Tomato Pie

Tomato pie as we know it, is a room temperature delicacy made up of dough topped with a sweet sauce and grated parmesan cheese. It has been a local staple that many have tried to recreate at home.   

I have attempted to duplicate it myself several times.   Using pizza dough, using a focaccia dough but never had success. I have spent the last several days combing through old Italian cookbooks, the internet, face book, you tube and tictok to research tomato pie as we know it.  Finally I came across an Italian recipe that could have been Americanized to create Tomato Pie.   I then researched that recipe to find many in written or said in Italian and a few in English.   

This recipe is as close as it gets to the Americanized version of Tomato Pie. I made a double batch of dough.  The first attempt the dough was a little thin. I went sparingly with sauce and over the top with the parmesan.   

First attempt

The second attempt was much better.   Very close to our favorite version that we can purchase locally. My better half had the same judgements of the first attempt and the second attempt was "Husband Approved".

Second Attempt

Nice crust topped with plenty of sauce.

Click on the photo below to open the recipe.  Once it opens right click to save the recipe wherever you like.  Or once it opens take a screen shot and save.  

I hope you have good luck in making this recipe and find that it is a close match to what you want in a tomato pie.   

Find more recipes here......

Follow me on Facebook

Or find me on Pinterest

or find me on Just a Pinch 

Click this image to subscribe to my newsletter

Join me on Google+ 

From the bottom of my heart.............. 

Italian Caponata Relish

The farmer’s market and local produce stands are loaded with eggplants.   I love the flavor of eggplant and wanted to try my luck at making a Caponata.  Caponata is a sweet-and-sour Sicilian version of the French ratatouille.  It is an eggplant based relish that serves well on toasted bruschetta.   

I remember my mother-in-law making it one time and her and I being the only ones that actually liked it.   I was pretty sure that I had written down her recipe, but when I looked for it I was unable to find it.  So, thus began my internet search.  

Found a few recipes I liked and a few with a list of ingredients that made me think “I would never dream of putting that in it”.    Seriously, the ingredients are pretty basic, eggplant, onion, tomato, garlic, peppers and celery.  From there, there were all kinds of interesting twists on ingredients and the amounts to add.   I tried to keep it simple and hoped to find just the right concoction of ingredients to keep the sweet but tangy taste buds occupied.   

If you like eggplant and you’re looking for something a little different to serve at a party or just to snack on yourself this is a good recipe to have in your files.  

 

 

Caponata

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds eggplant (1 large), diced
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 stalks celery, from the tender inner stalks, diced fine
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 red bell peppers, diced fine
2 tbsp. raisins, chopped fine
1 -2 ripe tomatoes, preferably Romas, peeled, seeded and finely chopped,
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes (in puree)
1-2 tsp. sugar (optional)
2 heaped tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained, and chopped
3 tbsp. coarsely chopped pitted green olives, chopped
2 tbsp.  Pine nuts, roasted and chopped
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar (more to taste)
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
½ jalapeno, diced fine (optional)

Directions
Prepare eggplant,   cut into ½ slices place in large bowl of generously salted water and weight down with a plate.   Let eggplant soak for 20-30 minutes.  Water will turn black in color.  Remove eggplant from water and pat dry with paper towels.  Dice into smaller pieces, set aside.

Prepare all of your other vegetables.   Clean, dice and set aside in piles.  Peel and dice fresh tomatoes, set aside. 

Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in deep heavy nonstick skillet over medium to high heat.   When pan is ready add the diced eggplant.  Fry the in 2-3 batches over medium heat, depending on the size of your pan, for approximately 10 minutes or until soft and golden. Season with salt and pepper.   Remove from pan and set aside. 

Heat 1-2 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet, then add the onion and celery. Stir until the onion softens, about five minutes, and add the garlic. Cook together for a minute, until the garlic begins to smell fragrant, and add the peppers, raisins, and season with salt and pepper. Stir until just tender, about eight minutes. Add another tablespoon of oil and the eggplant, and stir together for another five minutes, until the vegetables are tender. The eggplant will fall apart, which is fine.

Add the tomatoes to the pan with a pinch of sugar. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan often, for five to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down somewhat and smell fragrant. Add the capers, olives, pine nuts, remaining sugar and vinegar.   You can also add the jalapeno here.  Turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are thoroughly tender and the mixture is quite thick, sweet and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. If possible, cover and chill overnight. Serve at room temperature.

 

Notes & Swaps

I did not double recipe.   However, I did put some in prepared mason jars while it was hot and gave them a hot water bath for ten minutes.   Will use them to share with friends and neighbors.  I did keep out one jar for taste testing and snacking over the next few days.      

 

 



For more recipes, click the button below:



 

Follow me on Facebook
 

Or find me on Pinterest

 

 Click this image to subscribe

 

 

Join me on Google+

 

 

 

 

From the bottom of my heart.............. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eating Raw

Not sure why I choose to live in upstate NY.    I dislike winter weather even though I love the beauty of its presence.    I love spring, summer and fall seasons and all of their bounty.   I love to eat and cook with fresh from the garden ingredients.    I much prefer the taste of home grown ingredients to those mass marketed.  

My parents always had a huge garden.  As I child I remember bushels of fresh from the garden vegetables and my mom telling me not to eat so many of whatever it was we just harvested as it would make my belly hurt.   We all ate our share of the days harvest, if it was pea picking time, then we ate fresh peas as we hulled them and processed them for the freezer.   If it was cucumber time, we ate slices of cucumber while we processed them to be canned as pickles.   If it was time to pick tomatoes we ate our share of tomato sandwiches or cucumber and tomato salad while processing the rest to be canned.   Mmmmmm…..nothing better than picked fresh off the vine.

As an adult I still like to eat as fresh as possible.  However, I did not inherit the whole “grow your own” genes.  I tried.   I really did, when I first got married we rototilled a spot and I went to town planting and weeding.   The peas were okay.   They grew above ground.  The carrots, not so much.  We couldn’t pull them out of the ground.   Literally.    The soil where I live is so rocky that the carrots grew in and around the rocks.   The rocks held the carrots in the ground just like an anchor holds a ship in the ocean.    We had to get a shovel to dig them up.  The carrots were zig zag in form. That was the end of my garden.   I later turned the kids sand box into a small container garden where I can grow a few tomato plants and herbs. And I shop at the local food markets and take whatever freebies from the neighbors and friends that I can get.    I am thankful to have such wonderful friends. 

This recipe using fresh off the Cobb corn makes for a yummy lunch time meal or a side for dinner or barb-b-que.

Fresh Corn Salad

Dressing

½ cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 cup olive oil

Salad
4 ears of corn, corn cut from the cobb
½ cup finely diced red onion (soaked in water 20 minutes and patted dry)
¼ cup cucumber, diced small
½ cup red or orange sweet pepper, diced small
½ cup cherry or pear tomatoes, halved or quartered
3 tbsp. Italian parsley, torn
1 tbsp. basil leaves, torn
1 tbsp. jalapeño, diced small (remove the seeds and veins if you like)
½ tsp. sea salt
1-2 cups small arugula leaves

To make the dressing: In a small glass bowl whisk together vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper.  Once sugar is dissolved whisk in olive oil.   Set aside while making the salad.

For the salad:  Cut corn kernels from the cob.  Chop all vegetables into same size pieces as the corn kernels.  Toss all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over top and toss again just before serving.  Serve immediately. 

 

Notes and swaps

·         Swap out the red onion for shallot
·         Omit the jalapeño if you don’t like it spicy
·         Can’t find arugula, use your favorite green
·         You can add dried spices like onion powder or garlic powder to the dressing






For more recipes, click the button below:



 

Follow me on Facebook
 

Or find me on Pinterest

 

 Click this image to subscribe

 

 

Join me on Google+

 

 

 

 

From the bottom of my heart.............. 

 

Easy Peasy Nice and Easy

What is not to love about Eggplant Parmesan?  The work.   The work is what I don't love.   Dipping in flour, then the egg and then the bread crumbs followed by the deep frying of the masses.   Taste so good but a heck of a lot of work.   Well this recipe gives you the same taste if not even better without all the work and all that grease.  Really!

Easy Eggplant Parm

1-2 Eggplants (small in size)

4-5 Tomatoes (similar size as eggplant), sliced thin
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup parmesan cheese
Salt for soaking
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil cooking spray

 

Process Eggplant: I choose smaller, firm eggplants.  Cut off the ends and slice into ¼ or ½ inch slices.  Place in large bowl.  Sprinkle with large amount of salt.   Fill bowl with water, eggplant will float.  Cover with plate and weight it down.  This method seems to draw out the bitterness in the eggplant.  Let them soak for a minimum of thirty minutes.  The water will turn black.    Drain the eggplant and pat dry with paper towels.    

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cover 1-2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil and coat the foil with a thin layer of olive oil.   Lay the slices of eggplant onto the cookie sheet in a single layer.   Spray the slices lightly with olive oil cooking spray.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  

 

Using a regular teaspoon, top each slice of eggplant with a scant amount of bread crumbs.  

 

 

Next place one slice of tomato onto each slice of eggplant. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper.   

 

Using the teaspoon again, top each tomato with a liberal amount of parmesan cheese.   Spray with light coat of cooking spray.     

Place sheet tray in oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and a golden brown.   Remove from oven and serve.  

 

 

Notes/swaps

• Be sure to soak and pat dry the eggplant.
• Use smaller, firm eggplants.
• Use similar sized tomatoes.
• Haven't tried it yet, but I suppose you could add some shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

These taste even better the next day. 

 

 



For more recipes, click the button below:



 

Follow me on Facebook
 

Or find me on Pinterest

 

 Click this image to subscribe

 

 

Join me on Google+

 

 

 

 

From the bottom of my heart.............. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Cooking Required

No Cooking Required (with a twist of ADD)

I love this time of year, heat and all.   As crazy as it sounds, I often bake when it is hot outside.  It’s already hot; who is going to notice the oven is on (insert chuckle here).   However, there are day’s I am too lazy to cook and that is when I turn to quick “No Cooking Required” recipes. 

 

Yesterday was a day of errands. One of those included visiting the local public market.   They call it a “Public Market”    due to the variety of vendors they have.  Not all of them are farmers.   I love fresh fruits and veggies and the variety that are displayed at the market.   I also like the fact that there is always something there you can’t get in a supermarket.    And the fact that just purchasing your produce in the open air makes them taste better.  Fresh air makes everything taste better (you should try a weenie roast in the dead of winter, nothing tastes better than that Hot Dog cooked over an open flame in the dead of winter).

What did I purchase you ask?   Well, I was hoping to find green tomatoes at the market.  Yup they had them.  But then I spied an Eight Ball Zucchini, surprisingly not many people at the market knew what they were.  They are a grapefruit sized round Zucchini.  Great for stuffing, but that is a recipe for another time.   I also purchased a ¼ bushel of pickling cucumbers, 2 small purple eggplants, Italian Pole Beans, Jalapeno Peppers, Peaches, Nectarines, and Heirloom Tomatoes.    I think that was everything at the market.  

Off to have breakfast with a couple of my girlfriends.  You have to get to the market early and why not arrive when it just opens.   My girlfriends are lucky I didn’t eat anything at the market. Need to go potty and have a second cup of tea.  Breakfast was a trip as usual.  We have polite conversations mixed with a little bit of ball busting, one upping and throwing each other under the bus.  How we love each other.  We part and go our separate ways.

Now, to get back on track and finish my errands.    The next few stops are irrelevant, stopping here and there to get essentials like toothpaste and toilet paper, shop for shoes for the wedding and fill up the car with gas.   

My last stop: I have Heirloom tomatoes from the market, it is off to a place called Roma’s.   Roma’s is a little Italian deli, where they sell imported pasta, cheeses, and meats.   They also carry homemade Italian bread and pizza pie to die for.  I consider it to be the best in the area.   They have a large mixed olive case with a variety of black and green flavored olives.  Did I mention the Imported Italian Cheeses:  Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Mozzarella, Basket Cheese, Braided Cheese, Smoked, Wedges and Grated and my favorite of all time Soft Fresh Mozzarella Balls.  Fight the urge to purchase tomato pie.    Don’t inhale at the register, you will then smell all the deliciousness and weaken. Pay the man and hold your breath till you get out the door (just teasing, I love the deli smell). Okay leaving Roma’s with a loaf of fresh Crusty Italian Bread, a small container that holds a variety of the many olives from the olive case, a bag of freshly grated parmesan cheese and my mozzarella balls.  

I arrive home about 1:30ish.   Unload the car and carry everything in the house.   Drop everything and take the dog outside to do her necessaries.  Let the dog romp and play for a few minutes as she has been inside all morning.    Back inside, cappuccino from the Keurig while unpacking all of my wonderful goodies.    Such a sense of accomplishment overcomes ones-self, as I stare at the variety of health and wellness displayed on my counter.   Lunch! Its lunch time! With all the errands I had run in the morning lunch needed to be quick and painless and of course consist of several items I had purchased well running all those errands.   Let’s make a fresh Cucumber Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella drizzled with imported extra virgin olive oil and reduced balsamic vinegar (both previously purchased at Roma’s), topped with a slice of fresh home baked crusty Italian bread.    Ahhhhhh! Or should I say MMMMMM!

I shall be posting more recipes from my finds at the Public Market.   



For more recipes, click the button below:



 

Follow me on Facebook
 

Or find me on Pinterest

 

 Click this image to subscribe

 

 

Join me on Google+

 

 

 

 

From the bottom of my heart.............. 

 

Salsa the night away

It's hard to find someone who doesn't like salsa. It is such a versatile recipe and can be used from appetizer to dessert depending on which ingredients you put into it. It is a great conversation starter and party take along.  

We rarely purchase salsa a store anymore. In fact the kids love to chop and make their own versions of salsa. One likes it less hot while the other child likes to see how hot we can stand it. 

I am sharing my recipe for Pineapple salsa, but to tell you the truth I use the same recipe for tomato salsa and corn salsa by swapping out the main ingredient.

 

 

Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:
1 can pineapple chunks or one whole fresh pineapple (diced)
1 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 Red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper , diced
2 tablespoons coriander leaves , chopped
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
Salt, to taste
drizzle of olive oil

Chop all ingredients to desired size. Place in serving bowl. Stir to combine. Let set for 15 minutes before serving.

Swaps: You can swap out the pineapple for, fresh diced tomatoes, peaches, mangos, or strawberries. You can also swap out the red onion for a shallot.

Additions: You can also add a can of drained and rinsed black beans or fresh corn cut off the cob or defrosted sweet corn.

Flavor enhancers: Try roasting the ingredients before chopping and mixing

Serve with chips or as a topping over baked fish, shrimp, scallops or chicken.

For dessert salsa, try using strawberries and cinnamon and sugar chips.



For more recipes, click the button below:



 

Follow me on Facebook
 

Or find me on Pinterest

 

 Click this image to subscribe

 

 

Join me on Google+

 

 

 

 

From the bottom of my heart..............