Traditional Caprese Salad

So I found this recipe on Serious Eats.  I am not going to put in a pointer to it because the label has an f-bomb, and this is a classy establishment. I've given you enough hints so you can find the original recipe if you want to. Anyway, I am going to paraphrase.

Traditional Caprese Salad

2 # of a variety of  excellent homegrown tomatoes
12 oz. fresh mozzarella (if you can make it yourself with milk from the local creamery, all the better)
fresh basil
really good olive oil
fresh ground salt and pepper.

Slice or chunk the tomatoes and lay them decoratively on your serving dish. Grind salt directly on to those tomatoes. Tear (yes tear) the mozzarella, and tuck it artfully around the tomatoes. Tear the basil, and add those glorious bits of green to the colorful tomatoes and cheese. Drizzle with lots of olive oil. Grind pepper and salt on top.

So simple.  So good.

Real Tomato Soup

Many of us have warm feelings about canned tomato soup. It's a comfort food that many of us grew up with.  But what's in a can of soup? High fructose corn syrup! As the second ingredient! Yuck. I'd like something with fresh tomatoes, that tastes like real food.

I've been experimenting with recipes that capture the warm Sunday lunches of my youth. This is my favorite.

Real Tomato Soup

1 stick butter (or vegan alternative)
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 lbs tomatoes, cored and chopped
4 cups homemade stock, chicken or vegetable
1/4 C flour
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a 2 qt saucepan.  Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 2 - 3 minutes until they start to soften.  Add the flour, and stir until smooth and bubbly. Pour the stock in slowly, stirring constantly over medium high heat until the mixture is thickened - about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Blend.

You can add a cup of cream at this point, but I like to add a dollop of Greek yogurt
and sprinkle with chiffonade basil.

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

I love cornbread.  Nobody else in my family did.  If I made a pan of cornbread, I ended up eating most of it.  Then, I started making this.

Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread

• 1 cup finely ground cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs. baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup finely chopped seeded jalapeño peppers 
• 3/4 cup corn, cooked
• 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a 10" cast iron skillet with olive oil.

Combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cayenne)  in a medium bowl.  In a large bowl, combine the honey, melted butter, egg, and buttermilk.  Stir in the jalapeno, corn, and cheddar.

Pour the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and stir until just combined.

Pour the mixture into the skillet. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Eggplant Parmesan

The eggplant Parmesan recipe is almost the same as the zucchini Parmesan recipe.

Eggplant Parmesan

2 lb. eggplant
2 eggs
2 Tbs. milk
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 C.  dry breadcrumbs
1 quart jar spaghetti sauce
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (or shredded mozzarella, if you prefer)

Peel (if you would like) and slice the eggplant. I am normally not a huge fan of peeling vegetables, but if your eggplant has tough skin, I would recommend it. Sprinkle the eggplant on both sides with a little salt, and let rest for 20 minutes or so. Then pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 350.

In the mean time, beat the eggs and milk in a flat-bottomed dish with a larger diameter than your eggplant.

Mix the Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and herbs in another flat-bottomed dish, or a plate with a rim.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Dip each eggplant slice in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture, and arrange on the baking sheet so they are not touching. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn over the eggplant slices and bake for another 10 minutes.

Spread a little spaghetti sauce in the bottom of your casserole dish. Put a layer of eggplant in the dish, then cover with some sauce.  Add another layer of eggplant and more sauce until you have run out of eggplant. Arrange the sliced mozzarella over the eggplant. Bake for 20 minutes.

Spinach Quiche

I've been making quiche using this method for years.  You can substitute pretty much and cheese or vegetable.  I also really like it with 2 cups broccoli instead of the spinach, and cheddar in place of the gruyere.

Here's what the broccoli version looks like:

  

Spinach Quiche

Preheat the oven to 375.

Crust:
Mix 1 1/3 cups flour and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl.  In a measuring cup, put 1/3 cup sunflower oil and 3 Tbs. milk (or your favorite substitute). 
Pour the milk and oil into the flour and stir until combined.  Press the crust mixture into a straight-sided quiche pan.

Filling:
Saute 1 clove garlic, chopped, in 1 Tbs. olive oil.  Add 4 cups chopped fresh spinach.  Saute until the spinach wilts.

Custard:
In a large bowl, lightly beat 4 eggs.  Add 1 1/3 cups milk (or your favorite substitute), and beat until combined.

In the quiche crust, layer 1 C gruyere cheese, the spinach mixture (drained) and the custard.
Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes, until a knife inserted into the middle of the custard comes out clean.

Braised Winter Greens

Greens are in season!  When I first moved to the south, the only two greens I had heard of were lettuce and spinach.  Lettuce was mostly the ghastly pale iceburg and spinach came from the freezer aisle, frozen into a dark green brick.

Now we are so lucky!  We have fresh, home grown greens all winter long.

Here is my standard greens recipe. I use it for kale, collards, chard, mustard and spinach:

Braised Greens

• take your greens of choice, remove the tough stems, and chop the leaves coarsely
• heat some olive oil in a large pan.  Add 1 or 2 cloves of minced garlic.
• add the chopped greens, and stir to coat the greens with the olive oil
• if they are not tender at this point, add a little water (1 tablespoon - 1/4 cup) or other liquid such as broth. Put a lid on, turn down the heat, and let them steam for a few minutes.

This is how we have kale and eggs for breakfast.

Guacamole Salad

Usually, when you go to a Mexican Restaurant, guacamole salad is shredded iceberg lettuce topped with guacamole. Here's what I've been doing instead.  Chopping avocados is easier than making guacamole, and it makes a really nice texture in the salad.

The other thing I really like about this is that you don't use an oil based dressing.  You just top it with salsa (and sour cream or Greek yogurt, if you like).

Guacamole Salad

Mixed field greens (or chopped romaine)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 or 2 tomatoes, chopped or a cup of grape tomatoes cut in 2
1 avocado, diced
tomatillos, diced

Toss all the ingredients.

 Dress with salsa and sour cream.