I’m a pig and a glutton, sometimes. I admit. It’s true.. The other day, for example, I made a wonderfully simple salsa, packed with the fresh flavors of late summer. That, in and of itself, doesn’t make me a glutton, but the fact that once I started eating it, I didn’t stop until I had polished off half of a family sized bag of tortilla chips does. In fact, for 2 nights salsa, chips and PBR (that’s Pabst Blue Ribbon-beer- for those not in the know) was my dinner. I look at it this way; at least I got my vegetables for the day!!!!

Seriously though, I love salsa in all its forms, from the simple pico de gallo, to complex mole like creations involving 15-20 ingredients or more, though I don’t make it as often as I should. Instead, I often take the lazy way out and just pick up a bottle at the store. Yes, I am ashamed of myself, especially as I so often gripe about people buying stuff at the store when it is so easy to make at home.

This time of year though, I’d be a fool not to make my own salsa. With so many of its ingredients at their peak of ripeness there is no way store bought can even come close to the beauty that is homemade salsa. A quick stroll through my local farmer’s market and I had all I needed to make some killer salsa, and at a fraction of the cost of the store bought stuff.

Grilled Vegetable Salsa
makes about 1 quart

4 pounds tomatoes
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
3-6 jalapenos, depending on how hot they are and how hot you like your salsa. I used 3 as my wife likes her salsa only medium hot.
1/2 bunch cilantro
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
salt

Preheat your grill. Peel the onion and remove the core. Cut it into 3 thick slices. Use 2 Tbsp. of the oil to lightly oil the tomatoes, onions and jalapenos. Grill until lightly charred and slightly softened.

When done, core the tomatoes and remove the stems from the jalapenos. Roughly cut the tomatoes into 1/6ths or 1/8ths. Place the vegetables in a blender, along with the garlic and blend until well blended but not completely smooth. You will need to do this in 2-3 batches. You shouldn’t need to add any liquid if you place the tomatoes in first. Meanwhile add the remaining oil to a large skillet and heat until smoking. Add the puree to the skillet-be careful as it will sputter and spit-and cook for 10 minutes or until the salsa thickens slightly and turns a darker red. Remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. While the salsa is cooking finely chop the cilantro and add when cool. Season with salt. Place in the refrigerator and allow the flavors to mature for at least 1-2 hours before serving.

This has been a great summer, here in Wisconsin,for a lot of farmers. We have had a relatively mild summer, with plenty of rain. It’s been years since I’ve seen corn and soy bean fields look as lush and green in the middle of August, and the corn is taller than I remember seeing it in ages. This has also been proven by the the shear abundance of produce at our local farmer’s market. Not only is there more of it, but everything is looking absolutely beautiful, from the large, sweet muskmelons, to the beautifully fragrant herbs, to the ripe, juicy peaches, it’s hard to beat the local produce this year!

It’s August and that means tomato season up here. We’ve harvested a few off of the couple of plants we put out this year, and have already received our first batch from my brother, with plenty more to be had at the farmer’s market. I can’t understand why anyone would even consider buying a grocery store tomato this time of year. Sorry, but there is no comparison between a grocery store tomato, that travelled hundreds of miles and a beautifully vine ripened local tomato.

When you’ve got such great local produce simple is often the way to go. Why mask produce, picked at the peak of ripeness, in lots of layers and heavy flavors. Let the food speak for itself, besides, in the heat of summer who wants to slave over a stove for hours. Keep it fast and simple, is often my motto this time of year, as opposed to my favored long braises that I enjoy in fall and winter.

This simple pasta meets all these requirements. It’s fast. It’s simple. And it takes full advantage of the ripest, most flavorful local and homegrown produce. This pasta, is by no means innovative, but sometimes falling back on the tried and true is the way to go, besides, who can resist that classic combination of tomato, basil and garlic!!!

Classic Tomato Basil Pasta
serves 4

1 pound pasta (linguine or fettuccine)
2 large tomatoes (the freshest, ripest ones you can get your hands on)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, hand torn into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water. Cook to al dente. Do not overcook! Meanwhile core and dice the tomatoes into 1/4-1/2″ cubes. In a large saute pan, add the olive oil, garlic and black pepper. Gently heat until the garlic just starts to cook. Once the pasta is cooked quickly drain and toss into the saute pan. Turn off the heat underneath the saute pan and add the tomatoes and basil. Toss until everything is well combined and the tomatoes and basil have been warmed through. Season with salt, tossing again to mix then divide among 4 plates. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and more freshly grated black pepper.

America has a passion for grilled cheese sandwiches. From the standard home fare of American cheese stuffed between white bread to the exotic creations dreamt up in fine dining establishments across this country, we can’t seem to get enough of this humble sandwich. Of course, in finer dining establishments they aren’t called grilled cheese sandwiches, but rather they are called paninis. No one in their right mind is going to drop $8 or $9 or more for a “grilled cheese”, but give it an Italian name and stuff it with some roasted veggies and Italian cheese and we’ll snatch them up!

Don’t get me wrong; I love grilled cheese sandwiches in all their guises. There is something just so very satisfying about toasty bread oozing stringy cheese. I’ve mostly graduated from that childhood standard of American processed cheese and Wonder bread, though sometimes even that is just what I am looking for, to more exotic flavors. Gone is the Wonder bread, replaced by sourdough or a hearty whole grain bread. American processed cheese has been replaced by a world of cheese, sometimes something mild and gooey such as fresh mozzarella, sometimes it’s something tangy like asiago or a well aged cheddar and sometimes it’s something pungent (or stinky as my daughter might say) such as a well ripened Gorgonzola, or better yet a mix of cheeses, providing a number of flavors and textures all at once.

Some days I like my grilled cheese plain, with nothing but cheese. On other days, I like to stuff my sandwiches full with meats, vegetables, or even fruits, all depending on my tastes and what cheeses I have hanging around.

Today’s sandwich was a last minute creation, when my wife asked me to pick something up, at the store, for dinner. I would love to be able to tell you that the roasted peppers, marinated artichokes, and roasted tomatoes packed in olive oil were my creations, but they weren’t. This was dinner “on the fly,” after a hard day at work.

Living in Wisconsin, I would be remiss if I didn’t tout the cheeses made here, in this state. Wisconsin gets kind of a bad rap, I should know, I used to kind of laugh at it before I moved here, but this state produces some extraordinary cheeses. Wisconsin has some of the best cheesemakers in the world. It is easy to focus on the vast quantities of bland, “American” cheeses this state produces to supply our countries demand for boring, tasteless cheese, but beyond that there are many great cheesemakers here producing cheeses that are well thought of and sought out the world over. The fresh mozzarella I used comes from Belgioioso. It’s a cow’s milk mozzarella with a delicate milk flavor and a nice soft texture that melts well. To give the sandwich a counterpoint I sprinkled some grated Bellavitano cheese over top. Bellavitano is a line of cheeses from Sartori, another Wisconsin cheesemaker. Paul Sartori emigrated to this country, from a small village just outside of Asiago, Italy in the early part of the 20th century. By 1939 he had started his own cheesemaking company, which eventually became Sartori Foods. They have always focused on Italian and Italian influenced cheeses. One of their newest cheeses is Bellavitano, and I find it’s flavor profile to be somewhere between asiago and parmesan. Not quite as sharp or as dry as parmesan, but a bit more assertive than asiago. This one was then finished off with a soaking in balsamic vinegar adding another layer of flavor and a hint of sweetness, a perfect mix with the fresh mozzarella.

I call this an Antipasto Panini as most of the items in this sandwich you would find on a standard antipasto board.

Antipasto Panini
for each sandwich

4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1oz. Bellavitano Balsamic cheese, grated (substitute asiago in place if you can’t find Bellavitano by Sartori)
2 slices prosciutto
1 oz. roasted peppers, cut into julienne
2 oz. roasted tomatoes, tossed in olive oil with minced garlic, basil and oregano
2 oz. marinated artichoke hearts
2 slices sourdough bread, at least 1/2 inch thick
olive oil

Preheat a panini grill. Meanwhile place mozzarella on one slice of bread, covering completely. Cover with prosciutto. Top prosciutto with peppers, artichokes and tomatoes. Sprinkle Bellavitano or asiago over top of everything. Cover with second slice of bread. Brush outside of sandwich with olive oil and grill until browned on the outside and the cheese has melted.

In my effort to add some more vegetables to my diet, I’ve been going through my numerous cookbooks on the cuisines of the Mediterranean region and I’ve come across many wonderful recipes for vegetable “stews.” While many of these countries have numerous vegetarian dishes and stews I am most intrigued by the vegetable tagines of North Africa. I think it it because of the heavy use of spices in these dishes that I am so attracted to them. I have found that I, personally, am less apt to miss a meat component in a dish if it is heavily spiced.

To truly be called a tagine, the stew should be cooked in a dish of the same name, a large, shallow earthenware dish topped with a very distinct, conical lid. The food is placed in the bottom bowl and allowed to simmer slowly until all the ingredients are tender and flavorful. Well, I don’t have a tagine to make my tagine in, but other than that this dish stays pretty true to the flavors and ingredients of North Africa. Placed on a bed of couscous, this meal easily satisfies even a die hard meat eater like me.

Vegetable Tagine

1 cup garbanzo beans, dried (chickpeas)
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium butternut squash (or other winter squash) peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 can (14.5oz) stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup prunes, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (more if you like the heat)
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt
pepper
olive oil

Soak the dried garbanzo beans in 3 cups of water for 8-10 hours. Drain, place in a pot with fresh water, to cover, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain. In another pot, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until onion turns translucent. Add carrots and squash. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, then add the cinnamon, cumin and red pepper flakes. Saute for 1 minute then add the tomatoes, prunes, water and garbanzo beans.

Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender and the squash is just starting to fall apart. Adjust seasoning, stir in the cilantro and serve.

So I decided to sit down and write this post while my 3 year old daughter is in the bathtub. Big mistake. My office is right across the hallway from the bathroom and I leave the doors open so that I can keep an eye on her while I work. Unfortunately, she is a lot more interesting than anything I can think of to say, so I sit listening to her, trying to come up with something…anything to say, but each time I come up with some great culinary insight to impart, my thoughts are scattered as my daughter comes up with another classic one liner. Right now it is an argument between Ariel (the Little Mermaid for those of you not in the know) and her father, King Triton, with Genevieve playing both parts. Earlier it was a soliloquy about how bad Daddy is for forcing her to take a bath before having a snack, with something muttered, in there about, calling the police on me. Yes, I am a mean, mean Daddy. But it looks like I’m not going to get much writing done tonight, so I might as well give up trying.

As part of my resolution to try and start eating a little healthier, I’ve started looking for ways to cook up vegetables that make them taste less “vegetably.” Yes, I know that’s not a word, call it creative license (again, hard to think when the kid is now singing at the top of her lungs, at least she can carry a tune half way decently, for a 3 year old). It’s not that I don’t like vegetables, they’re just not my favorite things in the world, in general, though I do have a few favorites.

This recipe combines 2 of my favorite vegetables, tomatoes and cauliflower, and seasons them with spices from one of my favorite cuisines-Indian. This flavorful dish makes a great accompaniment to most any main dish or would make a great addition to a vegetarian platter.

Tomato Braised Cauliflower Curry
3 each dried red chile peppers (I used Tien Tsin peppers)
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, whole
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, quartered lengthwise and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp. curry powder
2 cans (14.5oz. each) diced tomato
1 head cauliflower, cut into flowerettes

Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the chile peppers and cumin seeds. Saute, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute or until the seeds start to brown and release their aroma.

Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until onions have softened. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add in the 2 cans of tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cauliflower. Stir, cover and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 15 -20 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure that the cauliflower is covered in the spicy liquid.

Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Out of the blue the other day, I got a craving for Falafels. I haven’t had one in years, but I suddenly had a craving for them. I really like Falafels, but it’s not something that comes to mind often, unless I bump into someone selling them, and, here in the middle of Wisconsin, that doesn’t happen too often. I guess I am too much of a carnivore. I need to start rethinking this whole ultimate carnivore thing a little bit. I really need to start eating a little healthier a little more regularly. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never give up the “good stuff.” Let’s face it, I like steak, bacon, burgers, pepperoni, and sausage way too much to ever give all that stuff up, but at age 40, and considerably overweight, maybe I should think about adding some healthier stuff to my diet.

Don’t worry, I’m not about to turn this into a health food blog, but I imagine you will start seeing a few more healthy options added to the mix. But there will always be room for bacon and butter in my blogs. I have friends who have given up all the “good” foods for the sake of health and they are miserable. I don’t understand the thought process of giving up all the things that you love just to add a few more years on to your life so that you can spend those years avoiding the things that you love. On the other hand, I know many vegetarians that are very happy with the diet and lifestyle they have chosen. More power to them, but I’m not one of them, though if I can find more foods like Falafels, I would be happy eating vegetarian more often. In fact, this past Friday, as I went to bed I realized that I had gone through the whole day meatless. To many of you that may not be a big deal, but to me, I was amazed that I had gone the whole day without eating an ounce of meat. Lunch was vegetarian lasagna and dinner was Falafels. What amazed me wasn’t so much that I went the whole day without eating meat as much as I was amazed that at no point during that day did I crave meat. Yes, sad, I know. Man, I got to change my diet!!!

Falafels

1 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans), dried,not canned
1/2 onion, small, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 tsp. cumin, ground
1/2 tsp. coriander, ground
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup cilantro, leaves only, no stem
salt
pepper
vegetable oil for frying (the deviant in me says use lard, but I will try to refrain )

Soak the chick peas in 2-3 cups of water for 12 hours. Place in a food processor pulse until the chickpeas are roughly chopped. Add the onion, garlic and spices. Process until everything is incorporated. Add the cilantro and continue to process until mixture turns greenish, is finely ground, and holds together when formed into a ball.

Season with salt and pepper. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile heat 2 inches of lard….I mean vegetable oil to 350°F, in large pot. Divide the mixture into 15 balls. They will be about the size of a walunt. Once formed into balls, flatten slightly. Add 4-6 balls to the oil and fry until dark brown on the outside and cooked all the way through.

They should take about 5-7 minutes to cook through. Drain on paper towel, and season with salt while still hot. Allow to cool just briefly. Meanwhile stuff a pita pocket with lettuce, diced tomato, and chopped cucumber (optional), place 3 Falafels on top and drizzle with Tahini Sauce (recipe) below.

Tahini Sauce

1/2 cup tahini paste
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 lemon, juiced
water
salt

Combine the tahini paste, garlic and lemon juice. Stir well then add enough water to thin out into a thin sauce. Season with salt.

Back in 1993 I moved to Atlanta, a good 12 hour drive from Indiana and my family. Luckily, I wasn’t there long before I made many friends, many of them in the same position I was in with the holidays coming up and no family to spend it with. It was then that I decided that I would throw an annual Thanksgiving potluck get together. The premise was simple. I would cook a turkey, the dressing, and the gravy, and everyone else was to bring their favorite dish from their Thanksgivings at home.

The first year I did this we had a modest amount of people drop by. I think it was in the 12-15 person range but it quickly grew and by the time I left Atlanta I as hosting 30-40 people who would drop in throughout the day, with the main meal seating anywhere from 15 to 25 of my friends. Not only were friends with family far away attending, but friends with family right in Atlanta opted to skip the family drama and spend the holiday with us.

This was the start of my Bloody Mary holiday tradition. As the size of the group grew so did my cooking chores. I was still only doing the turkey, dressing and gravy, but now with so many people I was cooking 2 birds and numerous pans of dressing. Since all I had was a standard home oven I had to start pretty early in the morning to get everything cooked in time. I needed a way to help me pass the time and since I was, and am, a big fan of Bloody Marys, I figured they’d be the perfect diversion. I was right, they were the perfect diversion to the long hours of watching over the turkey as my friends slept in, fighting their hangovers from the pre-holiday festivities of the night before. And since I was usually suffering right along beside them, the drinks made a great “hair of the dog” cure to my self imposed ills.

Now, some of you might question the intelligence of consuming large quantities of alcohol while working around large pans of hot food and very sharp knives. While I don’t necessarily recommend this to everyone (I am a professional I will remind you) I can say I made it through all those holiday meals without any major scars. Nowadays though, I limit myself to just a few early morning Bloody Marys while preparing our Thanksgiving feast, and maybe just a few more if someone else is doing the cooking.

So I offer up my version of the Perfect Bloody Mary. I say “my version” because, for Bloody Mary aficionados, a Bloody Mary is a very personalized thing. Luckily this is my blog so I get to give you my favorite version. Feel free to offer up yours in the comments section.

Pete’s Perfect Bloody Mary

3 oz. Vodka (either plain or pepper infused-or create your own infused vodka)
6 oz. Tomato Juice
1/2 tsp. Horseradish
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. Dill Pickle liquid
2-6 dashes Hot Sauce (depending on the heat level you like, I usually go for 4-6)
2 wedges Lemon, cut into 1/8ths
Black Pepper
Celery Salt
1 each Celery rib, 1 1/2 – 2 inches taller than the glass

Fill a large glass with ice. Pour in the vodka. Add the horseradish, Worcestershire, pickle liquid, hot sauce, juice from one of the lemon wedges, and a couple of shakes of black pepper. Top with tomato juice. Pour entire contents between a cocktail shaker and glass a few times to mix, leaving drink the in the cocktail shaker. Use the remaining lemon to moisten the rim of glass. Pour some celery salt into a dish just large enough to accommodate the rim of the glass then crust the rim with the celery salt. garnish glass with lemon wedge and add the celery stick. Pour contents back into the glass and enjoy.

A few words about garnishes. Just about anything goes when garnishing a Bloody Mary; celery, pickle spears, olives, pickled Brussels sprouts, pickled mushrooms, poached shrimp (nice in a Cajun Bloody Mary or in one using Clamato juice), lemons, limes, etc. In Wisconsin they even like to garnish them with beef sticks. Just avoid the temptation to turn your cocktail into a salad bar. 1 or 2 garnishes is sufficient. I hate getting a Bloody Mary that is so heavily garnished I have to eat my way through to be able to get a drink!

I remember 10 years ago when hardly anyone knew what ceviche was.  Unless you were well versed in Latin American cuisine or were following the pioneers of Nuevo Latino cuisine in the US then it was not a word or a dish that you came across.  Nowadays, the dish is everywhere and on the verge of being passe.  Just look at the last few episodes of “Top Chef.”  There have been numerous ceviches offered up.  It’s too bad that the dish is in danger of becoming a cliche because it is a wonderful, light dish, full of vibrant, fresh flavors.

At its heart ceviche is seafood that is marinated in an acid, most usually some form of citrus juice, lime juice being the most popular.  The seafood is diced into small pieces and allowed to marinate in the citrus juice (acid) which denatures the protein in the flesh, “cooking” it.  While this is typical, it is not the case across the board.  Most shellfish ceviches start with cooked shellfish, though not always and ceviches that include octopus usually use cook the octopus first.  The preferred method for cooking the shellfish is usually poaching though grilling can bring new layers of flavor to the dish.

Additions to the ceviche are numerous and regional variations are endless. Some countries like to use coconut water or cream of coconut in their ceviches, others wouldn’t dream of making it without American style ketchup. Chile peppers range from jalapenos, in Mexico, to Aji peppers of Peru and the Andes mountains, to fiery habaneros, across the region. Some ceviches are white, some red, and others a cacophony of colors and can include the addition of avocados, tropical fruits, onions, garlic, etc. The list is virtually endless.

Grilled Shrimp Ceviche

6 oz. Shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail off
1 each Lime, juiced
1/2 each Orange, juiced
2 Tbsp. Red Onion,
1/2 each Tomato, ripe
1/2 each Avocado
1/2 each Mango
2 each Jalapeno, seeded
Salt
Pepper

Skewer the shrimp on bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water for 1 hour (you don’t have to do this but it makes grilling the shrimp much easier). Place on a preheated grill and grill just until barely cooked through, about 3-5 minutes depending on the size of your shrimp. Remove from skewers and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Place in a bowl and toss with the lime and orange juice. Place in the fridge and allow to marinate at least 1 hour and not more than 3 hours. Just before serving dice the onion, tomato, avocado and mango into 1/4 inch pieces. Finely mince the jalapeno. Toss these with the marinating shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Taste and add a little more lime juice if necessary. Serve alone, with tortilla chips or as they do in South America, accompanied by popcorn. This makes enough ceviche to serve 2 as a first course or about 8 people as part of a spread of hors d’oeuvres.

The other day I received, from one of the supervisors who works for me, a bunch of fresh herbs from her garden. She gave me some sweet Basil, cinnamon basil, and fresh oregano. I was thrilled, as just that morning I had been out in our flower beds, at home, picking a few tomatoes. We don’t have room for a full garden we my wife usually plants a few tomato plants in among the flowers and my herbs. That morning I had picked a rainbow’s worth of tomatoes.

My mind wandered all day, at work, thinking of what I could do with the tomatoes I harvested. There weren’t many. Certainly not enough for canning or turning into relish. I didn’t even have enough for a tomato tart. With the addition of the fresh herbs I received I made up my mind to make a simple, summery pasta. Nothing spectacular, just a simple dish highlighting the fresh flavors of summer that I had sitting before me. Toss in a few shrimp and a good dose of garlic and I had the makings of great little dinner.

Shrimp & Heirloom Tomato Pasta
(serves 2)

6 oz. Fettuccine
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 each Shallot, minced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
20 each Shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail off (I used 31/40s, but you can use whatever size you like)
1/2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 cup White Wine, preferably something unoaked, a Sauvignon Blanc would be great
2 cups Tomatoes, roughly chopped (the more varieties and colors the better)
1 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, roughly chopped
Salt
Pepper

Cook the fettuccine, in boiling water, per the directions, making sure that the pasta is cooked al dente and not overcooked. When the pasta has about 4 minutes left, place a large saute pan over high heat. Add the butter and as soon as it is melted add the garlic and shallots. Cook quickly, without browning and add the shrimp and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper Cook 2 minutes then add the wine. Meanwhile, when pasta is finished drain but do not rinse. Simmer shrimp, in the wine 1-2 minutes longer, until the shrimp is done. Toss the pasta into the saute pan. Add the tomatoes, oregano and basil, tossing to mix well. Continue to cook, only until the tomatoes are heated through. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Divide between 2 plates and serve.

I don’t know about the rest of the country, but this year hasn’t been a good year for tomatoes in Wisconsin.  July and August have felt more like September and October, with cool, cloudy days being the norm while 80 and 90 degree weather seems to have been the exception.  This has put a damper on the tomato harvest this year with  smaller yields and late arrival at the farmer’s markets.  While still way better than grocery store tomatoes, the tomatoes, at the market, this year aren’t up the their usual standards.  I have heard many complaints about the tomatoes rotting on the vine before being fully ripened so many farmers are forced to pick them a little sooner than they want to resulting in firmer, less juicy tomatoes that seem a little more acidic than normal.  Again, though, even in a year like this, the locally grown tomatoes are light years better than any tomato bought at your local megamart.

In the last few years, tomato tarts have become all the rage, and rightfully so.  They are a great way to showcase the various flavors and colors of the the heirloom tomatoes that have become more and more popular over the last decade or so.  Fortunately, the internet abounds with recipes for such tarts, and finding one you like isn’t that difficult.  That being the case I thought I share another great way to show off those wonderful summertime tomatoes-Scalloped Tomatoes.  Scalloped Tomatoes is a wonderfully rustic dish that seems right at home among other country fare yet there is something elegant in it’s simplicity.  In the simple recipe that follows please be sure to use “fresh” bread crumbs (from slices of fresh bread or just slightly stale bread that you pulse in a food processor) and not that dried out stuff that comes in a can, from the store.  That stuff has its place but not in this recipe.

Scalloped Tomatoes
4 1/2 cups Fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup Butter, melted
2 tablespoons Fresh chives, minced
2 tablespoons Fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon Fresh thyme, minced
6 each tomatoes, ripe, thickly sliced
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Combine bread crumbs, butter and herbs and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Press half of crumb mixture into a large (9×13) baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place a single layer of tomatoes on top. Sprinkle tomatoes with more bread crumb mixture then another layer of tomatoes. Continue until all tomatoes and breadcrumbs are used up, ending with a layer of bread crumbs. Return to oven and bake until tomatoes are warmed and the crumbs on top are golden brown (approx. 10 minutes)

This recipe is easy to adapt to suit your tastes. To give it an Italian flair, replace the butter with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add fresh Basil and Oregano to the herbs, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.