Sautéed Green Beans with Heirloom Tomato Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 cups halved heirloom cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup of filtered water
• 4 cloves of garlic, grated on a microplane or minced
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley
• 1 giant handful of fresh basil leaves, ripped
• sea salt and coarse ground pepper to taste
• 2 cups of fresh green beans, end snipped

In a large sauté skillet heat the olive oil, garlic and shallots over a low flame. Cook through for about 3-5 minutes. Add in the cherry tomatoes, parsley, sea salt and pepper. Simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. *If you are using this marinara recipe for pasta or another dish, through in the basil, stir and it is ready to be served.

Once the tomatoes have simmered for a bit, add in the water, fresh basil and green beans. Turn the heat up to medium and sauté for about 5-7 minutes or until the beans are cooked through {cover with a lid if necessary}. Eat ASAP - so yummy and so perfect for a light summer meal.

{serves 2-4}

For more information and recipes from Sherrie visit her blog, With Food + Love

Caramelized Onion and Tomato Tart

 Recipe from LifesaFeast

Ingredients:

For the tart you need:

-Dough (I used puff pastry about 14 oz/400 g), the original recipe called for bread dough (about 14 oz/400 g) or you could simply use a quiche dough for a 10-inch tart. The puff pastry dough needs to be rolled out, line a lightly oiled 10-inch (25 cm) tart dish, pricked and refrigerated for about 30 minutes while you make the filling. The bread dough, if using, needs to stay out at room temp for 30 minutes once you have rolled it out and lined the oiled tart dish.
-Roll out the dough (even the puff pastry) so when you line the tart/pie dish the dough comes up the sides to make an edge just to the top of the dish.

For the filling you need:

-3 yellow onions - peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced
-2 cloves garlic chopped or minced (not too too finely)
-Fresh or dried thyme and basil (I used dried), salt and pepper
-About 6 medium (maybe 2 - 3 inches across) ripe tomatoes **
-A small handful tiny olives, such as Niçoise olives or Greek olives
-A bit of fresh goat cheese or feta, optional
-Olive oil

** you can use about 400 g (14 oz) cherry tomatoes, sliced in half. Instead of brushing the cherry tomato halves with olive oil before baking, toss in 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil before placing the halves in concentric circles, close together, on top of the caramelized onions.

Directions

-While the dough is resting, caramelize the thinly sliced onions in about 2 tablespoons olive oil. After about 5 minutes, when the onions become translucent and just start to color, add the garlic, salt and pepper and the herbs and continue to cook over medium or medium-low heat until the onions caramelized a golden brown. This usually takes about 10 minutes total. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
-Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
-Spread the onions in the tart shell. If using goat cheese or feta crumble or lay slices over the onions, as much or as little as you like but only one thin layer. Cut off and discard the ends of the tomatoes and slice tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick and lay on top of onions/cheese in concentric circles, pressing the slices closely together in one tight, single layer. Lightly brush the top of each tomato with olive oil, salt and pepper again, a bit of basil and the olives, as many or as few as you like. Bake until the edges of the crust are golden brown about 30 minutes.
-Remove from the oven and allow to cool just a bit before serving in slices. This tart makes a wonderful meal with only a green salad, bread and a cheese platter and a bottle of wine.

Pesto Rosso

recipe courtesy The Foodie Physician

Ingredients  

-1.5 ounces chopped almonds (about 1/3 cup)

-½ cup sundried tomatoes

-1 clove garlic, chopped

-¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

-6 leaves fresh basil

-1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

-5 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes

-¼ extra virgin olive oil

-2 tablespoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Directions  

-Place the almonds, sundried tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes and basil in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped.   
-Add the vinegar and tomatoes and pulse again until the tomatoes are finely chopped.  With the food processor running, add the oil in a steady stream until a thick, slightly chunky paste forms.  Do not over process. 
- Stop the food processor and scrape down the sides.  Then, add the cheese and process again until just combined. 
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge.    

Gnocchi con Sugo Aglione

"Aglione" means "big garlic" in Italian, which refers to the fact that you leave the garlic cloves whole in this recipe, for a mild, delicious garlic flavor.  I learned the recipe for this sauce on our honeymoon in Sienna, and it has become a favorite in our family ever since.  The cherry tomatoes make it so creamy!  Don't be intimidated by the gnocchi.  It's the easiest fresh pasta to make, and my kids love helping!


Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

For the gnocchi
5-6 medium yukon gold potatoes, quartered (peeling optional)
3/4 cup all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 egg, lightly beaten

For the sauce
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (or quartered for jumbo cherries, in thirds for grape)
2-10 cloves of garlic, peeled but not crushed
2 Tbsp olive oil
red chili flakes to taste
salt to taste
parmesan and basil for serving


Method:

1. Place the potatoes in a steamer basket over a little water and steam until they are fork tender (I use one of those cheap metal ones you can find at any kitchen store that expand to fit most pots).

2. While the potatoes are steaming, make your sauce.  Start by heating the olive oil, garlic cloves, and chili flakes in a very large skillet.  Be careful not to burn the garlic--as soon as it has color, move on to step three.

3.  Add the tomatoes, and watch out, because it will splatter!  Salt to taste and smash the tomatoes down a bit with the back of a wooden spoon to facilitate break down.

4.  Cover the skillet and allow to simmer until the tomatoes start to break down, forming a creamy sauce with little skins in it for texture.  If it seems to watery, remove the lid and allow it to cook down a bit more.  When it's creamy enough to coat the back of a spoon, it's done.  You can turn off the heat and leave it while you focus on the gnocchi.

5.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

6. When the potatoes are fork tender, remove them from the heat.  While the potatoes are still hot, run them through a ricer or food mill and into a large mixing bowl.  The ricer will remove any peels, saving you a step in prep.

7.  Add the flour on top of the potatoes. Using the flour as an insulator to prevent the hot potatoes from instantly scrambling the egg, slowly pour in the egg.

8.  Stir vigorously with a fork to combine the ingredients.  Then knead with your hands (careful--it's hot!) until all the ingredients come together.

9.  Chop off a small chunk of the dough and roll it out like a snake, until you have a thick rope.  Then chop the rope with a sharp knife or metal pastry scraper into roughly 1/2 inch bits:

10.  Place one piece in the palm of your hand and gently roll the tines of a fork back and forth across it to shape the dough into the classic potato dumpling (this takes a few tries to get the hang of, but it's completely cosmetic, so no worries if some wind up smushed--they still taste good!):

11.  When the water boils, cook the gnocchi in batches, 2-3 minutes until they float.  That means the egg is cooked and they are ready!  Scoop them out of the water with a slotted spoon and add them directly to the sauce, stirring them in occasionally to be sure they are coated.  Continue this process until all of the gnocchi are cooked and in the sauce.

12.  Taste for salt, top with grated parmesan and fresh basil, and enjoy!  

Marinated Tomatoes

From: Pioneer Woman

This is a good recipe for all the summer tomatoes that are starting to come in, from the garden and the farm share. You can use any kind of tomatoes - large, small, red, yellow, etc. A few ideas on how to use them: as a side dish for a grilled dinner, on top of sliced mozzarella with cracked black pepper and sliced basil, piled onto slices of toasted baguette for bruschetta (or, top toasted baguette with the tomatoes, add sliced mozarella, pop into the toaster or under the broiler to melt the cheese), add to a green salad, or spoon over some quinoa or cous cous for a summer side dish.

Ingredients

1 cup Canola Oil (I used less, and substituted olive oil)
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 whole Green Onions, Sliced
1/4 cup Chopped Parsley
18 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme
2 cloves Garlic, Minced Finely
2 pounds Tomatoes, Cut Into Quarters (if Big) Or Halves (if Small)
1 whole Baguette, Sliced, optional
1 clove Garlic, Peeled, optional

Combine all ingredients except tomatoes in a large glass bowl. Whisk to combine, then add tomatoes. (You can increase the quantity of tomatoes if need be.) Use regular red tomatoes, or a mixture of red, yellow, heirloom, etc. Use different sizes of tomatoes, too--pretty!

Allow to marinate for at least 3 to 4 hours, several hours if possible. Tomatoes will give off liquid as they marinate.

Use leftover tomatoes to make bruschetta: slice baguette and brush slices with olive oil. Grill on a skillet or grill pan until golden. Rub slices with garlic cloves. Top with tomatoes, allowing juice to drip on the bread.

Roasted Summer Vegetables with Feta

Roasted Summer Vegetables with Feta

makes one serving (you can easily double, triple, etc. this recipe for additional servings)

2 T olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

1 T brown sugar

1/2 t dried rosemary

1/2 t kosher salt

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small zucchini, diced

1/2 red onion, cut into quarters and chopped

1/4 C feta cheese crumbles

1 C cooked quinoa or grain of your choice

1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Add the chopped and diced veggies to the bottom of a glass baking dish.

3. Pour the vinaigrette over the veggies. Gently shake the dish to make sure all the veggies are evenly covered by the sauce. Flip any tomatoes so that they are cut-side up.

4. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently toss. Roast for an additional 10 minutes, then gently toss again. Let roast for an additional 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.

5. Serve the roasted vegetables over a bed of quinoa (or couscous, rice, etc.) and top with feta cheese crumbles.