86-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 5, 2000
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In-Season Tomatoes Burst With Flavor And Possibilities
Tomato-Mozzarella
Salad Dijon provides in
season flavor.
The flavor of fresh tomatoes
varies not only from the variety
but also according to when pick
ed. The less ripe they are when
picked, the less flavor.
That’s why vine-ripened toma
toes available from local gardens
taste so much better than those
picked green in distant states
and shipped to ripen between the
farm and you.
Select tomatoes with a good
shape and a smooth, even skin
that has no breaks, bruises, or
green or yellow patches. Toma
toes should feel heavy for their
size and be red and slightly soft.
Firmer tomatoes will ripen given
time.
Small tomatoes are best for
making salads and casseroles.
Medium and large ones are good
for slicing, stuffing, or marinat
ing. Overripe tomatoes of all
sizes are best used in making to
mato sauce.
Leave unripened tomatoes at
room temperature. Store ripened
tomatoes refrigerated in a plastic
bag or in a refrigerator drawer
for three to seven days. Long re
frigeration will cause them to
loose flavor and nutrients.
OPEN-FACE
TOMATO SANDWICH
On a cookie sheet, place four
slices white bread. Top with four
slices white American cheese.
Top each with a generous slice of
tomatoes. Top each with two
slices partially cooked bacon.
Broil until bacon is done and
cheese is light brown.
Katherine Wagner
Mount Joy
TOMATO SALSA
1 basket tomatoes, peeled,
cubed
6 cups chopped onions
10 green bell peppers, chopped
5 jalapeno peppers, chopped
(more or less to suit taste)
Put chopped vegetables in a
large kettle and add the follow
ing;
Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for topics listed below, please share them
with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that you include ac
curate measurements, a complete list of ingredients, and clear
instructions with each recipe you submit. Be sure to include
your name and address. Recipes should reach our office one
week before the publishing date listed below.
Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming,
P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522.
August
12 - Covered Dish Ideas
19- Garden Vegetables
26 - Sandwiches
September
2 - Beef Contest Entries
9 - National Honey Month
2 cups vinegar
3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 cups brown sugar
Cook together ingredients for
30 minutes. Thicken with Clear
Jel or Therm-flo (available at
most bulk food stores). Cold
pack 15 minutes. Makes 34 pints.
Note: For quick and easy peel
ing of tomatoes, put into boiling
water about one minute. Peels
will slide right off.
Blender or food processor
works great for chopping veg
gies.
Anonymous Reader
TOMATO GRATIN
8 slices sourdough sandwich
bread, toasted
21/2 pounds large, ripe toma
toes, cut into '/4-inch thick
slices
Vi teaspoon minced fresh gar
lic
'/: teaspoon salt
'A cup snipped fresh chives
Ground black pepper
4-ounces soft goat cheese or
crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
2'h tablespoons grated parme
san cheese
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly coat a shallow 2-quart
baking dish with olive cooking
spray.
Arrange four slices bread over
the bottom of baking dish, tear
ing to fit. Top with half the to
mato slices.
Sprinkle garlic over tomatoes,
and then sprinkle with half the
chives. Season with salt and pep
per.
Crumble the goat cheese over
the chives and drizzle with half
the oil.
Top with remaining bread slic
es, pressing firmly to fit.
Arrange the remaining tomato
slices on top, then sprinkle with
the remaining chives, the parme
san cheese, and additional pep
per to taste. Drizzle with remain
ing 11/:I 1 /: teaspoon oil.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or
until the cheese on top is golden
and the tomatoes are soft. Serves
Emily Cloninger
Centre Co. Dairy Princess
GAZPACHO
6 large tomatoes
1 large cucumber, peeled,
seeded, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, fine
ly chopped
1 red onion, minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
juice of Vi lemon plus 2 ta-
blespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley
to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh
basil OR 2 teaspoons
dried salt and freshly
ground pepper to taste
Tabasco sauce to taste
Herb croutons (optional)
Peel tomatoes by submerg
ing in boiling water for 15 sec
onds. Remove to a colander
and rinse under cold water.
The skins should slip right off.
Core the tomatoes and gently
squeeze out the seeds. Chop
half of them coarsely and
puree the other half in a food
processor.
Combine the puree and
chopped tomatoes in large
mixing bowl. Blend the re
maining ingredients except the
herb croutons with the toma
toes. Cover and refrigerate for
several hours before serving.
Serve chilled; garnish with
herb croutons. Makes 6 serv
ings.
To make a thinner version,
add 2 cups tomato juice.
FRESH TOMATO PIZZA
WITH HERBS
AND PARMESAN
1 thin, 12-inch prepared pizza
crust
V* cup lowfat marinara sauce
Vi tablespoon dried oregano
Vi cup fresh basil, chopped
6-8 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced
'/4-inch thick
% cup parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spread pizza crust with sauce
and sprinkle with oregano and
basil. Layer the tomatoes all over
the pizza. Sprinkle cheese evenly
over the top, and bake on a bak
ing sheet or pizza pan for 15
minutes. Cut into wedges and
serve.
TOMATO-MOZZARELLA
SALAD DIJON
[ A cup olive oil
14 cup dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
8-ounces mozzarella cheese,
sliced
1 small red onion, slivered
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves
Whisk together oil, mustard,
and lemon juice. Cover; refriger
ate until serving time.
Arrange tomato and cheese
slices on large serving platter or
plates. Sprinkle with onion and
basil. Drizzle with prepared
dressing. Serve immediately.
SPINACH TOMATO
BAKE
IVi cups water
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
'A teaspoon salt
VA cups brown rice
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
Vi pounds sliced mushrooms
16-ounces frozen spinach,
thawed, moisture squeezed
Salt and pepper to taste
12-ounces Cheddar cheese,
shredded
VA. pounds tomatoes, cored,
sliced thinly
'A cup Romano cheese
Bread crumbs (optional)
Bring water to boil and add
butter and salt. Add rice, stir,
cover and reduce heat to low.
Simmer 35-45 minutes until
Featured Recipe
TOMATO AND
FRESH MOZZARELLA
NAPOLEON
6 medium ripe tomatoes
18 mozzarella cheese slices
1 head Bibb lettuce, washed
and dried
Vinaigrette
1 cup oalsamic vinegar
'A cup olive oil
4-ounces caramelized
roasted shallots
'A teaspoon fresh ground
black pepper
'A teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste
To roast shallots, break out
of their casing and drizzle
with olive oil. Bake at 395 de
grees in small covered baking
dish 10-15 minutes until soft.
From each tomato, cut a
thin slice from top and bot
tom, discard. Cut each tomato
into three slices. Place one
Send Your Favorite Beef
Recipe To Enter Contest
The Pennsylvania Beef
Council and Lancaster
Farming are sponsoring a
beef recipe contest to high
light the versatility and nutri
tional value of beef. To enter
the drawing, pick out your fa
vorite recipe which includes a
substantial amount of beef or
veal.
Simply give us your favor
ite recipe to prepare that
steak, roast, filet, or ground
beef for your hungry faihily
and write a short description
on why the recipe is such a
hit with your family.
Your recipe may fall into
the appetizer, soup, entree,
vegetable, snack and salad
categories or any other crea
tive way to prepare and pres
ent beef and veal.
The deadline to enter reci
pes is Friday, August 25.
Contest winners will be print
ed in the September 2 issue of
Lancaster Farming.
watet is absorbed. Set rice aside.
Saute onion in oil over medium
heat for about 4 minutes; add
garlic, mushrooms, and chopped
spinach. Add salt and pepper to
taste, and saute another 4-6 min
utes until onion and mushrooms
are tender. Toss sauteed vege
tables with cooked brown rice
and sour cream. Add more salt
and pepper if desired. Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Lightly but
ter a 9x13-inch pan or casserole
and evenly layer vegetable-rice
mixture over bottom. Sprinkle
with half the shredded cheddar.
Layer with half the tomato slices
and add salt and pepper to taste.
remain BLACK BEAN CASSEROLE
and add another layer of remain- i s . ounce can h i ack
ing tomatoes. Finish with grated ] A ounce 0311 blackb «ans .
cheese and sprinkle of bread 4-ounce can stewed tomatoes
crumbs if desired. Bake until 3 6-.nch corn tortillas, quarter-
ZnLu nd VegetaWeS arC 1 cup Jalapeno cheese spread
heated through. Combine black beans and
QUICKIE PASTA BAKE stewed tomatoes. In 9x13-inch
1 pound pasta (penne or roti- casserole dish, layer bean mix
ni) ture with tortillas and cheese.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil Repeat. Bake at 350 degrees for
1 onion, chopped 20-30 minutes.
Stem Tomato And Fresh
Mozzarella Napoleon
makes a showy dish.
slice mozzarella on each slice
of tomato. Stack the three slic
es of tomato and mozzarella
on top of each other. Arrange
lettuce on six plates and place
stacked tomato and mozzarel
la on top. Drizzle with vinai
grette. Serves 6.
Send your entry immediate
ly. Winners will be selected
by a random drawing at the
end of August, however Lan
caster Farming will be print
ing beef recipes throughout
September.
Please clearly print or type
your recipe entry. Also be
specific and accurate with
measurements, temperatures,
times, and sizes of baking
dishes to use. We may dis
qualify entries if these guide
lines are not followed.
Along with the recipe in
clude your complete mailing
address so we can send you a
prize if you’re a winner. In
addition please enter one rec
ipe per family. Contest par
ticipants must be 18 or older.
Send entries to Lou Ann
Good, Lancaster Farming
Beef Recipe Contest, P.O.
Box 609* 1 East Main Street,
Ephrata, PA 17522.
28-ounce can tomatoes,
crushed
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
Salt and pepper
2 cups cheese, grated, any type
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cook pasta on stove and drain.
Meanwhile, heat oil in saucepan.
Add onion and garlic, saute until
soft, about 5 minutes. Add toma
toes, oregano, salt, and pepper,
cook until heated through, about
5 minutes. Combine cooked
pasta, sauce, and x h cups grated
cheese in ovenproof dish. Sprin
kle remaining cheese on top.
Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 de
grees.