Today's post I want to dedicate to tomatoes. I have recently started eating tomatoes. I used to be firmly in the camp that loves tomato soup and ketchup, but can't stand the actual solid food. I have found that I am able to tolerate them in small doses, and for the most part, raw. Of course, I love them accompanied by mozzarella cheese and basil, which lead to my first food experiment.
I didn't know that caprese sandwiches were an actual food item. I encountered them at a UW campus convenience store, on the recommendation of a coworker. It was amazing, so I couldn't wait to try my own version when I got tomatoes in my CSA.
I used a yummy, chewy, ciabatta bread, fresh mozzarella, and pesto (I know, Mom, I could have made my own). The tomatoes came from the box, and I wish I could remember the variety, but I am pretty sure that they were heirlooms. I mixed the pesto with some mayonnaise to make it more of a spread. The sandwich was AMAZING. One thing I could have added was some balsamic vinaigrette, for a little punch of extra flavor. Also, I would recommend cutting it in half and sharing it with a friend. It was huge, and I could only finish about half.
Several weeks later, I was getting a little behind in my tomatoes. I decided to try something my sister suggested. This is a pasta sauce that is completely fresh, and extremely quick to make. I actually made the entire sauce out of items from my CSA.
(Pardon my thumb in the pic... my phone is still new to me!)
Chop up 4-5 small tomatoes, one medium sized zucchini, fresh basil and garlic to taste (I put in lots of both!). Throw all ingredients in the food processor with some olive oil and chop it down fine.
At this point, you could serve it cold on your choice of pasta. I chose to cook mine by just putting it over medium heat for about five minutes. It brought the flavors down a bit, and catered to my husband, who would much rather eat cooked vegetables.
After cooking, I added salt and pepper to taste. I forgot to add parmesan cheese, which I think would be really tasty, but it was good (and probably healthier) without. I put the sauce over cheese tortellini and chicken ravioli (husband's choice).
(Sauce after it was cooked)
Next time I make the sauce, I want to put it on grilled chicken breasts. I think that it would be really tasty like that too.
More later, but please comment with your favorite tomato recipes! I still have more to use, and get more each week!
