Charred Cherry Tomatoes with Yogurt

Member Cara McAteer shares another great use of our summer tomato bounty!

This past week my share included a very generous quantity of beautiful little yellow tomatoes. The break from the summer heat and the cooler evenings put me in the mood for roasting so I am going to make Ottolenghi’s quick and easy charred cherry tomato recipe from his book “Simple”. I like to alter this recipe by adding a chopped up pepper to the mix. My share included a red pepper which I think will look (and taste) nice with the yellow tomatoes.

https://houseandhome.com/recipe/yotam-ottolenghis-charred-cherry-tomatoes-cold-yogurt/

INGREDIENTS

12 oz cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
¾ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp light brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 thyme sprigs 6 oregano sprigs: 3 sprigs left whole and the rest stemmed, to serve
1 lemon: finely shave the skin of ½ to get 3 strips, then finely grate the other ½ to get 1 tsp zest
Flaked sea salt and black pepper
1 2∕3 cups extra-thick Greek-style yogurt, fridge-cold
1 tsp Urfa chile flakes (or ½ tsp other crushed red pepper flakes)

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Place the tomatoes in a mixing bowl with the olive oil, cumin, sugar, garlic, thyme, oregano sprigs, lemon strips, ½ teaspoon of flaked salt and a good grind of pepper. Mix to combine, then transfer to a baking sheet just large enough—about 6 x 8 inches/15 x 20 centimeters— to fit all the tomatoes together snugly. Place the sheet about 2 inches/5 centimeters beneath the broiler and roast for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are beginning to blister and the liquid is bubbling. Turn the oven to the broil setting and broil for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tomatoes start to blacken on top.
3. While the tomatoes are roasting, combine the yogurt with the grated lemon zest and ¼ tsp of flaked salt. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
4. Once the tomatoes are ready, spread the chilled yogurt on a platter (with a lip) or in a wide, shallow bowl, creating a dip in it with the back of a spoon. Spoon the hot tomatoes on top, along with their juices, lemon strips, garlic, and herbs, and finish with the oregano leaves and chile flakes. Serve at once.

'Week 2' Shakshuka

This is a dish that member Rebecca Silverman likes to make during the 2nd week that veggies live in the fridge. They are getting a little tired, but still perfectly delicious. I have quarters and halves of things like cabbage and tomato left. This is a perfect dish for using up those bits and pieces and slightly tired veggies. It may not be super traditional shakshuka, but there are so many variations, and it's delicious! I do this whole dish on the stove top. There are oven variations but it's August in NYC, so, nope.

Ingredients:

-Olive oil or butter or a combo
-1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
-3 green onions or half an onion, chopped
-1/4 of a cabbage, cut into thin strips
-tomatoes diced (I used half a remaining tomato and the few cherry tomatoes I had left)
-chopped green or red peppers
-jarred tomato sauce (I usually have an open jar of tomato sauce in the fridge, so this is a perfect way to finish it. I used about half a jar. This is a chunky shakshuka).
-1-2 tsp of Yemeni Hawaij (I get this spice blend at Sahadi's)
-salt to taste
-optional chili sauces for garnishing like harissa or a chili crunch
-eggs

Preparation

Start by adding the oil/butter to the pan. Add cabbage, green onions and garlic. (If using a regular onion, sweat the onion before adding the cabbage), cook til softened. 

Once softened, stir in the hawaij.

Add chopped peppers. once softened and the chopped tomatoes.

Depending on how your pan heats, you might want to add a tablespoon or so of water to help the veggies soften and keep them from getting too brown. 

Once all of the veggies are cooked, add the tomato sauce.

Before the sauce starts to boil, but has been heated through, make little wells in the mix and crack your eggs into the wells. Put a lid on the pan to aid in the steaming. Once eggs are opaque (I like to leave the yolks a little runny), turn off heat, season to taste and serve.

I garnish with some of the basil from the plant that we got earlier in the season.

Gazpacho

Member Cara MacAteer has another great recipe to share - the epitome of summer!

GAZPACHO

I had made it most of the way through this unusual summer before I realized that I still had not made gazpacho despite all the hot, humid days where I wanted meals that don't require turning on an oven or stove. Then on August 13, I picked up my share to find that it had everything I needed except for the vinegar, oil, and salt, which I had in my pantry already. I sometimes have trouble finding a cubanelle pepper but my share included a beautiful one. I chopped up Farmer Ted's tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, and garlic and tossed them into a Vitamix with some salt and olive oil and vinegar and had delicious gazpacho in no time.

Here is the recipe I use: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017577-best-gazpacho

INGREDIENTS:

About 2 pounds ripe red tomatoes, cored and roughly cut into chunks
1 Italian frying (cubanelle) pepper cored, seeded and roughly cut into chunks
1 cucumber, about 8 inches long, peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 small mild onion (white or red), peeled and roughly cut into chunks
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, more to taste
Salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste, plus more for drizzling

PREPARATION

Combine tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender or, if using a hand blender, in a deep bowl. (If necessary, work in batches.) Blend at high speed until very smooth, at least 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.

With the motor running, add the vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture will turn bright orange or dark pink and become smooth and emulsified, like a salad dressing. If it still seems watery, drizzle in more olive oil until texture is creamy.

Strain the mixture through a strainer or a food mill, pushing all the liquid through with a spatula or the back of a ladle. Discard the solids. Transfer to a large pitcher (preferably glass) and chill until very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Before serving, adjust the seasonings with salt and vinegar. If soup is very thick, stir in a few tablespoons ice water. Serve in glasses, over ice if desired, or in a bowl. A few drops of olive oil on top are a nice touch.

Creamy Corn Pasta With Basil

Every year, PHCSA Coordinator Colleen Kestner looks forward to corn season specifically for this pasta. She discovered this Melissa Clark recipe a few years ago as a way to use up the mid-season bounty of corn, but now can’t wait for it every year. It satisfies the creaminess and smokiness of a carbonara but with a fresh summer twist.

Creamy Corn Pasta with Basil

by Melissa Clark for the New York Times

Serves 3-4

• 12 ounces dry orecchiette or farfalle

• 4 ounces of pancetta or bacon, diced (optional)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling (skip if using pancetta or bacon)

• 1 bunch scallions (about 8), trimmed and thinly sliced (keep the whites and greens separate)

• 2 large ears corn, shucked and kernels removed (2 cups kernels)

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, more for serving

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, more to taste

• ⅓ cup torn basil or mint, more for garnish

• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

• Fresh lemon juice, as needed

• Fine sea salt

PREPARATION

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until 1 minute shy of al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

2. Meanwhile, sautée pancetta or bacon until crispy, if using, then remove from pan and set aside, leaving rendered fat in pan. If not, heat oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. Add scallion whites and a pinch of salt and cook until soft, 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and all but 1/4 cup corn; simmer until corn is heated through and almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, transfer to a blender, and purée mixture until smooth, adding a little extra water if needed to get a thick but pourable texture.

3. Heat the same skillet over high heat. Add butter and let melt. Add reserved 1/4 cup corn and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. (It’s O.K. if the butter browns; that deepens the flavor.) Add the corn purée and cook for 30 seconds to heat and combine the flavors.

4. Reduce heat to medium. Add pasta and half the reserved pasta cooking water, tossing to coat. Cook for 1 minute, then add a little more of the pasta cooking water if the mixture seems too thick. Stir in 1/4 cup of the scallion greens, the pancetta (if using), the Parmesan, the herbs, the red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice to taste. Transfer to warm pasta bowls and garnish with more scallions, herbs, a drizzle of olive oil and black pepper.

Recipe Round-Up

Member Juliana Guimarães shared a round-up of her favorite recipes from all of last season’s CSA. As you can tell, she got creative with all those delicious veggies and experimented a lot. We’re so happy to share some of the recipes she recommends. If you make them, let us know and send photos!

Breaded Eggplant Cutlets - So delicious and easy to do it!

Butternut-Sausage Lasagna - As a granddaughter of Italians, lasagna is one of my favorite dishes of all time! When I came across this recipe was pure delight.

Brazilian Carrot Cake - As a Brazilian I was so surprised when I tried the carrot cake here in the USA, it’s completely different from the cake I grew up eating. So when I saw all the amazing carrots I got from the share, my first thought was: Carrot Cake!


Cabbage Rolls - For a period last season we got cabbages every week, and I need to be creative to make sure we are eating all before the next week come. So it pops on my mind the dish my grandmother used to do and I never cooked. My husband loved so much that he keeps asking me “When will you do Cabbage Rolls?”

Tabbouleh - I can eat an entire bowl of Tabbouleh on my own. I love it so much!