Tomato Season 7

Pan-glazed heirloom tomato salad served over roasted fingerling potatoes

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When I began foodblogging in earnest, I decided that I wanted to have a vegetable-focused foodblog without making the crossover to vegetarianism. I like chicken, butter and eggs too much to ever consider giving them up entirely. That being said, these days I eat much less red meat than I used to, although I won’t say no to a nice piece of steak every now and then.

Dinner menu for Sunday, October 4, 2009:

Peperonata and zucchini omelette
Heirloom tomato salad served over roasted fingerling potatoes — (see recipe below)
2006 Anthony Road Pinot Gris (Finger Lakes, New York)
Fromage blanc with ginger-lemon confiture

Cauliflower 1

To most people, cauliflower is decidedly boring. It’s not sexy compared to say, tomatoes or corn. I seriously doubt that it springs to mind when you ask someone what his or her favorite vegetable is.

“Cheese” cauliflower — By the way, this picture hasn’t been photoshopped. That’s the way it really looks, hence the name cheese cauliflower.

Roasting cauliflower changes its flavor to something approaching French fries. It’s an easy way to persuade someone to eat a vegetable that he or she might not normally consume. Once you cook it this way, you’ll be sorry you hadn’t bought more than one head. It’s pretty amazing.

One head cauliflower
4 T. extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375 F. Break apart cauliflower. The smaller the florets, the better. You want the florets to be of similarly uniform size, so that the cauliflower cooks evenly. Drizzle olive oil over cauliflower; sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat. Roast for 45 minutes or until cauliflower has caramelized and turns golden brown. Let cool slightly, then serve immediately.

Discussion on eGullet can be found here.

Cheese cauliflower with heirloom tomatoes and beets
Here, I’ve paired roasted cauliflower with chopped heirloom tomatoes and roasted beets, along with black mustard seeds, sea salt, olive oil and chopped parsley.

Carpe Diem

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.

Meatless Fridays

Ricotta salata isn’t the same thing as ricotta cheese. It’s a sheep’s milk cheese; the curds and whey are pressed and dried before the cheese is aged. The result is a cheese with a slightly spongy texture and an intense creamy flavor, rather like a dry Italian feta. Use as you would feta cheese. Just remember that feta cheese is aged in brine, therefore although both cheeses are salty, feta usually has a wetter texture and crumbles more easily.

Watermelon and red onion salad with ricotta salata

seedless watermelon, cubed
2 T. ricotta salata, crumbled
chopped scallions (light green and white part only)
red onion or Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
2 T. reserved watermelon juice
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. lime juice
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
chopped parsley

Combine watermlon, ricotta salata, onion and scallions. Toss gently. Whisk dressing and spoon over salad. Serve immediately.

Salad + Soup

Chilled chard and sorrel soup, with crème fraiche –
This soup is so easy I can make it with my eyes closed. Saute onion in unsalted butter, add chard and sorrel, add vegetable stock, check seasoning. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes; let cool, then blend using either a regular blender or immersion blender. Check seasoning again. Chill for 2 to 6 hours. Garnish with a dollop of crème fraiche and chopped herbs. It’s a perfect anecdote for all the muggy weather we’ve been having lately.

Summer chopped salad —
Apricots, plums, tomatoes, heirloom onions, yellow and purple peppers, baby zucchini, with a white wine viniagrette (lemon basil, salt, pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar).

Two Salads

Left: Watermelon radish and Japanese cucumber salad with ginger viniagrette; right: warm arugula, corn and tomato salad

La Cuisine du Marché

With the exception of the shrimp and some pantry staples, every ingredient in tonight’s dinner was bought from local farmers’ markets. Even the white wine vinegar in the salad dressing. That’s my commitment to seasonal and local — changing the world one meal at a time.

Radish and cucumber salad, with fromage blanc and levain croutons

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Homemade croutons are the simplest thing. Take a thick slice of [stale] bread and trim off the crust, then cut into 1/2″ or smaller cubes. Sauté in melted unsalted butter over medium heat or until the cubes are golden brown. Do not burn. Remove from heat and let cool. Some chopped herbs or salt is nice.

It’s so easy, it makes me wonder why people prefer processed food.

Pan-roasted cod, shrimp with garlic and parsley, garlic oil

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Eggs on Toast 2

Eggs sunnyside-up, heirloom tomato and cucumber salad, toasted levain

This is my newest favorite way to have breakfast — pan-fried eggs over salad and crispy toast. Ingredients vary, depending on the season and what looks good at the market. The salad is simply halved cherry tomato, diced cucumber and summer squash, half an onion, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic scapes, parsley and extra-virgin olive oil.

Once you have it this way, you’ll wonder why you hadn’t thought of it before.

A bigger version of the pic can be seen here.

Raw Food

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.

Monkfish 1

One of the items from this weekend’s Greenmarket haul was 1 1/2 lbs. monkfish tail. Tomorrow (Monday) night’s dinner will use it in a different preparation. Or I could just make congee and call it a day.

Baked monkfish with Mediterranean citrus marinade
Sucrine salad with roasted white beets, summer squash and pickled shallots

For the monkfish:

Juice of 1 lemon
2 T. grated lemon zest
1 shallot, minced
1 T. black peppercorns, crushed
1 T. fresh thyme, chopped
kosher salt, to taste
olive oil
monkfish fillet

Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, shallot, peppercorns, thyme and salt. Mix well. Score monkfish fillet on both sides. Pour marinade over monkfish and marinate for at least 3 hours. This step can be made up to one day ahead.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place monkfish fillet in a glass baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until monkfish is cooked through. Serve.