PICK LIST:
Eggplant - Basil - Onion - Melon - Melon - Zinnias
Tomatoes (Heirloom, Plum, Cherries) - Carmen (sweet) Pepper - Garlic - Potatoes
CSAers!! This week’s newsletter, we are skipping the farm talk and heading straight to recipes due to ALL THE TOMATOES. Consider this your, SAUCE week! However, it would be silly to not mention all the back to school/cool weather vibes happening right now. Bottomline, Fall is in the air and our beloved FALL CSA is just around the corner. CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE FALL CSA INFO
TIPS - TRICKS - RECIPES:
Recipe by Andy Baraghani
1 ciabatta loaf or other crusty bread
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, halved crosswise
2 lb. heirloom tomatoes, cored
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, chopped oregano, and/or oil-packed anchovy fillets (for serving; optional
Preheat oven to 300°. Holding a bread knife so it’s parallel with work surface, slice ciabatta in half lengthwise (like opening a book). Slice each piece in half lengthwise down the center, then cut each strip on a diagonal into 4 pieces (you should have 16 pieces total).
Drizzle 3 Tbsp. oil over bread and rub each piece to evenly distribute oil. Place bread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and dried out, 30–40 minutes. Rub warm toast with cut sides of garlic; set aside.
Meanwhile, slice a thin round off the bottom of each tomato. Starting at cut end, grate tomatoes on the largest holes of a grater into a medium bowl until all that’s left are the flattened tomato skins. Finely chop skins and mix into grated flesh; season very generously with salt.
Spoon a generous amount of tomato sauce over each toast (you may have some left over). Let sit at least a minute or two so bread can absorb some of the juices. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with more salt, and top as desired.
ANOTHER STINKIN EASY RECIPE FROM CLAIRE, THIS TIME IT’S…
(All time fave) red tomato sauce
Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Garlic
Basil
Salt to taste
Chop GARLIC & saute in olive oil over medium low heat until fragrant
With a box grater, on the big grate side, grate TOMATOES directly into pan with olive oil and GARLIC.
Simmer 10-15 minutes, or until it’s reached the consistency you want.
Salt to taste.
Add slightly undercooked pasta & finish in sauce. Serve with torn basil.
OPTIONAL: add anchovies, chopped kalamata olives, hot pepper flakes, and capers to the garlic saute for puttanesca sauce!
CLAIRE’S NOTES: Also dynamite as tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich.
ANOTHER NOTE: Instead of grating tomatoes, I often coarsely chop whole tomatoes, only removing the stem portion, then hit the sauce with an immersion blender. The tomato skins add a special perfume to the final sauce that is pretty addictive.
Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce With Onion & Butter
FOR THOSE THAT PREFER A SLOWER SAUCE RECIPE, BECAUSE AS CLAIRE SAYS
“there’s always one or two people who aren’t happy unless it cooks forever. This one is very sweet and tastes like (homemade) chef boyardee to me.”
For the Sauce
2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, prepared as described below (FYI, you have 4-5lbs of plum tomatoes with your CSA)
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
Salt to taste
For the Sauce
Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until it is thickened to your liking and the fat floats free from the tomato.
Stir from time to time, mashing up any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon.
Taste and correct for salt. Before tossing with pasta, you may remove the onion (as Hazan recommended) and save for another use, but many opt to leave it in. Serve with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for the table.
Making Fresh Tomatoes Ready for Sauce
The blanching method: Plunge the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute or less. Drain them and, as soon as they are cool enough to handle, skin them, and cut them into coarse pieces.
The freezing method (from David Tanis, via The Kitchn): Freeze tomatoes on a baking sheet until hard. Thaw again, either on the counter or under running water. Skin them and cut them into coarse pieces.
The food mill method: Wash the tomatoes in cold water, cut them lengthwise in half, and put them in a covered saucepan. Turn on the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Set a food mill fitted with the disk with the largest holes over a bowl. Transfer the tomatoes with any of their juices to the mill and puree.
AND IF THE SPIRIT MOVES YOU, ORDER YOURSELF A BOX OF PLUMS THROUGH THE FARMSTAND (603) 298-5764 AND MAKE A TON OF EITHER RECIPE TO FREEZE/CAN BECAUSE HEADS UP YALL, WINTER IS COMING