Recipes

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Completely defrost the puff pastry before trying to unfold it. Lay it flat and prick it all over lots of times with a fork. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper in the oven for about 10 minutes until the dough is starting to set some.
3. Wash and slice the tomatoes thin, about 1/8” thick.
4. Spread garlic over dough, then lay out tomatoes so they don’t overlap too much. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place back in oven for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are beginning to shrivel around the edges and the pastry is brown and flakey.
6. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with the cheeses. Put back in oven for just a few seconds to melt the cheeses.
7. Remove from oven, sprinkle with herbs. Let cool slightly before cutting into squares.

Makes 12-16 pieces (or more) depending on how you cut it

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. In saucepan, sauté ½ cup diced onion, 1 clove minced garlic in 1 tbsp. olive oil until tender. Scrape into a large bowl. Add the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, 1 egg, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mix together until all comes together.
3. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, pack it full of the turkey mixture. Dump it out, and while holding it in one hand, flatten to a disk that is about ¼” thick.
4. In the center of the disk, put 1 tsp. grated mozzarella cheese, and 1 tbsp. cooked spinach.
5. Carefully fold up meat, and shape into a ball, keeping the cheese and spinach in the middle. Repeat until all meat, mozzarella, and spinach has been used.
6. In the bottom of a 9X12 pan combine drained tomatoes, 2 clove minced garlic, ½ cup minced onions, Italian herbs and fresh basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Place the meatballs on the tomatoes, spreading them as far apart as possible.
8. Roast for approximately 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meatball is at least 165ºF.

Yields approximately 12 large stuffed meatballs and 3 cups of roasted tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash Roma tomato; cut in half lengthwise. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake in oven until shriveled and starting to turn brown, about 20-30 minutes.
2. Place the roasted tomatoes in the bowl of a blender or small food processor. Add the vinegar and ½ cup olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place lid on bowl and puree until smooth. If needed, added a pinch of sugar. Refrigerate until served.

Yields approximately 1 cup of dressing

1. Place ground beef in a 3-quart sauce pot. Brown over medium high heat, using a spoon or spatula to break up the meat as it cooks.
2. When cooked add the onion and garlic. Add bacon fat if needed for more fat. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add all the spices. Stir and cook for approximately 30 seconds.
3. Add the tomatoes, stock and bell peppers, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Allow to simmer for approximately 30 minutes, until flavors meld and sauce is slightly thickened, or as desired. Add beans and heat through.
5. Add parsley for color and stir in.
6. Easily freezes!
7. Garnish as desired.

Yields approximately 2 quarts of chili

1. Cook pasta per package instructions, minus one minute. Before draining, carefully remove ¼ cup of cooking liquid and save for sauce.
2. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomatoes add sauté by swirling the pan until the tomatoes are blistered and browning.
3. Add garlic and kale. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and starting to toast. Add cooked pasta and crushed red pepper. Toss well. If desired, crush tomatoes slightly with the back of your spoon. Add pasta water and heat.
4. Add butter, cheese, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Turn off heat and toss gently until butter is melted and sauce is creamy.

Serves 1 as an entrée, 2-3 as a side dish

1. Preheat grill to high. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Slice eggplant lengthwise into thin strips, between 1/8 and ¼” thick. Brush both sides with vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides, until the eggplant is tender.
3. Mix together the cheeses, egg, salt, pepper, thyme and minced garlic.
4. Lay out the eggplant, distribute the cheese mixture between the eggplant slices and spread thin. Roll up starting with the skinny side. Put seam side down in a baking dish. Bake until cheese is bubbly and heated through, approximately 15 minutes.
5. In a 2qt. saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until tender and fragrant. Add the tomatoes and any juice collected. Add minced basil leaves and season with salt and pepper.
6. Simmer sauce for approximately 10 minutes or until desired taste and consistency. If desired, crush or purée sauce to make it smoother.

Yields approximately 10-12 rolls, depending on size of eggplant, and 1 quart of sauce

1. Wash and dry tomatoes, remove any stems that are present.
2. Place into a small baking dish so the tomatoes are flat and level, and there is not a lot of extra space. (A loaf pan works well.) Sprinkle with salt.
3. Melt the butter and pour over. The butter should just barely cover the tomatoes. If not, add more.
4. Place in a 250°F oven for about 2 hours. The butter will start to turn brown. In the process do not stir the tomatoes, or they will break up. Gently swirl the pan around.
5. Cook until the butter is turning brown. At this point you can season them with pepper if you wish.
6. Spoon out some tomatoes with the butter, including the browned bits. Spoon and smear on fresh bread that is warm and slightly toasted. Sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs if desired.


7. Alternative: Use Plum or Roma Tomatoes. First peel the tomatoes by making a small slit in the bottom of the skin, plunging them in boiling water, then into ice water to remove the skin. Follow the same procedure as before. The cooking time might be up to 3 hours.

Yields approximately 1 cup of dressing

1. In a large bowl, combine halved tomatoes, diced avocado, and minced red onions.
2. Carefully remove the meat from the crab claws. Try to remove the meat in large chunks. Make sure there are no pieces of cartilage. Remove carefully with a sharp knife if so. Add to vegetable mixture. Chill until ready for service.
3. In a small bowl, combine mustard and vinegar. While whisking, add the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve.
4. When ready to serve add dressing as desired to the salad. Gently toss with a large spoon or spatula. Adjust seasoning. Serve on chilled plates. Serve extra dressing on the side for dipping.

Yields approximately 1 quart of salad and 1 cup of dressing.

Method 1
1. As you prepare your tomatoes for processing, scoop out the seeds and their membranes into a small mesh strainer. Work the membranes through the mesh. Discard the seeds or use for your garden.
2. Combine juice with lemon juice and salt.
Method 2
3. Remove skin and seeds from fresh tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut a shallow “X” on the bottom of the tomato, and cut out the core. Place the tomato with a spoon into the boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds or until skin just barely starts to come off. Remove from water and place in a bowl of ice water for 30 seconds. Do not leave in ice water too long or the tomato will be soggy. Remove from water and peel off skin. (The skin can be saved to make Tomato Dust). Cut the tomato in half and squeeze out the seeds. (If you strain out the seeds you have tomato juice).
4. Coarsely chop the tomatoes. Work through a food mill. Push through a fine meshed strainer (chinoise).
5. Combine juice with lemon juice and salt.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F or broil and toast or broil bread to desired doneness. Remove from oven and take whole garlic clove and rub over crusty bread.
2. In a small sauté pan, melt the bacon fat over medium high heat. Add the cheese and allow to melt. If needed, stir to ensure even melting.
3. Pour out onto toasted garlic bread. Top with diced tomatoes.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
5. Eat immediately.

Crouton Ingredients
• ½ of a baguette or equivalent
  (sourdough, French bread, focaccia,
  or rustic would be the best)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup olive oil
• kosher salt
• ground black pepper

Salad Ingredients
• 1 large bunch fresh basil
• 2 pounds of tomatoes, mixed varieties
  and shapes and colors, preferably organic
• kosher salt
• ground black pepper
• 4 oz. bleu cheese