86-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, August 3, 1996
Green To Sun-
Ripened Tomatoes
Offer Culinary
. Delights
Now is the time to enjoy vine
ripened tomatoes. Even if you
don’t grow your own tomato
stalks, you can pick up tomatoes at
roadside markets. Make certain,
the tomatoes are vine-ripened and
not picked when they are green.
The less ripe when picked, the less
flavor.
Select tomatoes with a good
shape and a smooth, even skin that
has no breaks, bruises, or green or
yellow patches. They should feel
heavy for their size, and should be
red and slightly soft. Small
tomatoes are best for making
salads and casseroles. Medium and
large ones are good for slicing,
stuffing, or marinating. Overripe
tomatoes of all sizes are the best
for making tomato sauce. Green
tomates make excellent mince
meat
SCALLOPED TOMATOES
Toss together and put in buttered
dish:
4 cups bread cubes (8 slices)
'/> cup melted butter
In saucepan, bring to boil and
simmer 20 minutes:
1 quart crushed tomatoes
Vt cup dark brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Pour tomatoes over bread cubes
and bake at 350 degrees for one
hour.
Trudy Ashelman
Orangeville
TOMATO JELLY
10 pounds ripe tomatoes
Granulated sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
A teaspoon salt
Scald, peel, and dice tomatoes.
Measure 1 cup tomatoes and add
% cup granulated sugar per each
cup tomatoes. Mix and let stand
eight hours or overnight. Put toma
to mixture in large kettle and add
salt, cinnamon sticks, which have
been broken in half. Boil on
medium heat until thick and clear,
stirring often. Remove cinnamon
sticks, cool. Pour into jars or jelly
glasses. Seal with thin layer of
paraffin. Makes approximately
three pints.
Trudy Ashelman
Orangeville
Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please
share them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that
you include accurate measurements, a complete list of ingre
dients and clear instructions with each recipe you submit.
Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming,
P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522. Recipes should reach our
office one week before publishing date.
August-
10- Pickles & Green Tomatoes
17- Zuchinni Recipes
24- Garden Vegetables
31- Labor Day Cookout
TOMATO CAKE
Vi cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups fresh tomatoes
1 cup raisins
1 cup nuts
2% cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Cook tomatoes, add raisins to
hot tomatoes and let mixture cool.
Beat butter and sugar together until
fluffy. Add eggs, and beat some
more. Mix in vanilla. Sift dry
ingredients together and add slow
ly to butter. Stir in tomato and rai
sin mixture and nuts. Bake at 350
degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Sara Martin
Savannah, NY
ITALIAN SHELL BAKE
2!4cups medium shells,
uncooked
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
2 cups tomato sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon oregano
'A teaspoon pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
cheese
'A cup chopped fresh parsley
Cook shells and drain well.
Meanwhile, brown beef in a large
skillet. Add onion and pepper and
saute. Pour off excess fat. Stir in
tomato sauce, garlic salt, oregano,
and pepper; simmer S minutes.
Combine ricotta cheese, VA cups
mozzarella cheese, and parsley.
Combine shells with meat sauce;
place half mixture in 3-quart cas
serole. Spread cheese filling even
ly over shells; top with remaining
shells and meat mixture. Sprinkle
with remaining 'A cup mozzarella
cheese. Coven bake at 350 degrees
for 25 minutes. Remove cover;
bake 5 minutes longer or until
cheese is lightly browned. Serves
6-8.
For a lower fat recipe, replace
ricotta cheese with 2 cups of nonfat
cottage cheese.
Sara Martin
Savannah, NY
Tomatoes whether raw or sauced enhance Italian dishes.
DUTCH BEANS
16-ounces canned, diced
tomatoes
16-ounces canned cut string
beans
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoons bacon bits
Salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in a 2-quart
pan and cook over medium heat
until onions are cooked. Serves 8
to 10.
Betty Light
Lebanon
TOMATO-VEGETABLE
STEW
8-10 large, ripe tomatoes,
skinned and chopped
2 medium yellow squash, cubed
4 medium green squash, cubed
3 ears com, cooked and cut from
cob
3 large sweet onions, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Cornstarch to thicken
Saute onions in butler. Add
chopped tomatoes, yellow and
green squash, and com. Simmer
until squash is cooked thoroughly.
Add sugar, salt, and pepper to
taste. Mix cornstarch with one-half
cup water until well blended. Add
to tomato mixture to thicken.
I serve this often when tomatoes
are plentiful. For variety, almost
any fresh vegetable can be added.
This can be served like stewed
tomatoes or not thickened quite so
much, it makes an excellent veget
able chowder.
Carolyn Matschulat
White Marsh, Md.
Featured Recipe
Belinda Myers, Dilllastown. captured first place honors in the Leba
non Fair Apple Pie Baking Contest on Monday at the fairgrounds.
The Special Apple Pie is a unique recipe, containing peaches to give
it the special flavor the three judges for the contest agreed was the best
There were a total of seven entries. Second place went to Connie
Knauss and third to Anna Nebinger.
Judges were Alletta Schadler, Debbie Hartman, and Paul
Harclerode.
Here's the winning recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
SPECIAL APPLE PIE
Crust
214 cup flour, sifted
14 teaspoon baking powder
14 cup milk
V* cup butter-flavored Crisco
1 teaspoon salt
Sauce:
V 1 cup sugar
14 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
14 teaspoon cinnamon
14 teaspoon nutmeg
Sugar filling:
~A cup sugar
14 teaspoon cinnamon
14 teaspoon nutmeg
6 cups apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1 cup peaches, peeled, sliced
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
Makes one 9-inch pie. For dough, cut Crisco into flour, salt, and
baking powder until coarse crumbs. Gradually add milk, tossing with
fork until moistened. Divide in half. Roll out one half of crust one-inch
larger than pie pan. Set aside.
For sauce: In small saucepan, bring sugar, water, nutmeg, and cinna
mon to a boil. Add butter.
Coat apples with flour. Layer in pie shell. Add peach slices in the
middle of apples. Sprinkle with sugar Ailing. Dot with butter. Pour on
'/ cup cooked sauce. Roll out remaining half of dough. Cut into lattice
strips. Lay on top of apples. Crimp edges. Decorate top with leaves cut
out of dough. Bake in a 400 degree for SO minutes. Basting with syrup
every IS minutes.