Easy Homemade Tomato Paste September 29, 2013

Yes.  I said EASY.

I have made tomato paste before and it was delicious, however, I don’t actually enjoy breaking out the food mill !   Here is an adaptation that will use up the rest of your crop, AND, eliminate the fruit flies from the kitchen (they were out of control this year).

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• Cut tomatoes in half.  Thirds if they are extra large.  Arrange on a non reactive baking sheet (the acid in the tomatoes will etch your aluminum pans).
• Drizzle generously with olive oil, and season with Kosher salt and cracked black pepper.
• Sprinkle with chopped basil (mine was fresh, but you can use dried), as well as minced garlic.
• Roast at 325 F for 1.5 to 2 hours, until they are shriveled up, and there is no juice in the pan.  Don’t mind the dark burnt looking “stuff” on the bottom of the pan….it adds tremendous flavor to the paste.
• Transfer to a blender, and puree until smooth.  I store my paste in small canning jars, and freeze.

Yellow Squash Lunch – 5 Minute Vegetarian Meal September 12, 2013

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So much squash, tomatoes, onions, and basil coming out of the garden.  This is my attempt at making a small dent in our bounty !  To make this meal a little heartier, you could add some pre-cooked chicken or black beans.

Yellow Squash Lunch

1 medium yellow squash, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 small onion (mine was a Walla Walla Sweet)
2 large basil leaves, sliced thinly
1 Tbsp butter
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add onions and sautee until they are translucent and begin to caramelize.

Add squash, salt, and pepper to pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes. I like my squash “al-dente”, so it doesn’t take long. Add the tomatoes and basil at the very end.

Super-delish, Super Easy !

Squash Goulash – A One Pot Dish September 11, 2013

We have a TON of squash and tomatoes coming out of the garden.   The onions were medium sized Walla Walla Sweets, and the garlic was a hardneck purple variety that the better half plants every year.

This is an easy weeknight dinner if you can cook the ground beef in advance, and if you are a vegetarian, I think omitting the beef, and adding a can of black beans would taste delicious as well.

Squash Goulash

1 lb. ground meat
2 medium onions, sliced
2 large yellow squash, diced (zucchini would be good as well)
6 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 C. Salsa
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 C. Pepperjack Cheese

Cook ground beef, and sautee onions. You can cook the beef in advance and just add it to the pan like I did for a quicker prep time on a weeknight.

Add seasonings to beef and onion mixture.  Add the tomatoes and salsa, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the liquid from the tomatoes cooks down a bit.

Add the squash, cover and let simmer for a few more minutes until the squash is just tender (I don’t like squishy squash). Top with Pepperjack cheese.

Garden Nommies – Caprese Salad September 8, 2013

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This is one of my late summer go-to sides.  Fresh tomato and basil from the garden will amplify the flavor.   Slice the tomatoes, add fresh mozarella medallions, drizzle with olive oil.  Add thinly sliced basil.  Sprinkle with Kosher salt and cracked black pepper.

Prep = 3 minutes !

EASY Homemade Pesto

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It’s that time of year again… We have an abundance of basil coming out of the garden, so it’s PESTO TIME!  I buy a large bag of Parmesan and Walnuts from Costco, and store in the freezer, so I always have some on hand.  The pesto can be stored in the freezer, and if you make enough, it can last nearly a year.

EASY Homemade Pesto

2 C. Basil, packed
1/2 C. Romano or Parmesan, grated
1/2 C. Olive Oil
1/3 C. Walnuts
3 Medium Garlic cloves
1 tsp. Kosher Salt

In a food processor, chop the garlic first, then add basil, cheese, walnuts and salt.  Pulse a few times just to mix, then gradually begin adding the olive oil.

Store in jars, plastic containers, ice cube trays (whatever!). Pour a small bit of olive oil on top which will keep that upper layer nice and green, and pop into the freezer.

If you don’t have walnuts, I have substituted pine nuts or pecans.  Also, I have stored in paper cups in the freezer, covered with plastic wrap and a rubber band, but they took a little freezer burn after a few months.

Garden goodies. July 9, 2013

The Jabberwock has been off vacationing for the last 11 days, and is finally back home!  Four days of boat camping plus 7 days of houseboating did take a toll on my way of eating.  Read S’mores, chips, bagels, sandwiches ….the list goes on.  The good news is that the garden didn’t die off while we were gone, and the better half harvested some cute purple potatoes today and stunted red onions.

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Recipe is very simple…thinly slice the potatoes – I used a mandolin slicer.  Over medium heat melt 3 Tbsp. butter, add potatoes and thinly sliced onion.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, thyme leaves, and paprika.  Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.  Remove cover and turn potatoes.  Cook for another 10 minutes, sprinkle with a bit of Kosher salt and serve.

Pesto covered Klickitat River salmon November 21, 2012

Our wonderful neighbor Ron brought over about 6 or 7 pounds of freshly caught  Klickitat River salmon (filleted !).  This is the quickest possible meal a working mom can make on a weeknight, and of course it’s delicious.

My pesto is homemade, however,  store bought tastes just as great !

Pesto covered Salmon

1.5 pounds Salmon
1/4 cup pesto

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Place salmon skin side down in 9×13 baking dish. Cover top of fish with Pesto.  Cook for 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.  Salmon will be cooked when you can flake away a piece from the thickest part.

Jabberwock’s Pesto

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What to do with an overabundance of fresh basil from the garden ?  Make Pesto of course !  I prefer to use walnuts over pine nuts since they are less expensive and keep better.  I typically make as much as I can once the basil comes on, and freeze it.  Usually I have enough to last the entire year.  The batch in the picture is 2 quarts.

Jabberwock’s Pesto

2 cups fresh basil, packed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. Kosher salt

Pulse the walnuts, garlic, salt, and Parmesan together until finely chopped.  Add basil leaves, and put the lid on the food processor.  Drizzle the olive oil in and pulse until all ingredients are blended.

Store pesto in a small mason jar, topping with a layer of olive oil to fully cover the top (this prevents browning).