EllenFork

A Tasty Tomato Tart

Last summer was the Summer of the Cherry Tomato. My CSA delivered buckets and buckets of them, overflowing from their containers in rays of orange, yellow and red (see above photo). I made sauce, I made kebabs, I made jam, I made everything I could think of with those dang tomatoes. At the end of the summer, I felt that cherry tomatoes had overstayed their welcome with me, those clingy little SOBs. Yet, now that spring has shown its face, that memory has faded. A winter devoid of those little orbs has erased the exhaustion of the cherry 'mater onslaught. And now, against all odds, I crave them.

It's really more a matter of craving sunlight and green things growing and fresh things to eat! I love you, root vegetables, but you gotta GO!!! Make way for the basil and tomatoes and squash! Move it or lose it you mangy winter veggies! Except for you, 'taters. You can stay.

Anyway, when the new issue of Food and Wine arrived with this lovely, hilariously simple savory tart recipe, I knew what I had to do. I know, I know, cherry tomatoes aren't really a spring vegetable... but sometimes you must simply partake of the bounty in the aisles before you, when a recipe like this presents itself. So, for better I worse I hitched my wagon to this tart and I am NOT SORRY. If you make this tart, you will not be sorry either. Enjoy!

 

Cherry Tomato Tart with Basil

Recipe by Alix de montille and Jean-Marc Roulot, Food and Wine April 2010

Ingredients

·       1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

·       Salt

·       7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

·       1/2 cup cold heavy cream

·       2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes

·       2 tablespoons shredded basil leaves

 

Butter a 9-inch tart pan. I just used a pie pan because that's what I have. We're in a recession, ok?! Make do. In a food processor, pulse the flour with a pinch of salt and the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. (Make sure you have a big enough food processor, because my adorable little 2.5 cup Cuisinart did not appreciate what I was trying to do. It was a near disaster)

Add the cream and pulse until the dough nearly comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead a few times. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 325°. Roll out the dough to a 14-inch round. Press the round into the tart pan; trim off any excess. Mound the tomatoes in the shell. Bake for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, until the dough is evenly browned. Let cool.

Season with sea salt, and chopped basil. I also added some grated  parmesan, a grind or two of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil for true perfection. When I reheated a slice in the oven the next day, I threw a few mozzarella pearls in amongst the tomatoes to melt. Next time, I may do this the first time around...it would alter the simplistic nature of the tart, but fresh mozz is SO good. Just a thought...

Note: I almost felt that the tart dough was a bit too dense...not sure how to remedy this, but if I try it again, I might add a leavening agent to give it a bit lighter feel. 

Weird, Wild Food: Fiddleheads

See those things in that picture up there? They're not alien tentacles, if that's what you're thinking. In fact they are plant matter: Fiddlehead Ferns. They are baby ferns that have not yet unfurled their little leaves. I remember first seeing them in my grandmother's wildflower garden in the front of her house. She took me out there and showed them to me, nestled amongst the other native foliage, curled up like little snails.

I was probably about 5 years old, but I remember thinking how funny and wild they were, these little plants that looked like animals growing out of the soil. Most of my memories of my grandmother revolve around her growing and nurturing things, myself included. She grew sunflowers and jack-in-the-pulpit, all kinds of herbs, a raspberry patch and wild Tennessee flowers. She and my grandpa had a huge garden in the 2 acres behind their house, where they grew anything you could think of- potatoes, tomatoes, corn, cabbage, lettuce, lima beans, squash everything. Some of my earliest memories are of running through the rows with cornstalks towering above me, kicking thick clumps of  dirt and staring into the blue sky, framed with green leaves and the silky tops of the corn. When I think of my grandmother I think of the earth, of the heady feeling of watching something grow from the soil and knowing that there are many secrets hiding within.

Now I'm older, but still looking for secrets. There are so many wild and wonderful things out there! One of them being these out-of-this-world looking ferns in the picture above. I picked up these little monsters from Far West Fungi, located in the Ferry Building in San Francisco. The friendly woman behind the counter there gave me an ice pack and wrapped them up nicely for their trip back to DC. Although I tossed the ice pack before airport security (and no one asked me any questions about the suspicious plants in my purse) they braved the trip from Cali unscathed. Unfortunately for them, their luck had run out and they were promptly submersed in boiling water upon arrival.

The recipe below is adapted from one of Emeril's recipes- he is from New England where fiddleheads are plentiful. I added extra truff oil, because let's be real here... THE MORE TRUFFLES THE BETTER. But even with all the truffles in the world, you still might not totally love fiddlehead ferns. That's right, they're cool, but they also taste kind of like grass. They definitely taste like they came from some rich, loamy soil in the woods somewhere. And just so you know, make sure that you cook them thoroughly. Apparently they are somewhat toxic when raw and can cause stomach pain. So, yeah. That being said, if you find some ferns, give them a try at least once- they appear for a limited time only each year.

Fiddlehead Ferns and Truffle Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Fiddlehead Ferns, trimmed and washed
• 1 lb angel hair pasta
• 2 green onions
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• t tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp black truffle oil
• salt, pepper to taste
• grated parmesan to taste

Directions:

Fill a pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water.

Wash the fiddlhead ferns and trim their ends. They are kind of like asparagus- their ends get a bit dry and woody after a while.When the water is boiling, drop in fiddlehead ferns and blanch for about 4-5 minutes. Make sure they are crisp-tender but cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ferns from boiling water to ice water.

Add angel hair pasta to the same pot, and cook until tender, about 10 min (or follow package directions).
Chop the green onions. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Drain and add ferns and onions to skillet. Add red pepper flakes and saute for about 2 minutes.

Drain pasta and add directly to skillet. Toss with truffle oil, salt and pepper. Serve in bowls and top with freshly grated parm.

EAT IT.

Simple is the New Complicated

There are some things in life that are both blissfully simple and completely satisfying at the same time. For instance, Spaghetti with Braised Kale. Everything about it is hearty and flavorful, but so simple to concoct. In fact, the reason for concocting it was that I happened to have very little left in my pantry before my trip to San Francisco (which you will all hear about later!).

I came across this recipe months ago in Molly Wizenberg's Cooking Life column in Bon Appetit mag. Her dishes are so simple (often consisting of only a handful of ingredients) but always so elegant and purposeful. This one was no different. However, I am a meat-eater by nature, and this dish is a bit lacking in the protein department... I began to hunt the wild jungle of my cupboard. What canned beast awaited me, in the shadows of the hot sauce? What elusive creature sat dustily in a forgotten crevice, between the rice vinegar and liquid smoke?!

Ah HA! What do we have here, lurking within? Garbanzo beans, of course. I buy a can at least every other time I go to the store, as I devour these little guys like popcorn...and ironically, this is almost what they became during the course of this dish. Fried chickpeas are SO EASY and SO CRAVEABLE, it's ridiculous. So without stalling any longer, I will tell you how to make Spaghetti with Braised Kale and Fried Chickpeas.

Spaghetti with Braised Kale                                                                                                original recipe by Molly Wizenberg, Bon Appetit October 2009

Ingredients:

• 1 lb kale, large center ribs and stems removed, cut crosswise into 1/2 slices
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves             
• 1/2 lb spaghetti (I used whole wheat)
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• Finely grated Parmesan Cheese

So, Molly recommends lacinto kale, but that is not always readily available. I used regular curly kale, which was totally fine. Whatever kale you can get your paws on, rinse it well. Drain and transfer to a bowl, with water still clinging to the leaves.

In a large heavy pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion, cooking until translucent and stirring occasionally. Add sliced garlic and sprinkle with salt. Cook until onion turns golden brown, continuing to stir occasionally. Add kale and the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, using tongs to toss until wilted. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Feel free to cook this kale into submission, until extremely tender. Stir occasionally and add water by teaspoonfuls if it becomes dry.

In the meantime, boil a medium pot of salted water. Cook spaghetti until tender, but slightly firm when you chomp it. Using tongs, transfer pasta directly into the kale pot. Add lemon juice and a splash or two of the reserved pasta water. Toss to combine and add more liquid to your liking. Sprinkle spaghetti with grated parmesan cheese, fried chickpeas (see below), a grind of fresh black pepper and serve immediately.  

          

Fried Chickpeas

Ingredients

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and painstakingly patted dry
• olive oil
• lemon zest
• sea salt

Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans. The really key step here is to make sure the garbanzo beans are VERY dry; this is what gives them the all-important crisp factor. I spin mine in a salad spinner, then lay them out on a paper towel to dry off. If you like, you may remove some of the translucent shells, though they often come off during this process anyway. If you are feeling lazy (and not dedicated to ultimate crispness, cough cough), just make sure they are not wet to the touch and get on with it.

In a skillet (I used my cast iron), generously pour olive oil, enough to thickly coat the bottom of the pan. heat on medium heat. When oil is hot, pour in chick peas, making sure to avoid splattering yourself with the oil. At this point I added salt and just let them do their thing, making sure to stir frequently. Let them get nice and browned- about 15 minutes. Don't forget about them, or you'll have unpleasantly charred chickpeas.

When the garbanzos have sufficiently browned, transfer them to a bowl. Sprinkle with a bit more sea salt, to taste and add the zest of a lemon. Stir, and snack. Add them to all kinds of dishes in need of crunch, like the above pasta dish, or just inhale them on their own. ADDICTIVE!!

Enjoy the simplicity and bright flavors (thanks, lemon!) of these two items separately or together... you won't regret it!