I know, I know…it’s early November. I have no business posting anything about summer knee-deep in autumn.
Migliorelli had some beautiful plum tomatoes for about $1.60 a pound. I bought three or four pounds fully intending to make some of Marcella’s tomato sauce later in the week but this post on Mouthfulsfood gave me other ideas.
Tomato risotto
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It has relatives that are more well-known, like spinach, beets and quinoa, and some less known ones such as epazote and Jerusalem oak. It is one of the most nutritious plants available. It grows in abundance in the mid-Atlantic states, yet it is considered by some to be an invasive weed. Its name is lamb’s quarters and in a word, it’s delicious.
Its Latin name is Chenopodium album, meaning white goosefoot, referring to the shape of its leaf and to a mealy white powder appearing on both sides. In Canada it has been widely known as pigweed and bacon weed because it was often fed to pigs.
Lamb’s quarters
The whole plant can be eaten when young. The leaves are good in spring and early summer. After that, the upper leaves are best. The leaves can be used raw in salads or cooked in soups, stews, casseroles, simply steamed or sautéed. Lamb’s quarters dries well and can be reconstituted or powdered for use in winter. It is very good in raw cheese or tofu dishes like quiche, as its wild flavor and high mineral content go well with cool, bland high protein foods.
Here, I’ve given it a slightly Italian treatment. Shrimp are briefly sautéed with garlic, then folded into coarsely chopped lamb’s quarters that have been separately sautéed with garlic, red pepper flakes and breadcrumbs. This is then combined with spaghetti and served with a little Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil drizzled on top.
In a few weeks (if not sooner), heirloom tomatoes will disappear from farm stands in New York City, not to be seen again until next summer. You may have heard of widespread cases of tomato blight that occurred all throughout the eastern seaboard of the United States earlier this year. I know of at least two farmers who had to throw out over $50,000 worth of product during the first harvest in late July.
The expected increase in price hasn’t materialized but I can’t help think that quite a few vendors won’t be returning next year in order to recoup their losses.
Heirloom tomatoes
Tonight’s dinner is loosely based off of this recipe found in this article from this past Wednesday’s New York Times.
Ripe tomatoes are roasted with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, then handfuls of fresh sheep’s milk ricotta are scattered over. The result is a sweet, luscious sauce that conjures up a haunting memory of summer and a taste of a season to come.
This is my favorite time of year, foodwise. So many wonderful things are available at the market this time of year. The thin, light meals of summer give way to heartier fare that autumn demands. Yet, there is still time to savor the fruits of late summer before the first chill makes its presence felt.
Heirloom tomato and stone fruit salad
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For this salad, choose a variety of tomatoes and pair them with plums and peaches. Apricots and nectarines are also good choices, if available. Season lightly with sea salt or fleur de sel; dress with lime juice, mint and extra-virgin olive oil and serve at once.
Back before Mario Batali became a big star on The Food Network, he owned a restaurant named Po, located on Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village. One of Chef Batali’s signature offerings was white bean bruschetta — cannellini beans kissed with a touch of garlic, balsamic vinegar and herbs and spooned atop hunks of toasted Italian bread. I remember having dinner there shortly after my 25th birthday. It was the first time I had had bruschetta, and it was a taste revelation.
According to Wikipedia, bruschetta is a food the origin of which dates to at least the 15th century from central Italy. It consists of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Variations may include toppings of spicy red pepper, tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, and/or cheese. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer.
One of the more familiar and popular recipes involves tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil. For myself, I prefer tomatoes, salt, pepper, some kind of herb (mint, tarragon, basil or even celery leaves), some acid (a teaspoon or two of white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or lemon juice), shallots or Vidalia onion and good quality extra-virgin olive oil. No cheese — I feel it throws off the balance of the dish. Ditto for garlic.
One other thing — when you make bruschetta, you should strive to use the best and freshest ingredients possible. You’ll definitely taste the difference in the end.
Heirloom tomato bruschetta
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3 small to medium ripe heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
pinch of kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon mint, cut into a chiffonade (1)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Italian bread or sourdough bread, sliced
In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the bread. Mix well.
Toast the bread until lightly golden. Spoon the tomato mixture atop the toast and serve immediately.
(1) — Chiffonade is a cooking technique in which herbs or leafy green vegetables are cut into long, thin strips. This is generally accomplished by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then cutting across the rolled leaves with a sharp knife, producing fine ribbons.
Recipe and demo for the oyster stew after the jump.
Radish, tomato and red onion “bruschetta”
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Radishes and red cippolini onions were roasted in a 350 F oven for 30 minutes, then combined with halved Sungold cherry tomatoes and garlic chives, and spooned atop slices of toasted sourdough bread. If this were true bruschetta, I’d have used Italian bread or perhaps a baguette, but I didn’t have that luxury this time around.
Main entrée was a plain French omelette and salad greens with a white wine viniagrette.
Rather than describe how to make an omelette, this is one of those times where the best explanation is something you can view, preferably by a true master:
This blog post seems appropriate given that Julie and Julia was released last week. 
Thin spaghetti with caramelized onion, anchovies and herbs
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Originally I was going to do sort of a tomato carbonara (Sungold tomatoes and chopped prosciutto with carbonara sauce over angel hair pasta, topped with sourdough breadcrumbs). Then I thought of the basil.
The sauce is basically thinly sliced red cippolini onion slowly caramelized in olive oil. Anchovy fillets are incorporated into the onion mixture along with coarsely chopped garlic and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Handfuls of chopped herbs (basil, parsley, garlic chives) are stirred in at the last minute. Finish the sauce with some freshly milled black pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 3 T. pasta cooking water; drain spaghetti in a colander. Stir the pasta cooking water into the pan, then add the spaghetti. Toss until strands are coated with the sauce, and serve immediately.
Stufato di verdure alla Toscana
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Stufato di verdure is a northern Italian vegetable stew common to Tuscany. This version was served with a poached farm egg and garlic-rubbed sourdough toast. The word stufata is a cooking technique similar to a braise, in which the ingredients are cooked in little or no water. The juices from the vegetables themselves form the stew’s gravy. Stufato should be served immediately lest the vegetables absorb what little liquid there is. Then it becomes more like ciambotta, a southern Italian dish that’s related to both ratatouille and caponata.
Stufato is a year-round dish that’s limited only by your imagination and availability of ingredients at your local market. In autumn, it can feature pumpkin, squash, tomatoes, cranberry beans, cauliflower and peppers. In the winter, it might contain black cabbage, potatoes, carrots, chard and kale. In the spring, fava beans, baby artichokes, baby leeks, young peas, green garlic and turnips.
You can make stufato several hours ahead and reheat, or serve it at room temperature. This goes well with a crisp white wine such as a pinot gris or Tokay d’Alsace.
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What could be simpler: diced heirloom tomatoes (Japanese pear, Aunt Ruby, Sungold cherry tomatoes), mint, shallot, extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper and cooked spaghetti.
Make this sauce with ripe tomatoes and fresh herbs. Some cooks use basil, celery leaves, capers or oregano. It’s all about whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand. Serve with a Chianti or a glass of pinot noir.
Well, raw, but not in the way you think.
Spaghetti con salsa di pomodoro*, radish and sugar snap peas with ricotta salata and herbs
*Otherwise known as “thin spaghetti with uncooked tomato sauce” — Yellow Jersey tomatoes, shallot, summer squash, salt, pepper, lemon zest, tarragon and extra-virgin olive oil. Dice the tomatoes, shallot and summer squash. Combine in a glass or nonreactive bowl. Add a pinch of kosher salt, some freshly milled black pepper, the lemon zest and some chopped herbs (basil is best but tarragon or marjoram will do in a pinch). Drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over the vegetables. Stir and check seasoning. Pour the sauce over cooked spaghetti, toss to coat and serve immediately.
Use only the freshest in-season tomatoes when making this dish.
Click here for the radish salad recipe.
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