Last tomatoes from the garden

I was away from home for a week, and when I got back this evening the forecast was for the temperature to go below freezing.  So, I took a flashlight out to the garden and picked all the Brandywine and Roma tomatoes I could see, and also picked cherry tomatoes that were ripe.  Now I have to look for some recipes for green tomatoes.  I have a recipe for enchilada sauce that's good, but maybe I'll find something else.  By the way, if you're looking for a good tomato for your own garden, I highly recommend Brandywine, an heirloom variety.  They taste great, and they are not prone to bugs or other damage.

And in another day or two, I'll post on StudioNotes about what I was doing during the week away. . .

Simple Salmon

One doesn't usually think of Galesburg, Illinois as a great place for seafood, but we're very lucky to be the home location for Sitka Salmon Shares.  David and I have been enjoying our first delivery of our share of sockeye salmon, which came with this simple and delicious recipe.  Our garden has an abundance of cherry tomatoes and basil at the moment, so this was perfect.

SALMON, CHERRY TOMATOES, AND BASIL IN FOIL

adapted from recipe from  Sitka Salmon Shares

1 lb. salmon fillet

12 or so cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

10 big basil leaves

2 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Cut salmon fillet into 2 equal pieces.  Lay out two sheets of aluminum foil large enough to completely wrap around each fillet.  Brush each sheet of foil with olive oil and place fillets, skin side down, on the foil.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Layer salmon first with the sliced cherry tomatoes and then the basil leaves.  Drizzle remaining olive oil equally over each.  Close each foil package tightly, making sure all edges are crimped together tightly.

Place the foil packets in a metal baking dish or jelly roll pan.  Cook salmon for about 10 minutes (medium rare) or 13 minutes (well done).  Remove from oven, and let the package cool for a couple of minutes before opening.

An exceptional summer dessert: Plum Galette

I have made this dessert twice in the last ten days, first for a dinner with another couple, and then the other evening, just for David and me.  We each had a piece for a late night treat, another piece each for breakfast, and then we split the last remaining piece for dessert tonight.  This is so good.  Really, you should try it.  I had never made a dessert with plums before, but now I'm looking for other recipes.  I found a recipe for a cold plum soup that looks good too.  Or I might just make another plum galette. . .

This recipe is adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts, by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson.  I bought this book after seeing it well-reviewed in a number of places, but the recipes seemed more complicated than I felt up to.  I made this a lot simpler by using a prepared pie crust instead of making a galette crust from scratch.  My mother made great pie crusts, and I've tried, but I don't seem to have the touch.  I think the store-bought ones are a great invention!  Addition 9/24/15:  In the years after posting this recipe, I have become more confident in making pie crusts, thanks to the purchase of a silicone pastry mat, which the crust doesn't stick to, and which makes clean-up much easier.  So, I've added below the recipe for the galette crust that comes from the same book.  It is good enough that I think it's worth the extra effort; this is how I make the galette now myself.  But a store-bought crust is fine too.  And one other tip:  If you want to serve this with something less caloric than creme fraiche or ice cream, try Low Fat Vanilla Cream.

PLUM GALETTE 

(adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts)

serves 4-5

1 prepared pie crust (I use Pillsbury)

1/2 c. + 2 T. granulated sugar

seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean (or you could substitute 1 t. vanilla extract)

1 T. cornstarch

1/2 t. fine sea salt

5 plums, pitted and each cut into eighths

vanilla ice cream or crème fraiche for a topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Cut the plums into eighths and put in a medium-sized bowl.

Line a rimmed baking sheet (or jelly roll pan) with parchment paper.  (You need the rim, because juice from the fruit is likely to drip out of the crust, and you want the pan to catch it.)  Lay out the pie crust on the pan.

Put the sugar in a small bowl.  Split open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with the blade of a knife.  Rub the vanilla bean seeds into the sugar.  Add the cornstarch and salt and mix to distribute.  Sprinkle 2 T. of the mixture over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge.  Toss the rest of the mixture with the plums.

Lift each plum slice from the juice, and arrange the slices on the dough, skin side down (so they're kind of standing up), in a spiral beginning 2 inches from the outside edge and ending in the center.  If you have a few extra slices, squeeze them in or lay them on top.  Drizzle some of the plum juice over the fruit.  Fold the outer edge of the dough over the outermost plums, pinching the dough together as necessary.  Put the galette in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to chill.

Bake the galette for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling.  At that 30 minute point, if the crust is already getting dark, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.  (Or if OK then, check later, into the 20 minutes).  

Cool for 30 minutes before serving.  It's delicious as is, or you can serve with vanilla ice cream or crème fraiche.

Storage: Covered with a tea towel, the galette will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days.

GALETTE CRUST

makes one 13" galette crust

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 T. granulated sugar

3/4 t. fine sea salt

3/4 cup (6 oz) cold unsalted butter

1/3 cup ice water, or more as needed*

1 t. lemon juice, fresh or bottled

Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, stir to combine, then put the bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Cut the butter into half-inch cubes, then add to the flour mixture and toss until each cube of butter is coated with the flour mixture.  Put into a food processor and cut the butter into the flour until the ingredients become coarse and crumbly and the butter is slightly smaller than a pea. (Or you can use a pastry blender or your hands.)  Don't take the dough out of the processor yet.

Stir the water and lemon juice together, then drizzle over the dough, and give a couple of quick flicks of the processor blade to distribute the liquid.  (Or if by hand, toss dough with a fork.) The pastry will be shaggy but should hold together when squeezed in the palm of your hand; if not, add an additional teaspoon or two of ice water.

Dump the pastry onto a lightly floured work surface and press down on the dough, folding it over on itself a few times until it holds together.  Try not to handle it too much.  Flatten the pastry out into a disk about 1" thick.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour.  (If well wrapped, the disk will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.  If frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to assemble the galette, roll out the dough into a 13" circle.  Transfer the circle to the prepared baking sheet.  Then

*The original recipe said to start with 3 T. water and add more as needed, but I found more was needed. 

Cold Beet & Buttermilk Soup

My friend Carol mentioned to me that she was making my recipe for cold beet soup.  With a stretch of days above 100 degrees here in the midwest, it is definitely the weather for this soup!  Very simple, beautiful, and tasty.

I have gone back into the labels for recipes and changed "cold soup" to "soup-cold," so that it is easier to find these in the alphabetical list of labels on the right side of the blog page.  

COLD BEET & BUTTERMILK SOUP

adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

4 cups chopped cooked beets (two 15-oz cans, drained and coarsely chopped are fine.  If using fresh, about 1-1/2 lbs.)

3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice

2-1/4 cups buttermilk

1 T. minced fresh dill

1/4 cup minced scallions or chives

salt to taste

1/2 a large cucumber, seeded and finely chopped

This recipe is simple and good; very refreshing in hot weather.

Combine the beets, apple juice, and buttermilk in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in the dill and scallions or chives.  Add salt to taste.  Chill for at least 2 hours.  Serve topped with chopped cucumber.  (Or you can also just stir in the cucumber before chilling the soup.)

Carrot Salad to go with the quick meals

For most of the quick dinners, I've said, "With a salad, this will make a full meal."  Usually this is a green salad, but if I don't have lettuce on hand, or am tired of green salad, I'm likely to make one of these carrot salads; they're both easy and delicious.  Also good for bringing to potlucks; either can be doubled.

And if I don't feel like making any salad at all, with luck, I'll have a grapefruit in the refrigerator, and half of that will do nicely.  Even without a maraschino cherry in the center, the way my mother used to serve it.

NORTH AFRICAN CARROT SALAD

(4-6 servings)

adapted from Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet cookbook

Grate the carrots. If using a food processor, you can put 1" chunks in the bowl and use the chopper blade, or you can put carrots (cut in half) in the feed tube and use the grater disk.

1 lb. carrots, peeled and grated

1/4 cup dried currants

Dressing

3 T. lemon juice (frozen is fine)

2 T. olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced or crushed

1/2 t. or more sugar, to taste

1/2 t. cumin

1/8 t. cayenne

1/4 t. dried mint leaves, crushed

salt and black pepper to taste

Put carrots and currants in a bowl.  In a jar or small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients.  Add dressing to carrots and toss to mix well.

UP-'N'-CUMIN CARROT SALAD

(6 servings)

adapted from Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet cookbook

4 cups shredded carrots

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup currants

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup fresh (or frozen) lemon juice

1 t. cumin

Toast the almonds lightly:  put on baking sheet and put in 325 oven for about 5-10 minutes.  Keep checking on them until they look light tan.

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Serve at room temperature.

Omelet Paysanne

Here's another simple recipe for a quick meal.  I keep a can of potatoes on hand for this.  For the meat:  I buy a turkey ham, cut it into slices about 3/8" thick, separate them with waxed paper, and keep in the freezer, pulling out one slice to use for this recipe.  I also keep some chopped parsley in the freezer, in case I don't have fresh on hand.  If it's summer, I put in chives from my garden; if not, I leave them out.  With a salad, this dish makes a full meal.  David and I usually eat half of this recipe for dinner, and then have the rest for breakfast or lunch the next day.

Omelet Paysanne

adapted from Pierre Franey, The New York Times 60-Minute Gourmet

4 servings

1 T. vegetable oil

half a medium onion, very thinly sliced

one 14-oz can of potatoes, sliced or diced (or you can boil a potato or two)

1 cup cooked turkey ham, cut into 1/2 inch dice (or regular ham)

7 eggs (can use some eggbeaters for part of this)

salt and pepper to taste

2 T. chopped parsley

2 t. chopped chives

1/4 t. dried tarragon

Heat a large oven-proof skillet and add the oil.  Saute the onions until soft, about 4-5 minutes.  Add the potatoes and cook until warmed.  Add the turkey ham and cook until warmed. 

Turn on the broiler.

Beat the eggs with a wire whisk.  Add salt, pepper, and herbs.  Pour the eggs over the onion-turkey ham-potato mixture.

Cook the omelet, lifting the edges to let the egg mixture flow to the bottom.  When the eggs are no longer free-flowing,  put the skillet under the broiler for a minute or so to finish the cooking.

With a salad, makes a full meal.

Sante Fe-Style Baked Eggs

Here's the first of some recipes that are in the category:  "I'm up to a little cooking, but I only have about a half-hour to get the meal on the table--it's got to be simple."

This recipe is my favorite in this category--it is really tasty, and very simple to make.  I don't always have chipotle pepper sauce on hand, but tabasco sauce or some cayenne pepper does fine.  I think what makes this especially easy is there's no onion to cut up and saute, which is so often the first step for a skillet-type meal.  Every time I make this, I think, "This is really so easy and delicious--why don't I make it even more often?"  I keep the canned foods stocked in my cabinet, and always have eggs, so I just have to think to have tortillas and some cheese on hand.  I keep some chopped parsley in the freezer, in case I don't have fresh, and I'm guessing dried parsley would be fine if that's all you had on hand.  I'm trying to convince you here--try this one!

santa fe-style baked eggs

adapted from Weight Watchers All-Time Favorites (2008)

serves 4

4 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 (14-1/2 oz) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes (or diced tomatoes with Mexican seasoning—look in Mexican-food section of grocery store if not with other canned tomato products--or regular stewed tomatoes and add more pepper sauce)

1 (15-1/2 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 c. jarred roasted red peppers, diced  (I buy a large jar, dice all the peppers, and freeze in 1/2-cup portions, so I have this on hand.)

3 T. chopped fresh parsley (divided 2 T & 1 T)

3/4 t. chipotle pepper sauce (or use some hot sauce—go easy, especially if canned tomatoes are spicy hot)

4 large eggs

1/4 c. shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (or other taco-style cheese)

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine the tomatoes, beans, roasted red peppers, 2 T. of the parsley, and the pepper sauce in an ovenproof skillet; bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce the heat and simmer about 4 minutes.  Break the eggs, one at a time, slipping onto the top of the sauce, spacing them evenly.  Put in oven and bake until the eggs are almost set, 6-8 minutes.  Sprinkle the cheese and the remaining 1 T. of parsley on top of the eggs; bake until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute.   Remove from oven.

Put the tortillas on a plate and heat in the microwave  (about 15 seconds per tortilla).

Put one tortilla on each plate and spoon the eggs and sauce over the tortilla.