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Fresh Tomato Sauce- a love fest for your summer bounty

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To me the best part of August is the crazy bounty of tomatoes. Heaven is a thick slick of warmed by the sun beefsteak tomato on sourdough toast, slathered with a healthy dose of mayonnaise. Just a sprinkling of sea salt and a quick grind of pepper- nirvana.

At the farmers’s market it Union Square, my regular vendor had bags of tomatoes for cheap meant for saucing. I could NOT resist. Perfectly splendid, but not ready for the runway, these babies were mine!

I was tempted to make up a batch of ketchup, or a long slow cooked sauce, but I just love, love this simple sauce. It’s bright and fresh and tastes like summer- cooked down can wait for cooler days.

The first step was to slow roast them on a baking tray for about a half hour. This condenses the flavor just a bit, and also allows the fruit to give up their skins easily. I just make small hash cuts in the tips of the tomatoes and set them onto a lined baking tray. I included a batch of garlic cloves to roast and sweeten at the same time.

All gets roughly smashed into a rough sauce in minutes. The pepper is from the peppercorns I brought back from Thailand, which I also rough crushed right in my hand. The bowls are another score that I slogged back across the globe from Chiang Mai. They are simple enamel bowls that I paid about 90 cents each for, that I think are just gorgeous . May I gush for a second? I am proud of myself for acquiring these- that is bartering for them in Thailand. I went to the massive Worarot Market by myself- and with my meager but enthusiastic Thai- I was able to haggle with the seller (who had a smile for miles) and make my purchase. This was my first foray into that dark warren of stalls and vendors, where few farang venture on their own. It was a rush.

This batch of sauce was more than plenty for my meal- so the rest got put up in serving size containers and frozen for the future- thinking a grilled pizza with this sauce is next in the cue….

Fresh Tomato Sauce
makes about a quart and a half
 
3# ripe tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, still in their papers
.33c olive oil
3T wine vinegar
generous pinch of sugar
S & P
fresh basil to taste
 
Preheat oven to 350˚
 
Line baking sheet with foil. Make a small x in the flesh of each tomato and place on the tray, along with the garlic. Roast for approx 30 mins (depending on the size), or until the skins are a slightly shriveled.
 
Allow to cool a few minutes, then peel tomatoes, remove the stem core and put into a large bowl. Mash and mince the garlic and add it into the bowl along with the oil, vinegar, sugar, and S&P
 
Using your hands squeeze and crush the tomatoes into a rough sauce. Taste for balance and add more oil, vinegar etc as necessary. I like mine a tough vinegary.
 
To serve I boiled up some fresh tagliatelle and added blots of soft fontina.
 
 

Falafel Salad with a Twist

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This past week has been a fog of adjusting to my “real” life, while not fully willing to accept the loss of my Thailand life. It just such a treat to get into a groove and rhythm of a place, but always such a drag to wrench oneself away from it. This, on top of an erratic sleep schedule, can put anyone into a tiz.

But now I am BACK! and I do love it here as well. NYC has it’s own timbre and cadence that rings my inner bells with familiarity. I also really love NYC in the summer. I know you’re going to think I’m nuts- but I can’t help it. It’s a little quieter and a little slower. It gives me a feeling of playing hooky somehow. I’m itching to get on my bike and ride around- which I may do tomorrow for fun.

I was a good girl on my trip, and though I tasted many new and wonderful things (basil seed soup), and indulged in the familiar favorites (Kaow Neow Mamuong- Mango Sticky Rice), I managed to keep it to a reasonable amount. As a result my pants still button perfectly and I lack the post-travel remorse that I am usually famous for. The last time I traveled to Thailand I returned a good 12# heavier. I LOVED every bite! but the months of dieting after- not so much.

So I am going to take this opportunity of being ahead of the curve and perhaps start eating a healthier diet, and a downward trend on the scale- and why not? Beautiful fruits and vegetables are everywhere!!

I’ve started with these small falafel made with chickpeas and edamame. Great fiber and great protein. Rather than deep fry them I sautee them in just a little oil in a cast iron pan- which keeps them much lighter than the grease bombs on the street, and serve on a bed of greens. Extras get a quick refry the next day- So l can lunch one day and supper the next- just switch up the greens and chopped vegetables that go along side.

BTW- I’m not a huge fan of paper towels. I use them to be sure, but they are not particularly PC- in my opinion. To drain my falafel babies I cut up one of my paper bags from the market- which I also use as parchment or to line a cake pan.

Falafel Salad with Tahini Dressing
serves 6
1c shelled edamame- cooked
1 can garbanzo beans- drained and rinsed
1 large egg
1t ground coriander
1t ground cumin
1c fresh bread crumbs
2 scallions- chopped
S & P
1c raw sesame seeds
.25c tahini
2T olive oil
2T fresh lemon juice
1T toasted sesame oil
.25t sugar
6T water
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
Combine edamame, garbanzo, egg, spices and bread crumbs in a food processor. Pulse into a coarse puree. Stir in scallions.
Refrigerate for 30 mins.
Prepare cast iron pan with small layer of oil and heat to medium high.
Spread sesame seeds on to a shallow plate. Roll 2″ balls of falafel mixture and press flat into seeds on both sides.
Gently fry on each side for 2 mins, taking care not to burn seeds. Drain on paper.
To prepare dressing simply combine all the ingredients and whisk. Allow to rest for at least 30 mins. Please adjust for taste.
Serve falafel on a bed of chopped greens and vegetables and pour dressing over to your heart’s content.
Enjoy!

Chicken Crusted with Wasabi Peas and Slaw with Thai Peanut Dressing

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The flavors here in Thailand are a symphony compared to a song. It is not unusual to take a bite and have so many taste sensations going on at once that it can be staggering: sweet, sour, spicy, deep umami and texture.

On my first trip to Chaing Mai everything was a delight (ok, the beans on the ice cream I could have done without), but this trip I am learning more of the nuances and quality of Thai food. There are cooks and chefs, and it’s apparent that it’s not the ingredients that separates the two, it’s the finesse, the grace and the balance.

What I can tell you is that the comparable ingredients that are available to me in NYC are not exactly the same as here. The limes I find sweeter here, and the tamarind more sour than tart- but don’t let that dissuade you.  Preparing Thai food is not difficult and the results are fantastic.

I love making this dish with the wasabi peas. The texture is fantastic and the bite of wasabi is not terrifically sharp when balanced with the chicken. My advice is the slice your chicken into thin pieces, or pound out thinly- otherwise the peas can burn before the chicken cooks through. An alternative is you can bake large pieces of chicken, such as breasts on the bone, and that would be fine.

The Thai dressing on the slaw will make you new friends. It’s so simple and so delicious that I invite you to make a batch and pour it over everything you can get your hands on. A great alternative on tomatoes and cucumbers out of the summer garden for instance.

I’ve never been a huge fan of mayonnaise rich cole slaw, nor of it’s picnic cousins potato and macaroni salad- but raw cabbage is delicious and tremendously healthy. I love this dressing on shredded cabbage. The red cabbage when mixed with the acid of the lemon juice draws out the color to a bright pretty pink. Both pretty and yummy- make more than you think- it goes fast.

Chicken Crusted with Wasabi Peas
serves 4
 
2# skinless chicken breasts sliced very thin
2c wasabi peas, roughly crushed
1c buttermilk
1 clove garlic crushed
grand pinch of salt
oil for frying pan
 
Note on frying: get our that honkin’ heavy cast iron frying pan and use it. As time goes by I am less and less a fan of nonstick pans. A well seasoned and loved cast iron pan can be a girl’s best friend. I used little oil for this recipe-less than I would in a nonstick- and my chicken cooked beautifully. Buffed biceps are a bonus.
 
combine garlic, salt and buttermilk in a bowl and allow to sit for a few minutes to flavor the buttermilk.
 
Meanwhile prepare the peas and place on a flat plate or low shallow bowl.
 
Preheat cast iron pan over medium heat with just enough oil to cover the bottom.
 
slip all the chicken into the buttermilk to coat and soak.
 
Press each fillet into the peas, pressing hard to get good adherence.
 
Cook the chicken on each side about 2-3 minutes or until cooked through.
 
serve immediately.
 
 
Cabbage Slaw with Thai Peanut Dressing
serves 4
 
4-6c finely shredded cabbage
 
1T toasted sesame oil
2T sugar
2T brown sugar
2T fresh lemon juice
2T fresh lime juice
2T chopped fresh mint
1 small thai chili finely chopped, or 2t jalapeno (optional)
3/4 c roasted, chopped, unsalted peanuts
 
Combine dressing ingredients into large bowl and stir to combine and melt sugars.
 
Toss in the slaw and allow to sit for 15 mins before serving.
 
 
 
 
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My partner and I are planning on organizing Thai Food cooking trips in the future. We have connections to some of the best Thai chefs. My partner is fluent in Thai and lived here for many years. The next trip will probably be in January to Northern Thailand. I would love to know if there is interest. Drop me a note if you would like to be placed on the mailing list for more information.
 
Sawaadii Khaa!