Tomato basil relish

We were having mozarella garlic chicken sausages at our tailgate, and I have tomatoes coming out my ears thanks to a very productive garden, plus a little basil left that is still struggling to make it in this heat. So rlish it was. Tomato, basil, garlic, onion, oil and vinegar relish.

Tomato basil relish

• 1 cup tomatoes, cored and seeded

• 1/4 cup (?) red onion
• 1/4 cup (?) fresh basil
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp olive oil

The biggest different between this and bruschetta is the size of the ingredients. I took the centers completely out of my tomatoes and diced them. I put the onion and basil (and I'm not sure about the amounts here because I just eye-balled it) into my food processor with the garlic cloves (I used two small cloves) and process until very fine before adding to the bowl of tomatoes. I stirred to mix well and eyeballed the ratios. The second biggest difference between this and bruschetta is the consistancy, because I think of bruschetta is wet, while I kept the relish moist to dry.

This was great on the chicken sausage dogs, but a little sweet. If you're not fond of slightly sweet relish you can add a little more garlic to make it even spicier, or use a different vinegar (or maybe even no vinegar—fresh ingredients speak for themselves!).

Semi-fried green tomatoes

I've posted this recipe before, but for one thing it was hidden inside another recipe and hard to find, and for another, I haven't tried making something new in a while (for shame!) so I have no new recipes to report right now and Jon feels like we need to post something here...

We love this recipe. There's lots of room for variations, too. I've tried this it corn flakes, I've tried it with panko, and last night we tried it with whole wheat panko (because that's all they had at the store). I think my favorite is the regular panko, but others preferred the corn flakes because you can get a more even coating on the slices with that. Also, the original recipe called for them to be served with fresh homemade salsa, but we felt they were fantastic on their own. Others I think might enjoy them with something like a ranch dressing. And The cayenne is not entirely necessary, either, as any seasoning (or none) will do.

Semi-fried Green Tomatoes

  ● 1/2  cup flour
  ● 1 tsp salt
  ● 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  ● 1 large egg
  ● 1 tbsp milk
  ● 1 cup cornflake crumbles or panko
  ● 4 medium green tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices
  ● 1/4 cup canola oil

In a shallow bowl combine the flour, salt, and cayenne.  In another shallow bowl beat egg and milk together. In a third shallow bowl place corn flakes, well crumbled (I go over mine with a rolling pin), or panko in a third bowl.
Coat tomato slices with flour mixture, then dip into egg mixture, then coat with crumbs/panko.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 4 tsps oil over medium heat.  Fry tomato tomatoes in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown, adding more oil as needed.  Drain on paper towels before
placing on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375℉ for 4-5 minutes or until tender.

I don't have a finished product picture (we were too hungry and they disappeared to fast!), but here's a before...

Homemade pappardelle

I have been wanting to try my hands at homemade noodles for some time now and, having stumbled across a recipe that promised me I didn't need a new KitchenAid attachment to do so, I decided now was the time. The process was incredibly easy, the end results were incredibly delicious. Though I'm sure we will rely on dried store bought noodles from time to time, I'm also sure I'll be doing this a lot more often.

Pappardelle is a wide ribbon Italian noodle. I made two different kinds—a standard white flour noodle and a spinach noodle. Of the two our favorite was actually the spinach noodle, and I have a it on my list to try a whole wheat noodle next time as well.

Homemade pappardelle

Ingredients:
  ● 2 cups flour
  ● 2 large eggs
  ● 1/4 cup water
  ● 1-1/2 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Put 1-1/2 cups of the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of flour and add eggs, water, and olive oil. Stir until flour is moistened and leaves the side of the bowl.

2. See step two (and on) below,

Homemade spinach pappardelle

Ingredients:
  ● 1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
  ● 1 large eggs
  ● 1-1/2 cups flour
  ● 3-4 tbsp water
  ● 1/2 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. In a blender or food processor, combine the spinach and egg; cover and blend until pureed. Put 1 coup of the flour into a large bowl; make a well in the center and add the spinach puree, 3 tablespoons of water, and the olive oil. Stir until well blended, adding additional water if it seems dry.

2. Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured surface and gather it into a ball. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic, adding as much of the remaining flour as need to keep it from sticking (be careful, though, too much flour will make for brittle noodles).

3. Shape the dough into two equal balls; wrap each ball in wax paper and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

4. Working with one ball at a time, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and flatten it into a round withthe palm of your hand, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. If the dough is too elastic to roll out, recover and allow it to rest longer. Once rolled thin, cover loosely with a towel and allow to try for 30 minutes.

5. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough to desired width of noodle (pappardelle is usually about 3/4-inch wide). Separate noodles and allow to dry for another 30 minutes to 2 hours (I draped mine over my cooling racks. I also have a friend whose Italian mother does not dry additionally but just drops the noodles right in to cook, so I'll be trying that next time).

6. To cook noodles, bring salted water to a boil and add noodles for just 2-3 minutes—they cook fast, so don't overdo it!

And here they are, served with spicy Italian sausage sauteed in olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic with julienned red and yellow peppers, and vidalia onions and garnished with chopped fresh tomatoes and basil (from our garden!). This was superb!

Garden kale soup

I found this recipe, or something like it, doing a search for ways to use kale. I love kale, and with winter coming we're likely to see a lot of it in our organic deliveries. Yum!
To the original recipe I added celery and twice the garlic, and cut the number of potatoes; I increased the amount of tomatoes and beans used while switching from canned to fresh/rehydrated; I also changed dried parsley to fresh and added a little more.
This is a great vegetarian meal for those chilly fall, or winter, nights. I served it with homemade multi-grain peasant bread and apple crisp (an extra fall treat!).

Garden Kale Soup

Ingredients:
  ● 2 tbsp. olive oil
  ● 1 yellow onion, chopped
  ● 4 tbsp. chopped garlic
  ● 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
  ● 3 celery ribs, chopped
  ● 8 vegetable broth
  ● 6-8 tomatoes, diced
  ● 4 white potatoes, peeled and cubed
  ● 3 cups rehydrated cannellini beans (or 2 cans)
  ● 2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
  ● 3 tbsp. snipped fresh parsley
  ● salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
 1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot; cook the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the water, vegetable bouillon, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, and parsley. Simmer soup on medium heat for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Kitchen sink chili

It's not quite chili season yet, but the weather earlier this week sure was misleading.  After spending the better portion of Tuesday standing in a chill rain making our daily round of the construction sites in the neighborhood, Calvin decided that chili was perfect for a chilly day (in fact, he got a real kick out of saying that...over and over and over again).  I think it's a mark of my increasing maturity (be nice, now) that I was able to pull this off thanks to a well stocked kitchen, or at least a well stocked garden:  dried beans in the cupboard, several plants full of ripe tomatoes, onions from the garden as well, and a strange variety of fresh veggies needing to be used in the fridge.  This, as you can probably tell from its eccentricity, is entirely my own recipe.  Imagine.

Kitchen Sink Chili

Ingredients:
  ● 2 cups mixed dried beans
  ● 2.5 quarts water, plus more
  ● 1 large onion, chopped
  ● 3 lbs tomatoes, chopped
  ● 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  ● ~4 celery stalks, with leaves, chopped
  ● ~2 parsnips, chopped
  ● ~4 stalks bok choy (white part only), chopped
  ● 1/4 tsp salt
  ● 1/2 tsp pepper
  ● 1 tbsp chili powder
  ● 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
1.  In a large pot combine beans and 2.5 quarts of water.  Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat, cover, and allow to sit for 1 hour.
2.  Drain beans, then cover with fresh water, bring to a low boil, and simmer for 3 hours, adding water if necessary.
3.  Add tomatoes, garlic, parsnips, and spices, then simmer for 20 minutes.  Add bok choy and celery and simmer for additional 20 minutes.  Serve hot, topped (optionally) with cheese, sour cream, and hot sauce.

The joy of this recipe is that you can substitute anything you think sounds yummy for anything you think doesn't.