September is for Tomatoes

 

  

Shame on you. I am deeply offended. The weather is hot and humid. Yes, there have been a few days of cool air and a whiff of things to come but according to the calendar, summer isn't over yet. In fact, I don't care that we are slowly moving toward fall. I won't concede pumpkin flavors and spices and all of that until at least October 1st. September is NOT for pumpkin spice.  

September is for locals. The beaches, the roads, the supermarkets and restaurants are a little less crowded. Sure they are still busy but now they are filled with more year round residents who opted to stay home in the middle of the summer rather than deal with throngs of impatient visitors with their annoying demands and crying children. Of course, not everyone acts like that but by the end of August, it certainly seems that way. 

Most tourists have gone home and kids are back at school while the perfect beach weather is here. I can easily park on a Friday evening just before sunset at a popular beach in town. Swinging into the lot, I am relieved that I don't need to battle it out by waiting in line for others to pack up and head out. To my surprise, there is plenty of space between groups on the beach, no need to cram on top of each other, unlike those hot days in the middle of the summer.  

I don't go many places outside of work, home and the occasional beach day after 3:00pm during the height of the madness. I launch my paddle board Monday- Friday by 7:00am to avoid any recreational boaters who cause too much wake as they pass by tossing my board about as if I had gone surfing in Hawaii. I may go out for dinner...early as soon as the bar is open, so that I don't have to wait too long or fight my way to get the last seat. 

September is for tomatoes. The tomatoes are ripening fast and furiously- I can barely consume all that Val picks from her abundant vines. I love tomatoes in so many kinds of ways: tomato sandwiches with mayo, salt and pepper on soft white Portuguese bread, BLT's on toasted pain de mie with lemon basil aioli, chopped tomatoes in a layered "Mexican"' dip, roasted cherry tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and rosemary, sliced tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt, tomato pie baked with cheddar cheese and fresh thyme, the list can go as long as there are tomatoes and tomato recipes to be made. 

So while there are fresh, ripe, local tomatoes to be eaten before the weather turns chilly and the vines don't produce any more, I will not condone any type of menu that features classic Autumn flavors, pumpkin spice, falling leaves motifs, etc. until October 1st. Please don't mention the lattes, hot soups and ravioli's highlighting various forms of squash and sage. It's not time yet. I need to squeeze out every last drop of summer and tomato season while I still can. 

Tomato Pie with Herb Crust

 Ingredients: 

Crust:

3/4 cup cornmeal

3/4 cup AP flour, whole wheat flour or gluten free flour

2 tablespoons fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

1/4 cold water

Filling:

6 medium sized ripe tomatoes, sliced

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

Topping:

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs: parsley, thyme, etc.

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pulse cornmeal, flour, thyme, pepper, salt and butter in a food processor until pea size chunks of butter form. Slowly add water to form a loose dough. Remove dough and press onto bottom and up the sides of a pie plate. Prick dough all over with fork. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

While dough bakes for 20 minutes, slice tomatoes and lay slices in a single layer on paper towel to absorb juices. Shred cheddar cheese.

Spread shredded cheese over bottom of partially baked crust. Arrange tomatoes in overlapping circular pattern on top of cheese. Sprinkle black pepper and salt over the top of the tomatoes and drizzle olive oil over the top of the tomatoes. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any overflowing juices then back in oven for 40 minutes until tomatoes begin to cook down and juices are bubbling up.

Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. Remove pie from oven after 40 minutes, sprinkle topping evenly over tomatoes then place pie back in the oven for 10 more minutes to bake the topping.

Remove from the oven and allow pie to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving. The pie can also be served at room temperature. The crust is best the same day the pie is baked.

More amazing tomato recipes:

-B. L. T. (Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich)

-Tomato Cheese Pie

-Tomatoes Provencal

-Tomato and Cheddar Tarte (made with puff pastry)

-"Mexican" Dip

-Simple Tomato Soup

 

 

 

 

 

Ladies (Only) Night

My friends have full-time jobs, they are raising teenage children, are busy creating side hustles and managing households. They are masters at juggling their lives- making it all look easy but will admit that it is actually quite hard, on some days nearly impossible. There is a collective sense of humor and realness about it. Everyone is down to share it all: celebrate a win no matter how small (you paid off that credit card, managed to vacuum the basement?) and aggressively hug during the low points (the loss of family, jobs). They come to play and they know how to party.

By Friday night, we are completely burnt out from looking at computer screens, waking up tired teenagers to get them to school before the bell and all manner of workplace foolishness. The dog had diarrhea all over the house in the middle of night and your boss is a nincompoop. Doesn't matter anymore. It's Friday, we are off duty: none of us is cooking dinner-husbands, children and pets are all left to fend for themselves. It's only ladies-just us and our stuff, the way we like it.

"Cocktails and Hors D'oeuvres" is a phrase borrowed from my grandmother who turned stale crackers, processed cheese squirted out of a can, Fresca and vodka into an event. I am rocking that vibe for my ladies with a spread including port wine cheddar cheese from a tub, Triscuits, Cheetos and "Spinach Brownies", a recipe from "Simply the Best Course": the Woods Hole Golf Club Centennial Cookbook. Full disclosure: a gift from my grandmother.

The ladies who compiled this tome knew how to gather and party. They made hors d'oeuvres that were somewhat high end for their day, the kind of bites that guests talked about the next morning for better or for worse. The recipes for the most tasty snacks, were requested and passed around if the owner was willing to part with the secret to her hostessing success or better yet, they were kept secret and unveiled when a classic like this is published.

Spinach Brownies are likely not what you may think: a savory bite of sharp cheddar cheese baked with spinach. Cut into tiny, bite size pieces and served at room temperature. So easy to just pop into your mouth, no biting needed, no lipstick ruining moment and no need to cradle both a cocktail and a plate. I hope that Kathy Gillis, wherever she is today is proud that everyone at my ladies gathering truly enjoyed her contribution to the book.

I like to channel the feeling that I get when I read through this book. Just friends and fun, gossip and laughter. Keep the drinks flowing and the snack spread full. There is not really much else to tell: the outfits were fabulous (denim, heels, jewelry), the cocktails were divine (lime gimlets, vodka & Fresca) and I already mentioned the snacks. Suffice it to say, we had a great time, secrets were shared, confidences kept and no one needs to know who dropped her phone in the toilet.

Vodka Gimlet

For one:

2 oz. vodka

3/4 oz. lime juice

2-3 teaspoons simple syrup

ice

lime wheel or wedge for garnish

 Chill a martini glass. Fill a shaker full of ice. Add vodka, lime juice, simple syrup. Shake until well chilled. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with lime wheel or wedge.

For a crowd (makes 10):

1 1/4 cups vodka,  (10 oz.)

1 cup lime juice, (8 oz.) if you want to be super accurate, measure out 7.5 oz.

1/2 cup simple syrup (add more to taste)

ice

10 lime wheels

 Mix vodka, lime juice, simple syrup in a large pitcher or container. Taste and adjust flavors, if necessary. Chill until ready to serve.

 Chill 10 martini glasses (or as many for serving). Fill a shaker with ice. Fill shaker 2/3 full with mix. Shake until well chilled. Fill glasses. Continue with remaining mix. Garnish all drinks with lime wheels.

Spinach Brownies

"Simply the Best Course", 1998 

Original recipe submitted by Kathy Gillis

1 cup all purpose flour*

1 teaspoon salt**

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup milk

1 (10 oz.) package frozen, chopped spinach (thawed and drained well)

1/2 cup minced onions***

4 cups (1 lb.) extra sharpe cheddar cheese, shredded****

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, salt and baking powder. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add eggs and milk to flour mixture. Set aside. Combine spinach, onions and cheese. Add spinach mixture to flour mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 13" x 9" pan. Bake for 45 minutes.

Cool to room temperature. Cut into bite-sized pieces to serve. 

*I substituted King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour to make these gluten free.

**I use Kosher salt

***I omitted the onions

***It is a ton of cheese! I only used 3 1/2 cups...they came out great!