Order all the ingredients for this recipe at our online store here.

Order all the ingredients for this recipe at our online store here.

12 medium roma tomatoes
3 ears sweet corn, uncooked
3 green onions
salt and pepper, to taste
3 strips of bacon, cooked very crisp
2 or 3 medium sweet potatoes peeled, and cut into batons (1 1/2 inches x 1/4 inch)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin

for the custard:
3 eggs
1/2 cup of heavy cream

Cut small slice off of the ends of each tomato. Cut each tomato in half crosswise. Using spoon, remove center of tomatoes, being careful not to penetrate the end. Stand tomatoes on end on parchment covered baking sheet.

Using sharp knife, remove kernels from corn. Chop green onions finely including green ends. Crumble bacon.

In bowl, whisk three eggs with half a cup of heavy cream. Add corn, green onions and salt and pepper, to taste. Put a small amount of crumbled bacon at the bottom of each tomato “cup.” Ladle egg mixture into each cup.

Bake at a 350 degree oven until set, approximately 15-20 minutes.

In a small saucepan, stir together brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and cumin. Place over medium heat and stir until the the sugar is disolved.

Place sweet potato fries in bottom of bowl. Pour balsamic mixture over the fries and stir to coat.

On a parchment covered baking sheet, pour out contents of bowl. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir to recoat. Return to oven for 15 minutes.

Serve with tomatoes.



4 medium sized cucumbers
10 medium-sized tomatoes
2 large onions
2 medium-sized green peppers
3 teaspoons garlic, chopped
14 oz. French bread, trimmed and crumbled
3 cups cold water
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup olive oil
5 teaspoons tomato puree

Peel and coarsely chop cucumber, tomatoes and onion. Seed pepper, remove pith and coarsely chop.

Put cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, garlic and bread into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Stir in water, vinegar and salt. Puree in batches in blender.

Pour puree into bowl and whisk in olive oil and tomato puree. Serve with small croutons, finely chopped onion, cucumbers and green pepper.


Serves 4 - 6

2 lbs. very ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 slices white bread, crusts removed
1 lbs. (two sheets) puff pastry
2 tablespoon capers (or) 4 oz. small black olives
6 oregano or rosemary sprigs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place baking sheet in refrigerator to chill.

Process bread into fine crumbs. Mix with leaves from two oregano (or rosemary) sprigs. Stem tomatoes, put in pot of boiling water for 10-15 seconds, remove and plunge into cold water. Peel and coarsely chop.

Put olive oil in large sauce pan over high heat. Add tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste and saute for 7-8 minutes. Add bread crumb mixture and set aside

Using tart ring or plate as templates, cut pastry into six-inch disks and place them on a chilled baking sheet. Prick disks all over with fork, leaving half inch border un-pricked all around. Bake pastry for 10 minutes.

Remove pastry from oven, spread with layer of tomato mixture and sprinkle with capers or olives. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed. Return to oven and bake for another 8 minutes. Garnish with sprig of oregano (or rosemary) and serve immediately.


from Comfort Foods. 200 Easy Recipes from Hearty Stews Fiery Curries by Kay Scarlett

Serves 4

5 1/2 oz. spaghetti, broken into 3 inch pieces

6 cups beef stock
3 teaspoons tomato paste
14 oz. cans diced tomatoes (We like whole canned tomatoes; the flavor is more intense.)
3 tablespoons basil leaves, torn
shaved Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Meatballs

1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tb. lean ground beef
3 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten

Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling water according to package instructions until al dente. Drain. Put the stock and 2 cups water in a large saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, to make the meatballs, heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Allow to cool.

Combine the ground beef, parsley, bread crumbs, Parmesan, egg, onion mixture, and salt and pepper. Roll a heaping teaspoon of mixture into a ball, making forty balls.

Stir the tomato paste and tomatoes into the beef stock and simmer for 203 minutes. Drop in the meatballs, return to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Stir in the spaghetti and basil to warm through. Season, garnish with shaved Parmesan, and serve.

Serves 4.



from Emma Minoli's "Taste of Piedmont" Class, 2007

1 cup of pitted black & green olives
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil
Splash of lemon juice
Crackers

In the bowl of a food processor, add the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil & lemon juice.  Pulse until smooth, but still chunky. Add more extra-virgin olive oil if mixture is too dry. Spoon into a serving bowl. If not serving immediately, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. Be sure to bring it to room temperature and to mix it thoroughly before serving.

For serving, place the bowl of tapenade in the center of a large platter. Decoratively circle the tapenade bowl with the crackers and lemon slices.