cayenne pepper at this time and stir well.  Heat the soup to just boiling and then back it down to a slow simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
• Roll the basil leaves inside of one another – sort of like you are trying to roll a mini cigar.  Take the rolled leaves and either cut or use scissors to create fine basil slices.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with basil and about a tablespoon of the cheese for each bowl.  It will easily serve 4 people and there may even be leftovers.  Mangia!

Storing Tomatoes and Crockpot Tomato Sauce

Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen have been a source of inspiration to many home cooks.  Personally I really like the idea that things are tried, tested out and re-tried to get things right.  Having someone else doing that eliminates a lot of trouble and waste in your own kitchen. 

Recently, Cook's Country published an article on how to store tomatoes.  You can read the full article here: Storing Tomatoes.  In short, they found that storing tomatoes stem side down allowed the tomatoes a longer shelf life.  Since I grow a lot of tomatoes in the summer time, this is invaluable to me; especially because it is often several days before I can give some of them away.

Another tip for storing tomatoes:  Do not put them in the refrigerator.  There are two reasons for this.

1. Tomatoes loose their texture and freshness when stored cold.
2. Cold stored tomatoes have less flavor - at least until they warm up a bit.

"Yeah but," you may say, "I need to be able to store them until I can use them."  Granted, but the best bet is to use them as they ripen.  Keep them, stem-side down in a colander or bowl on the kitchen counter.  How do you know if a tomato is really ripe?  Depending upon the variety it will have a very deep red color and give ever-so-slightly to pressure.

So, still have too many tomatoes to use fresh or cook?  How about making your own tomato sauce?  I append here a couple of links to tomato sauce recipes that you can find online as well as my own.  Enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Pasta/Pasta-Sauces/Tomato-Sauce/Top.aspx

http://homecooking.about.com/od/condimentrecipes/r/blsauce49.htm

My own recipe for tomato sauce varies from time to time, but at its most basic (without olive oil, garlic, onion, parsley, oregano or other Italian spices) consists of the following:

Simple Crockpot Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs of tomatoes seeded and peeled.
• 1 teaspoon (or to taste) of Kosher salt.
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of generic honey (do not use any highly flavored type such as clover) - again, adjust to taste.

Directions:

• Cut the seeded and peeled tomatoes in half and place them in a crockpot. (I use a crockpot because I have better results than in a pan on the stove.)  Be sure to cover the crockpot with its lid.  :-)
• Turn the crockpot to its lowest setting above "warm" and let cook for 6-8 hours.
• Stir the mixture every couple of hours and check the texture and consistency.  I usually mash the tomatoes a bit each time to get a finer consistency.
• When you judge that the cooking has given you a fairly thick and somewhat smoother sauce than you started with, turn off your crockpot and allow the mixture to cool.
• When the mixture is cool enough not to burn you, process in a blender to make it even smoother - depending upon your needs.

Can or store in refrigerator up to 10 days or in a freezer up to 3 months.

Tomato tips and Spaghettini con Feta.

In the past, I have seen recipes calling for "seeded" tomatoes, or telling the cook to "seed" the tomatoes.  It was not until recently that I went looking for tips on just how to do that. 


Now, please understand... I was raised in a household that used or reused every last bit of food, and seeding the tomatoes would be considered rather silly.  Nevertheless, some recipes really need to have the tomatoes seeded, e.g.; tomato sauce, tomato juice, etc. 


So I went looking for videos on how to seed a tomato.  Following are two links for videos (thank you Internet!) on the process.  The first is fairly simple and the second included peeling them as well.  And it appears that it isn't rocket science after all.

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-seed-tomato-131479/

http://www.ehow.com/video_2346596_peel-seed-tomato.html


So given that we are discussing peeling and seeding, I am including a recipe that requires seeded tomatoes.  I pulled this one from one of my recently published recipes on my Facebook page.  I have cleaned up some of the spelling errors along the way.

This take on a Cooks Country recipe for Pasta Caprese uses Feta Cheese instead of Mozzarella and to add it at the very last.  Mangiare!

Behold!   

Spaghettini con Feta

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves , minced fine or pressed through a garlic press
• 1 small shallot , minced fine (No Shallot?  Use a small bit of Red Onion - a couple of tablespoons worth)
• 1 + pounds ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (if you are lazy like me, and don't want to seed the tomatoes, at least get the dice size small)
• 10-12 ounces fresh Feta  cheese , crumbled into smallish (I used the Bulgarian Feta from the Milk Pail in Mountain View - good moisture content and fragrant)
• 1 pound (but you can do this with less - just cut the recipe in half) whole grain or whole wheat Spaghettini pasta (Whole grain is a must for health and thin spaghetti keeps one from being overwhelmed by the whole grain.)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil  (TIP:t use some kitchen shears to slice it up - doesn't bruise the basil as much)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon of McCormicks "Perfect Pinch" Mediterranean Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

1. Whisk oil, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, garlic, shallot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, honey, pepper flakes and Mediterranean Seasoning together in large bowl. Add tomatoes and gently toss to combine; set aside. Do not marinate tomatoes for longer than 3/4 of an hour - 20-30 minutes is best.

2. While tomatoes are marinating, bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil in stockpot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and spaghettini, stir to separate,and cook until al dente. Drain well.

3. Using a large non-stick fry pan, fold the tomato mixture into the pasta.  Gently toss to combine. Turn heat on under pan to medium-low and warm only for 5 minutes. Stir in basil and Feta; adjust seasonings with additional salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice or honey, if desired.

Serve immediately in some pasta bowls with a lite salad and maybe some bruschetta toasts or crusty bread to soak up the juices in the bottom of your bowl.

Note - you can substitute Farfalle (bow-tie) or Penne pasta if you want a heartier dish.

Cultures and Tomato Dishes

Unless you have an allergy or other aversion to tomatoes, it is likely that you grew up with some sort of tomato as part of the food you ate.  But there are many cultures where the tomato, while not unknown is hard to come by and rarely used. For example the tomato, being a "new world" food was not present in traditional Chinese cooking - although now days it has been incorporated in to at least a few menu items such as Tomato Beef. Japanese cuisine has also adopted the tomato and it is of note that tomatoes are featured heavily in vegan recipes.

Cultural cuisine transplants are also apparent in at least some African cuisines (and there are a number of these).  However, the tomato along with chile peppers were brought to African by their European colonial conquerors. We can also see that European cuisines adopted the tomato and developed a number of recipes for them.  And although maybe they are less used in the far northern climates due to the conditions needed for growing them, a quick perusal of the Internet shows that the tomato is present in at least a few dishes in most (if not all) northern European cuisines.

I challenge the reader to find the most unusual use of the tomato in any given cuisine.  If you also have the recipe, I will publish it (with correct attributions of course) on this blog.

In the meantime, here is a recipe for a cheesy, tomato frittata.  It makes a good weekend breakfast of brunch item and can be refrigerated for later when you can re-heat or simply bring it up to room temperature.  If this is a lunch or dinner item, serve with your favorite white wine - my favorites would be a Granache Blanc or perhaps an Albarino from WineShop At Home.  Salude!

Cheesy Egg and Tomato Frittata

Ingredients

½ lb ripe cherry or grape tomatoes – heirlooms or home grown have the best flavor

1 scallion sliced fine

5 oz Brie; rind scraped off, cut into cubes
2 oz Mozzarella cheese; grated
1 oz Fontinella cheese; grated (or use a similar softer cheese – even Havarti can be nice)

2 T Chopped fresh oregano  (1 T dried)

1/3 c Chopped fresh basil
4 lg Eggs

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp Spike (optional)
½ c Heavy cream (can sub half & half, but use only 1/3 c)
¼ c Milk

Olive Oil

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
• Wash and drain the tomatoes thoroughly on paper towels. Cut the cherry or grape tomatoes in half and set aside
• Lightly oil a medium-sized cast iron pan and start to warm on a medium flame on the stove top.
• Beat the eggs, cream, milk salt and pepper and fold in Basil and Oregano.
• Pour the egg mixture into the warming pan – if the egg mixture begins to solidify too quickly lower the heat under the pan.
• Add the cubed Brie to the egg mixture, placing the cheese cubes evenly around the pan in the egg mixture.
• Add the grated mozzarella and fontinella over the egg mixture.
• Place the tomatoes on top of the cheese just added.
• Remove the pan from the stove-top and place in the oven to bake for 35-45 mins. or until the center is set (use a very skinny knife or a toothpick to test).
  

Carefully remove the pan from the oven and set atop a stove grate or on a trivet. Allow the frittata to cool 10-15 mins. before you cut to serve. 

Slice frittata into wedges to serve.

Serve with a simple spinach or romaine salad dressed with a vinaigrette.

Why?

Specifically, why tomatoes?  "What's to say about tomatoes?" you may ask.  Answer:  More than you probably want to know.

I got the idea about Tomato Mama because I call myself the "Tomato Whisperer" and grow lots of tomatoes during the late spring and summer months.  (Sometimes the tomato bushes even last until November.)  And because I love figuring out ways to use and eat and enjoy them.  Love new recipes, so if you have a favorite one, send it along and I may print it.

OK.. 'nuff of that.  The point of this blog is to have a good time and share tomato tips and recipes with others.  I also aim to educate with a bit of history as well as info on how canned, dried, etc. tomatoes are harvested and delivered to the company the cans them and sells them to your local supermarket.  And, darn it!  I just love fresh ripe tomatoes!  I even like fried green tomatoes and the tomato cousin (of sorts) the tomatillo.  I get spoiled by my home-growns and am VERY picky about the tomatoes I buy at the markets (farmer's or super) - but more about that another time.

Along the way, and beginning tomorrow, there will be 365 ways to eat, use, enjoy tomatoes.  I welcome thoughts, comments, questions and ideas about the "other" fruit of the vine. 

So, let us begin with a little history.  Wikipedia says that the tomato is a savory, typically red, edible fruit, as well as the plant (Solanum lycopersicum) which bears it. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler climates.

The tomato is often considered a perennial and is a member of the Nightshade family.  It was widely used by Mesoamerican (read Aztec, Maya, etc.) although for a while it was viewed with suspicion, due to its relationship with Nightshade, by Europeans.  How it came to be domesticated and other historical tidbits is covered very nicely by the Wikipedia article.  Suffice it to say that it was eventually domesticated and it flourished in Mediterranean climates although it wasn't known to be grown in England until the late 1500's.

So more history....?  No, not right now.  I shall be doling out bits of history as I go along and hope to capture and keep your interest over time.

Tomorrow:  recipe for Spaghettini con Feta and a bit about growing tomatoes - generally and here in the Bay area.