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Classic Cooking | Ending Summer with Tomatoes
CLASSIC COOKING Ending the Summer with:
Tomatoes
BY BARBIE BUTZ
When I was growing up, school started in September, so, to us, summer ended on the last day of August and fall began on the first day of September. Of course, that is not entirely true as far as the seasonal weather calendar is concerned. September often continues with summer warmth and things don’t start chilling down until sometime in October or early November with the first frost.
You may wonder where I’m headed with this bit of trivial information, but it has to do with tomatoes. Our tomato plants continue to produce those wonderful, flavorful fruits and that has me looking for new ways to prepare and serve them.
I have a couple of cookbooks in my collection that deal only with tomatoes, and in my research, I selected the following to share with you. Store-bought tomatoes will work, but home-grown will be best. This first recipe calls for red and yellow cherry tomatoes, but there are many other varietals you can use. Make it your own!
Spaghetti Tomato Salad
Ingredients
1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 1⁄2 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 cloves garlic, sliced 1 12-ounce package spaghetti, broken in 1/2 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed 1 medium yellow summer squash, ends trimmed 6 sticks string cheese 4 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, chopped 1 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In s shallow baking pan, toss together the walnuts, 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, and 1⁄4 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Bake 5 minutes or until walnuts are toasted. Set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in an extra-large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute. Add pasta, tossing to combine. Add broth. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat 10 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish. Meanwhile, use a spiral vegetable slicer to cut zucchini and yellow squash into long strands. Snip strands into shorter lengths, if desired. Add to spaghetti. Set aside to cool completely. Pull cheese into thin strands; chill cheese until ready to serve. In a small bowl toss together remaining ingredients and remaining oil. Add cheese to spaghetti mixture. Top with tomato mixture and walnuts. Serves 10.
This next recipe is for a layered salad and should be “built” in a clear glass bowl to show off its contents.
Ingredients
2 12-ounce package applewood-smoked bacon 1 recipe Garlicky Focaccia Croutons 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce 4 cups baby spinach leaves 6 medium red and/or yellow heirloom tomatoes, cored, quartered, and sliced 1⁄2 inch thick (3 cups) 1 recipe Dilled Avocado Dressing 2 ripe avocados, peeled, halved, pitted, and sliced (optional) Lemon juice (optional)
California-Style BLT Salad
Directions Cook the bacon in batches over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels; cool and crumble. In bottom of 3 to 4 quart glass bowl arange half of Garlicky Focaccia croutons. Top with half of romain and half of spinach. Top with half of tomato slices and half of bacon. Spread half of Dilled Avocado Dressing over bacon, sealing dressing to edge of bowl. Repeat layers, ending with dressing. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Chill up to 8 hours. If desired, before serving, brush avocado slices with lemon juice and place on top of salad. Serves 12.
Directions Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl combine 3 cups 1⁄2-inch cubes garlic-flavor Italian flatbread (focaccia) and 2 tablespoons olive oil, toss to coat. Spread cubes in a 15x10-inch baking pan. Bake 20 minutes or until crisp, stirring once; cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. Directions Halve, seed, peel, and mash one ripe avocado; place in blender or food processor. Add 1⁄2 cup each mayonnaise and sour cream, 1⁄4 cup milk, 3 tablespoons each freshly squeezed lemon juice and snipped fresh dill, 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Cheers!
