tomato, feta, & basil galette

Hi.

I just had possibly the most classic summer of my life. I fell hard for a boy who lives across the country (who went back there last week), I rode my bike everywhere, went sailing and exploring, and probably, maybe spent more days reading in the park than working.

It
was
awesome.

Farmers market visits were also made. I made sure to get tomatoes and zucchini as often as I could so I could come home and make this meal. The zucchini saute is so delicious it can hold up a meal just on its own, and the galette's crust is... well, it's really kind of hard to not eat all the dough before it's cooked.

So here are my two new favorite summer recipes. Hope you can make them before it's all cold and junk. Also, I hope you had a dreamy summer, too. I'd love to hear about it.

Summer Tomato, Feta, and Basil Galette (via Cooking Light)

Ingredients

3 2/5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3 1/2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3 tablespoons ice water
1 pint jewel box tomatoes or multicolored pear tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
1/4 cup small basil leaves

Preparation

1. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor; process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly add ice water through food chute, and process just until combined (do not form a ball). Gently press the mixture into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425°.
3. Unwrap dough, and roll dough into a 13-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, on top of dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Fold edges of dough over tomatoes to partially cover. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, and sprinkle with basil. Cut into 8 wedges.

Quick Sauté of Zucchini with Toasted Almonds (via Smitten Kitchen)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons thinly sliced almonds
1 to 2 small zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch matchsticks with a knife or julienne blade on a mandoline
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Few ounces pecorino Romano or paremsan, in thin slices

Heat the oil on high in a large skillet. When it is hot but not smoking, add the almonds to the pan. Cook them, while stirring, until the almonds are golden-brown, approximately a minute or two.
Add the zucchini to the pan, tossing it with the oil and almonds until it just begins to glisten, about one minute. The idea is not to cook the zucchini so much as warm it.
Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately, with or without cheese on top.

I get Bon Appetit every month, savor it, look it over page by page, critique the photos and dog-ear the recipes I intend to make... and then put it in the stack of all the other Bon Appetits and rarely actually pick it up again. This is stupid.

Take this recipe, for example. Had I not started to feel really guilty about my choosing the internet over print I would probably have just forgotten about it and moved on. Luckily May's issue came smack dab in the middle of what seems to be an annual internal debate about the role of internet in our lives.

So long story short, I made this pizza. And it was so so good. I would make it again in a second.

Roman-Style Pizza with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Cheese

Roll or stretch the dough as thin as possible to get a classic thin and crispy crust.

4-6 servings

• PREP TIME: 1 hour
• TOTAL TIME: 2 hours 10 minutes (includes rising time)

Ingredients

2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
7 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp. kosher salt plus more
2 1/4 cups (or more) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 lb. cherry or grape tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
Semolina (for dusting)
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
2 cups grated mozzarella (about 8 oz.), or 6 oz. buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced, divided

Chopped fresh basil

Preparation

Combine 3/4 cup warm water (105°-115°), sugar, and yeast in a large bowl; let sit until spongy, 4-5 minutes. Mix in 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt. Stir in 2 1/4 cups flour. Turn out onto a work surface; knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticking, about 6 minutes. Grease a large bowl with 1 Tbsp. oil. Add dough, cover bowl with plastic; let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, position one rack in top third of oven and another in bottom third; place a pizza stone on top rack and preheat oven to 500°. Scatter tomatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet. Add 1 Tbsp. oil, toss, and season with salt and pepper. Place on lower rack; roast until skins split, 10-12 minutes. Let cool on rack. Continue heating pizza stone for 45 more minutes.

Sprinkle a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet with semolina. Divide dough in half; roll or stretch each into a 13x9" rectangle. Cover with kitchen towels; let stand for 15 minutes. Transfer 1 rectangle to prepared pizza peel. Brush with 2 Tbsp. oil, sprinkle with half of the Parmesan, then mozzarella, and top with half of the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Set front of peel at far edge of stone; gently jiggle peel side to side, sliding pizza onto stone as you remove peel. Bake until crust is browned and crisp, 9-10 minutes. Using peel, transfer pizza to work surface. Garnish with basil. Slice and serve.

Repeat to make second pizza.

black bean + tomato quinoa

The detox is over, and I ended up loving it. I think I'll do it again in the fall. I'm left with an all-over good body feeling and some random groceries. Like quinoa, for example. Not wanting to go to the grocery store last night, I found this recipe. It was light and delicious. I used canned diced tomatoes instead of real ones, something I will not do again because fresh would be so much better. Also, I'm going to try it with avocado. I will definitely be making it again!

Ingredients 
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup quinoa
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.

Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.

Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

farmers' market

A couple of Sundays ago was my first 2010 trip to the farmers' market! Well, the Chicago one. I went to a very cold, but still incredibly awesome Des Moines market in early May that puts the putzy Wicker Park one to shame. But on with the story! Usually I like to reserve Sundays for sleeping in and lazing about well into early afternoon when the market closes, but somehow I managed to mosey myself down there with a $20 bill in my wallet and a song in my heart. I came out with five ears of corn, a half pound of fresh picked cremini mushrooms, two pints of heirloom cherry tomatoes, two apples, and a head of broccoli. Not bad!

Then I walked to Whole Foods to pick up some (free-range, organic) chicken to make this Oriental Chicken recipe I had found and groggily stared at for maybe an hour during a bout of insomnia earlier in the week. If that doesn't sound like fate I don't know what is, so I felt I had to make it. I replaced the red pepper with the mushrooms and broccoli I'd bought earlier, tripled the sauce, and served it over brown rice. It was amazing! So good I couldn't stop to get a picture. It was maybe my first time cooking chicken or any sort of meat, so I was pretty nervous, but I would definitely say it was a success. And this is despite finding eight green worms popping out of my fresh broccoli at different stages of the cooking.

Even after the meal was gone, I was able to enjoy fresh produce in most of meals that week. For example, in one day I had sliced tomatoes with a dollop of sour cream and some salt and pepper for breakfast, and then a make-shift tuna salad with fresh corn mixed in. Totally worth leaving my house before noon on a weekend. Now if I could just do it again...

cucumber + avocado soup with tomato + basil salad

I was on something of a vacation detox diet last week. All I wanted was fruits and vegetables and fresh tasting meals after my (absolutely wonderful) all-you-can-eat Virginia tour. So I found this recipe from Bon Appetit, and it fit the bill- super fresh, no cooking required, not to mention it pairs two of my favorite things in the world, cucumber and avocado. The thing was made for me. How could I not make it?

Cucumber and Avocado Soup with Tomato and Basil Salad 
adapted from Bon Appétit  | August 2000 

1 large English hothouse cucumber,  peeled, diced (about 2 1/2 cups)

2 1/2 cups low-fat (1%) buttermilk
2 avocados, quartered, pitted,      peeled
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 large seeded chopped tomato
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt

Combine cucumber and buttermilk in blender. Chop 1/2 of one avocado; set aside for salad. Cut remaining avocado into chunks. Add avocado to blender; then add 2 tablespoons red onion and 1 tablespoon basil. Blend until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover; refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Mix reserved avocado, remaining 2 tablespoons onion and 1 tablespoon basil, tomato and lime juice in small bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover soup and tomato salad separately and refrigerate.) Ladle cucumber soup into 4 bowls. Dollop each with 1 tablespoon yogurt; top with tomato salad and serve.

souper bread

Woah. Woah woah woah. Just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. Let me tell you a thing or two about a thing or two.

First of all- I got a freaking bread maker. And I made me some damn good french loaves today. I'm too excited to write more about it right now. Just know that you should probably be jealous of me.

Second- the soup. Creamless creamy tomoto soup. Super easy and sooooo yummy. And not too bad for you either.

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup (via Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients

1/4	cup extra virgin olive oil
1	medium onion, chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3	medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
	Pinch hot red pepper flakes
1	bay leaf
2	(28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
1	tablespoon brown sugar
3	large slices sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4	cup chopped fresh chives

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

2. Transfer half of soup to blender. Add 1 tablespoon oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil. Rinse out Dutch oven and return soup to pot. Stir in chicken broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives and drizzle with olive oil.

tomato and corn pie

Yes, you're right- this is a bad picture. Thank you for pointing it out. I don't have a flash, just get off my back for a second. But I had to post it so you would know what to make for your next meal, because that's exactly what it should be. I mean, cheese? mayo? biscuit-like topping? What's not to love, right? Right.

Tomato and Corn Pie
via smitten kitchen, adapted from Gourmet, August 2009

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons or 3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 2 teaspoons melted
3/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 3/4 pounds beefsteak tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn (from about 3 ears), coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil, divided
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
7ounces coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (1 3/4 cups), divided

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 3/4 tsp salt in a bowl, then blend in cold butter (3/4 stick) with your fingertips or a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal. Add milk, stirring until mixture just forms a dough, then gather into a ball.

Divide dough in half and roll out one piece on a well-floured counter into a 12-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Fold the round gently in quarters, lift it into a 9-inch pie plate and gently unfold and center it. Pat the dough in with your fingers trim any overhang.

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Whisk together mayonnaise and lemon juice.

Cut an X in bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to cool. Peel tomatoes, then slice crosswise 1/4 inch thick and, if desired, gently remove seeds and extra juices. Arrange half of tomatoes in crust, overlapping, and sprinkle with half of corn, one tablespoon basil, 1/2 tablespoon chives, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and one cup of grated cheese. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, corn, basil, chives, salt, and pepper. Pour lemon mayonnaise over filling and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round in same manner, then fit over filling, folding overhang under edge of bottom crust and pinching edge to seal. Cut 4 steam vents in top crust and brush crust with melted butter (2 teaspoons). Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes, then cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

feta pasta salad redo

greek-style penne with fresh tomatoes, feta, and dill

I came across this recipe while searching for ways to use up the dill and parsley I'd bought for the feta salsa. I halved the recipe and made it for lunch today with some heirloom tomatoes I got at the farmer's market yesterday. Just writing about it is making my mouth fill with drool. You should make this.

Greek-Style Penne with Fresh Tomatoes, Feta, and Dill
Bon Appétit | August 2002

• 2 pounds tomatoes, halved, seeded, chopped
• 1 cup chopped green onions (white and pale green parts only)
• 7 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 ounces penne pasta

Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Set tomato mixture aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Add hot pasta to tomato mixture and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

monday lunch

Grape tomatoes, yogurt, green onions, salt & pepper. And of course a bottle of Coke. Perfect way to look over the list of bands you saw at Pitchfork the day before.

Thanks summer, for just being you.

appetizers for dinner

Some people enjoy having breakfast for dinner as a treat. I personally enjoy appetizers for dinner days. I try to save it for when I'm really tired, busy, or hung over. Tuesday was all three, so I went big. I bought some ricotta cheese and mixed in fresh thyme, salt, pepper, and some red pepper. Then I roasted a pint of grape tomatoes, sliced a fresh baguette and went to town. Good food fixes a lot.