A Stack of Dishes

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Gail Watson

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.
 
 

Summer Plum Almond Cake

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I’ve had a simple cake in mind made with fresh fruits. Something not too sweet, sort of on the line of a clafoutis, but not custardy and not too cake-y either. A treat I could snack on and not feel terrifically guilty about, and something that would be simple and easy to throw together.

I had been dreaming of peaches, but at the farmers market I spied some ruby jewel plums- just perfect for my little project.

I was not able to find a recipe for exactly what I was looking for, so I created my own. With delight and joy, it turned out quite nicely on the first go round. Certainly my years of cake making is a help, since batters are a balance of chemistry and there is a consistency that one can expect when all the elements are put together- but then again…

What I was also quite delighted about, was that it was the right amount of sweet and tart and chew that I was looking for- and so- I delightfully am sharing it with you.

The fruits turned out to be ripe to over ripe- perfect for my cake. They were not good for hand eating, and small enough to simply half and tuck into the batter. The only pain was de-stoning those tender babies (imagine ruby red pulp on fingers and my paring knife).

I did not reinvent the wheel here- and I am SURE there is a proper recipe out there for this- but my little beauty contains no butter or oil, and yet it’s moist and delicious. Like I said, a treat that you don’t have to feel too guilty about.

Summer Plum Almond Cake
serves 8
 
1c room temp milk
.75c sugar
3 large eggs, room temp
1t almond extract
1t vanilla extract
1.75 c flour
.5c ground almonds
1t baking powder
1t baking soda
.5t salt
1 pint of small plums, de-stoned and cut in half
 
 
Preheat oven to 350˚ and grease an 8″x8″ pan
 
In a side bowl combine milk, sugar, eggs and extracts and whisk smooth
 
In large bowl sift together flour, almonds, bs, bp and salt
 
Pour the milk mixture into the flour and whisk gently to combine
 
Pour batter into the pan, then arrange fruits, cut side up in the batter, not allowing them to sink below. If your fruits are too small and sink too deep, remove some of the batter and use to make extra small cupcakes
 
Bake for approximately 35 minutes until the top is golden brown and the center is springy to the touch
 
I am a touch baker. My years of baking have taught me that eggs at certain times of the year, humidity and devilish angels can affect baking times- so I’ve learned to go by feel and touch. Since oven temps and evenness of heat distribution can vary, I recommend you try this method too.
 
 
Enjoy! and Thanks once again for spending time with me.
 
 
 

Tuna Tartare on Grilled Potato Slices

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While I was downtown in Chinatown searching for langon fruits, I spied me some beautiful Tuna. Whenever I see really good quality Tuna I hate the thought of cooking it. It’s just to gorgeous for that. What the fish monger hated even more was my instruction of the exact piece that I wanted. I don’t like to be a pain….nah, not true, I can be a nudge. I figure Italian grandmothers can get away with it, why not a Latina/Irishwoman?? Trust me though, I let that guy know that I really appreciated his efforts. In the end everyone was happy.

While stumbling around I also came across some fresh, tight Thai Chilies. You may see them in the market as more stores are starting to carry them. They are small, slim and green, and pack a smart punch that can really sting if you’re not careful. I, as you know, love them. Feel free to switch out to jalepenos of a lesser quantity if your not a heat freak like me, or eliminate altogether. I would add a good grind of black pepper at least though…

So once back in my kitchen with the spoils of my excursion, I sliced up a few potatoes as thin as I could get them, oiled them, and threw them on my grill pan. While the potatoes softened and charred, I pulled together the tartare.

I think tartare should be made a la minute, meaning not in advance. Though perfectly good the next day, I prefer it fresh, before the lime juice has a chance to do too much work on that beautiful tuna, but if you’re making a batch for a get together, go ahead and make it beforehand- just keep it cold, cold, cold.

So here you have it. My late afternoon lunch.

I need to head downtown more often…

Tuna Tartare on Grilled Potato Slices
serves 4
 
4 potatoes, scrubbed and sliced by hand as thinly as possible
1.25# of fresh sushi grade tuna
3T toasted sesame oil
.25 c cilantro
1 juicy thai chili, minced finely
zest and juice from 3 limes
3T minced red onion
pinch of salt
 
Heat grill pan to high. Brush potato slices with oil and grill on one side until translucent  then flip to second side. Cook in batches until all are done and arrange on plates.
 
In medium size bowl combine all the ingredients except the tuna. Taste for acid and chili balance. 
 
I tossed my tuna into the freezer as I was starting the potatoes so that I can get neater slices from the cold fish. Do no freeze completely though.
 
Dice the tuna into small pieces, then toss the lot into the dressing. Give it all a thorough coating and let rest for just a minute or two. I taste again for flavor balance. 
 
Divide the tuna between the plates and enjoy!