Zucchini Chard Noodles with Capers Sun-dried Tomatoes and Chipotle

A quick weeknight meal that incorporates what the home garden has to offer at this time:  Asian noodles tossed in with sauteed garden veggies and flavorful no-cook sauce, served at room temperature with a light drizzling of freshly squeezed lemon juice and garnished with lemon zest.


Another tender home garden zucchini was ready to be picked.

Some lush home garden rainbow chard leaves were ready to be clipped and used as well.

A batch of home-garden cherry tomatoes were just about ripening.

Home garden Thai basil and Italian were both handy as well.

Plus some kale, bell peppers, onions, and garlic came together for this quick summer noodles with a fusion of flavors from MediterrAsian to Mexican.

No-cook Sauce: Thai basil, Italian basil, Capers, Sun-dried tomatoes, and chipotle in adobo sauce came together to make a thick fresh no-cook sauce. Simply combine the ingredients in a proportion that appeals to your taste, blend it to a smooth sauce-like paste, adding a touch of apple cider vinegar, some olive oil, and tamarind to taste.


Sauteed Veggies: Zucchini got spiralized, kale and chard got ribboned and they all got sauteed with onions, garlic, bell peppers, and tomatoes.

Spicy Pan-roasted Summer Squash, Corn kernels, and Roasted Tomatoes Salad

The title says it all, nothing much to this dish, except the crisp freshness of late summer vegetables.

Roast or grill the corn on the cob, brush with Cajun seasoning, shave the kernels and toss with some lemon juice, keep handy.

Home-garden summer squash and tomatoes came in handy for this quick and easy salad.

Sweet Cherry tomatoes and golden pear tomatoes are two of my favorites to munch on as snack.

Dice the summer squash and onions and pan roast them in a cast iron skillet, adding a pinch of Cajun seasoning and olive oil; and while the skillet is still very hot, add the cherry tomatoes and allow to plump and almost burst with juiciness.

Combine the corn, squash, onions, and tomatoes, garnish with herbs from the garden. I went with some fresh Oregano.

Serve at room temperature for a sweet and bright summer evening salad.

Roast Tomatoes Flavored with Home Garden Fennel and Basil

Sometimes, the simplicity and the earthiness is what makes a recipe special to me, not the long list of ingredients and complex steps to achieve the results. No doubt, traditional multi-tiered recipes have their merits, especially around holiday traditions and wintertime, but summers are for wholesome simplicity.

No one else in the household likes or appreciates tomatoes like I do. The youngest will quaff ketchup if I let him, the older child will turn up her dainty nose on all things tomato, and the other adult will accept adequate amounts of tomato sauce on pizza or pasta. Which leaves me as the sole consumer of copious amounts of  all varieties of fresh tomatoes in season in the family.

Although this summer's heat wave didn't excite me to turn on the oven, the lure of roast tomatoes overpowered my disinclination. 

Caramelized deeply thanks to balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of brown sugar plus olive oil, this plate of roast tomatoes with fresh mozzarella pearls and home garden fennel and basil was my special treat, for no reason except to celebrate the start of the tomato season, in my mind.

And, since no one else cares for fresh tomatoes from the home garden, I decided to grow my snack tomatoes in the Upside Down Hanging Contraption that was popular a few years ago. I have some Yellow Pear, Sweet Cherry, and Grape tomatoes in there, plus some tomatillos just for the fun of it. They are barely surviving, but, am hoping they'll give me plenty to munch on over the next few weeks.

Any old recipe would do for roasting tomatoes, the thickness of slices might affect the results. My preferred method for this batch was to cut the vine tomatoes into quarter-inch thick slices, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, sprinkle some minced garlic, salt and brown sugar, spray some olive oil and roast in a 460 ° F oven.

Italian basil is flowering and going to seed already in my garden. Between fresh homemade pesto and adding it to tomato sauce and other recipes, it has been a sweet companion throughout. Basil, Fennel, Oregano, Mint, Rosemary and Lemongrass are the only herbs I use frequently as they are readily available in my backyard. The one plant I've always wanted but haven't had success so far is Curry Leaves (Murraya Keonigii). Maybe someday...

Cucumber, Cherries, Tri-color Mini Peppers, Tomato Salad

The fresh, crisp vegetables and fruits with a light citrus dressing makes this a perfect summer salad. Accompanied by a tall glass of Watermelon Smoothie, this cucumber-cherry-pepper-tomato salad can be a sumptuous summer mid-day meal. Add in a small hunk of Pugliese bread to mop up the dressing and it turns into a feast-of-sorts.

But that is not all. Stir in some plain non-fat beaten yogurt and it turns into a peerless raita to accompany spicy Chicken Paella or Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani.

Cilantro, mint, tomatoes, and sweet walla walla onions were from the home garden.

Ingredients
cucumber
mini tri-color peppers
pitted fresh cherries
shallot or small walla-walla sweet onion
yellow fresh tomato
cherry or grape red tomatoes
½ serrano chili (de-seeded, if preferred)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger (optional)

roasted sunflower seeds or peanuts for garnish

Asian Light Citrus Dressing:
4 mint leaves, chopped finely
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tsp mirin
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tsp sesame oil
a pinch of salt as needed
a dash of ground black pepper to taste

Brown Rice Vegetable Soup

The weather being chilly and wet, I've been making soups, casseroles, breads for dinners. Soups are a good way for me to use up leftover barley or quinoa or rice , along with a favorite combination of vegetables and spices.

Thai soup spices is my default flavoring, but, this recipe has a tomato base with a small amount of evaporated milk for creaminess. We had harvested the last of cherry tomatoes from the home garden a while back.

And now that cold has set in, we harvested the green tomatoes as well, which probably wouldn't turn ripe red anymore...

Ingredients
Vegetables: baby corn, snap peas, bell peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, carrots, lima beans
1½ to 2 cups cooked brown rice
6-8 cups water or vegetable stock
2 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ to ½ cup evaporated milk (optional)

½ medium onion finely diced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp sambal oelek
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp brown sugar (more if preferred)
2 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions, garlic and tomato paste, stir and cook till onions are translucent and tomato paste turns darker and aromatic, then add sambal oelek and brown sugar
   
2. Add the vegetables, stock, brown rice, some salt, stir well, cover and allow to simmer till it all comes together
3. Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust flavors if preferred; off-heat stir in the evaporated milk for a creamier texture
   

Tomato Florentine Soup

This hearty Tomato Florentine Soup is one of the few soups the kids seem to enjoy, and along with grilled cheese sandwich, it makes a quick and easy weeknight meal on cold nights. And considering we were a bit under the weather, what with it being stormy and all for a few weeks now, this Tomato Florentine was begging to be made.

For a quick recipe, I use canned tomatoes, but, when in season, fresh tomatoes stewed and strained would be great, even if a bit elaborate and tedious.

Ingredients
1 can stewed diced tomatoes
2 garlic cloves finely minced
1 small onion, finely minced
2 or 3 tsp dark brown sugar, adjust to taste
1 to 2 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup cooked pasta shells (or more if preferred)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 to 2 tsp corn starch or arrow root powder for thickening

water as needed
salt and black pepper as needed

Italian Spices: basil, marjoram, oregano, thyme, or any other favorite combination; about 2 tsp each or adjust to taste. I prefer more basil and marjoram, and not as much oregano and thyme, as kids find oregano overpowering.

Garnish: chives, spring onions

Preparation

1. If using canned stewed tomatoes, run in the blender briefly and strain to get a smoother soup, without chunky pulp
2. Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil, add the tomatoes, spices, spinach, some water, cover and allow to simmer
3. Adjust salt, brown sugar, and black pepper to taste, toss in the cooked pasta shells (or other favorite pasta), and simmer some more
4. Make a solution of corn starch and water, add to simmering soup, while stirring constantly, to thicken as needed
5. Garnish with whatever is handy; I like chopped chives and spring onions as they are readily available in the garden, as are the fresh spinach leaves :)

Yellow Gazpacho

Summer garden has been yielding a steady amount of tomatoes this year. We have a few cherry tomatoes, small grape tomatoes, lots of yellow tomatoes, some beefcake meaty tomatoes and quite a few red Roma tomatoes.

I've been eating the sweet sun-gold cherry tomatoes and the grape tomatoes as-is, fresh from the garden. As Ana and D cannot stand raw tomatoes I roasted these for them. I stewed and canned some red Roma and beefcake tomatoes. I've liked the yellow tomatoes we've been growing in our garden the last few years as they seem to have a good flavor. This year, I made yellow gazpacho a few times.

Gazpacho is a chilled tomato soup that needs no cooking. But, since D doesn't like raw tomato flavor much, I ended up pressure cooking the tomatoes for this gazpacho. Simply throw in all the ingredients, pressure cook, then blend well, strain if needed (I didn't), and serve chilled.

Ingredients
yellow tomatoes, or any favorite tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
celery, yellow or green bell pepper, yellow onion, cucumber (optional), garlic
dried herbs: Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Lavender
a hint of olive oil
optional garnish: chopped chives, croutons, grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. For a traditional recipe, simply blend the ingredients, chill and serve
2. I pressure cooked the ingredients till mushy, blended them and served at a cool room temperature
3. Garnish with croutons and grated Parmesan cheese if preferred

cooking précisions

Being a food enthusiast, how can I let this pass by unmentioned?

Hervé This (pronounced Tees/Tiss) formulated the delectable chocolat chantilly over a dozen years ago.

Following his Grandes Écoles diploma in physical chemistry, he apparently was intrigued by what he calls "cooking précisions" when

One night, he invited friends to dinner and made a cheese soufflé from a recipe that said to add the egg yolks two at a time. "Because I was a rational man," he says, "I decided to put in all of the yolks together. It was a failure."

He then started testing these "cooking precisions" — rules he gleaned from disparate sources like 19th- century cookbooks, old wives' tales, and the tricks of modern chefs — to see which ones held up (the skin on a suckling pig really does crackle more if you chop off its head right after roasting) and which didn't (a menstruating cook won't ruin mayonnaise).

The standard way to hard-boil eggs in Europe and America—10 minutes in boiling water—is not ideal, says Hervé This. The trouble, he notes clinically, is that 212 degrees Fahrenheit is far higher than the temperature at which the egg whites and the yolks coagulate. Egg whites are made up of protein and water (yolks contain fat as well). As eggs cook, their balled-up proteins uncoil into strands, and the strands bind together to form an intricate mesh that traps water. In essence, the proteins form a gel, a liquid dispersed in a solid. Boiling causes too many egg proteins to bind and form dense meshes, "so there is less sensation of water in the mouth," says This. Voilà: rubbery egg whites and sandy, grayish yolks.

Molecular Gastronomy as a field of study, pioneered by Hervé This, has been around for a while. Especially with my baking fiascos, I started getting very curious about it. I haven't begun to even scratch the surface and already I find it quite fascinating. While my experiments in the kitchen are not so scientific, at least it is helping me pay attention to some "old-wives tales" passed on by my mom :-)

Enough of the rambling... today I just have a very simple yet wholesome recipe I enjoyed making, especially because it is the garden bounty:

Roasted Grape and Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe is very simple. Toss the tomatoes with some olive oil, sliced garlic, some chopped herbs (rosemary, marjoram, basil), some salt and roast it in a 400°F oven for about 8-10 minutes till skin blisters and the aroma is irresistible :-)

Our garden has started fruiting tomatoes in bunches and there was only so much of fresh, sweet, raw cherry and grape tomatoes we can share (and consume), so, I decided to roast some for an afternoon snack. The sample red chili in the picture is a paprika, the long green ones are kung pao chilies, and the light green one is some kind of large wax pepper, plus the yellow pear tomatoes...

Sun-dried or Fresh?

Tomatoes taste wonderful either way!

Tapas was on my mind when I thought of making something with fresh plump, juicy tomatoes for the Jihva for Tomatoes event hosted by RP at My Workshop.

But then, I couldn't turn my back on the versatile, aromatic, rich Sun Dried Tomatoes.

So I decided to make one dish with each: Tomate Rellenos with fresh bright tomatoes, and Thakkali Thokku with sun dried tomatoes.

Tomate Rellenos

Ingredients
2 eggs
¼ cup steamed corn kernels
¼ cup queso panela, crumbled (or queso fresco, or grated cheddar)
¼ medium onion diced finely
1 Tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
cilantro for garnish

4-6 small to medium plump and firm tomatoes

1 Tbsp lemon juice + 1 tsp Tabasco™ sauce (optional)

Preparation

cut the top off the tomatoes, scoop out the insides carefully, salt it a little, and leave it upside down on a colander or paper towel to drain for about 10 minutes while getting the stuffing ready

beat the eggs with the rest of the ingredients and keep handy

get the oven heated to 400°F, and keep a baking dish handy to arrange the tomatoes in

allow the liquid in the tomatoes to drain away as much as possible and pat dry tomatoes, and arrange them in the baking dish so they will stand up straight - slicing a very thin part of the bottom helps, taking care not to cut off too much:-)

pour the egg mixture into each tomato and bake in the 400°F oven for about 20-30 minutes, turning the baking dish around mid-way, if needed, till the eggs set well and are cooked through; off heat, allow to cool a little

add a splash of lemon juice mixed with Tabasco™ sauce and serve warm

Small to medium-small tomatoes that can be eaten in one generous bite are perfect for this.

Stuffing can be adjusted to taste - leave out the eggs, add some potatoes or wild rice as in stuffed acorn squash recipe.

Next up is my favorite spread made with sun dried tomatoes.

Thakkali Thokku: Sun dried Tomato Spread

Ingredients:
8-10 Sun dried tomatoes (preferably, not packed in oil)
3 Dried pasilla chilies
1 diced fresh tomato, a few dry thai dragon chilies for extra bite (optional), salt to taste
a few tablespoons oil

Preparation

soak the sun dried tomatoes and pasilla chilies in hot water for about 10 minutes to reconstitute them; drain and coarsely chop them

combine the reconstituted tomatoes and pasilla with the rest of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth paste

heat the oil in a pan, add the blended paste and sauté till well blended; adjust salt to taste

Allow to cool completely and refrigerate in an air tight container. This keeps well for up to a month in the fridge.

What to do with this Thakkali Thokku ?

• Mix equal portions of this Thakkali Thokku with cream cheese to make a yummy spread for sandwiches and pita pockets

• Beat equal portions of Thakkali Thokku and Yogurt to make a delicious dip for chips

• Stir some of this Thakkali Thokku into some hot basmati rice with some ghee, and enjoy!