By Sherrie Norris
There is nothing much more satisfying this time of year than that first vine-ripened tomato from the garden. We are blessed in our neighborhood with an amazing “mater man,” as I call him, and sure enough, he arrived last week with a basket full of his signature product. Big, beautiful, red, ripe tomatoes. Oh my! And we have certainly enjoyed them in a variety of ways: Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches with a dollop of Dukes on white bread, chopped up with onions and cucumbers in a vinegar-based dressing, simply sliced onto white bread with mayo, salt and pepper, and even occasionally with a thin slice of cucumber or onion on top. And, then, there’s the incredible tomato pie that I have discovered in recent years, and the list goes on. And even before the tomatoes turn, many people love fried green tomatoes that have become a favored appetizer in many homes and eateries across the south, especially.
So, here we go, as the summer progresses and the early-to-mid season gardening goods continue to thrive and survive. The squash, zucchini, cucumbers and peppers are still producing abundantly in our son’s garden, which fortunately for us, is located within a stone’s throw of our front porch. Yeah, we don’t mind “helping” just a little. The pay-off is well worth it all.
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
2 lbs. smaller tomatoes, halved
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tsp. fresh thyme, stems removed
½ tsp. dry chili pepper flakes,
Extra virgin olive oil
Crumbled feta cheese, optional
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place tomato halves in a large mixing bowl. Add minced garlic, salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and spices. Drizzle with about ¼ cup or more extra virgin olive. Toss to coat.
Transfer tomatoes to a baking sheet with a rim, spreading them out in a single layer, flesh side up. Roast in oven for 30 – 35 minutes.
Remove from heat. If serving it soon, feel free to garnish with more fresh thyme and a few sprinkles of feta cheese. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Zucchini Nut Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated, peeled zucchini
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 325°F. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
Beat eggs and sugar until light and foamy. Add oil, grated zucchini and vanilla. Mix well, but lightly. Add flour mixture and stir only until blended. Stir in chopped nuts.
Pour batter into 2 loaf pans (9x5x2-inch) which have been brushed with oil.
Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Salad
2-3 red, very ripe tomatoes
¼ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
8 leaves fresh basil
2 tsp. olive oil
Dash cracked pepper
Slice tomatoes crosswise into 1/2 – inch thick slices, about 4 slices per tomato. Arrange 2-3 slices on each salad plate. Sprinkle cheese on top of each tomato. Cut fresh basil leaves into strips and top each tomato with basil. Drizzle olive oil over the tops and add a dash of pepper.
Stuffed Green Bell Peppers
4 large green bell peppers
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
2 cups cooked rice or prepared pkg. of stuffing mix
½ cup chopped onion
1 tsp. salt, or more depending on taste
¼ tsp. pepper
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut stem end off each pepper and remove all seeds and membranes. Wash inside and outside. Heat 2 cups of water and ½ tsp. salt to boiling. Add peppers; cook 5 minutes and drain.
Mix remaining ingredients. Lightly stuff each pepper with 1/4 of the meat mixture. Stand peppers upright in ungreased baking dish, Cover; bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 15 minutes longer.
You can experiment with various ingredients to make this family-friendly: crackers or breadcrumbs instead of rice/stuffing, etc. Seasoned pasta sauce rather than tomato sauce, etc.
Cream of Tomato soup
About 12 ripe tomatoes, diced, seeded
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. butter
1 qt. milk
Pinch of baking soda
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch of sugar
1 tsp. fresh basil, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
In a large pot, stew tomatoes until tender. Combine cornstarch with a few Tbsp. of milk, stirring until smooth. Slowly, in a thin stream, whisk into the tomatoes. Add butter and remaining milk, baking soda, salt and pepper, to taste, and remaining ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Open-Face Luncheon Cucumber Sandwiches
2 medium cucumbers
1 tub whipped cream cheese spread
Dill weed
1 or 2 pkgs. dry Italian dressing mix
1 pkg. cocktail bread of choice
Wash cucumbers well. Using a fork, scrape down the cucumbers lengthwise leaving “stripes” all the way around. Slice cucumbers into ¼-inch slices or thinner. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together well cream cheese and dressing mix;
Spread a thin layer of the mixture onto individual slices of small cocktail bread.
Next, lay one slice of cucumber in the middle of each bread slice. Sprinkle a very small amount of dill weed onto cucumber slice.
Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for a short time before serving.
Note: mixture does well if prepared the day before, but leave the slicing of the cucumbers and assembling sandwiches for the last minute.
Squash and Zucchini Casserole
2 med. summer squash, seeded
2 med. zucchini, seeded
1 cup diced onion
About 8 cups water
1 (10 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Several crackers, crushed
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In 5-quart saucepan, combine quarter sliced and seeded squash and zucchini with onion and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, continue to boil for 25 minutes or until tender.
In a 9×13-inch baking dish, combine squash, zucchini, mushroom soup and most of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle on crushed crackers and remaining cheese. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.