Tomatoes Recipes

Heirloom tomatoesTomatoes are the classic summer garden vegetable. Here on the farm, we grow heirloom tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes that are lovely in so many salads, chilies, salsas, sautees, and other tasty dishes. Is your favorite tomato recipe listed below? If not, let us know what it is!

Aquacotta-Tuscan Peasant Soup

4 cups onions, sliced 1/3 inch thick
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
3 cups celery, chopped fine, including leaves
3 cups savoy or green cabbage
2 cups lacinato kale, sliced fine
1 cup firm tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed
8 leaves basil
Broth, vegetable or chicken
1/3 cup dried Nash’s kidney beans, soaked, cooked and drained
12 slices day old bread
1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
6 eggs

Place onion, salt, and olive oil in a pan and cook until onion wilts. Add celery, cabbage, and kale, and stir. Add tomatoes, basil, and broth until all veggies are covered by 2 inches, and simmer 2-3 hours. Add beans and pepper to taste.

Toast bread and soft-cook the eggs. Don’t overcook because you want the yolk runny. Place a piece of toasted bread in bottom of soup bowl, ladle the soup on top, sprinkle with some cheese, and top with an egg.

From Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazen.

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Fried Green Tomatoes

3-4 green tomatoes
1 cup plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1-2 eggs, slightly beaten
Vegetable oil
Salt

Wash and cut green tomatoes into very thin slices.

Dredge with flour, dip in egg and dredge with flour again.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.

Drop dredged tomatoes into hot oil and fry again until lightly browned.

Remove from oil; salt immediately.

Tip: Use ranch dressing garnished with chopped parsley as a dipping sauce.

We thank FarmFlavor.com for this recipe.

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Fried Tomatoes with Polenta Crust

4 large firm underripe tomatoes
1 cup polenta or coarse cornmeal
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
flour for dredging
1 egg, beaten with seasoning
Oil for deep-frying

Cut the tomatoes into thick slices. Mix the polenta or cornmeal with the oregano and garlic powder.

Put the flour, egg and polenta in different bowls. Dip the tomato slices into the flour, then into the egg and finally into the polenta.

Fill a shallow frying pan about one-third full of oil and heat steadily until it is quite hot.

Slip the tomato slices into the oil carefully, a few at a time, and fry on each side until crisp. Remove and drain. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes, reheating the oil in between. Serve with salad.

We thank The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking by Roz Denny and Christine Ingram for this recipe.

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Stuffed Zucchini

Green Zucchini

Stuff those zucs with all the wonderful fresh veg you can find at your neighborhood farmer’s market.

3 large zucchini
1 pound Nash’s pork sausage
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Marinara sauce (see below)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Trim stems from zucchini and slice lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and put in bowl. Mix seeds with sausage, garlic, bread crumbs, and parmesan cheese. Stuff squash with sausage mixture and place in 9×13-inch baking pan. Pour marinara sauce over squash and cover pan with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until sausage is cooked. Remove foil and cover with mozzarella cheese. Cook until cheese is melted.

Marinara Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
3 medium-to-large diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, basil and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until fragrant. Stir in sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour in tomatoes with their juices and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and puree until smooth in food processor or blender.

We thank allrecipes.com for this recipe.

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Parsley–Mint–Cherry Tomato Salad

flat-leaf parsley and Italian parsley

This parsley wants to join you for dinner.

Serves 6

1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 large bunch mint
1 quart cherry tomatoes
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pick the leaves from the parsley and mint and place in a large bowl. Halve the cherry tomatoes and toss with the parsley and mint leaves.

Combine the shallot, mustard, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in the oil until emulsified, then toss the dressing with the salad and season with salt and pepper to taste.

We thank Takepart.com for this tasty recipe.

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Caulifower Salad

Cauliflower and carrots at farmer's market

It’s cauliflower and carrot time!

1 medium cauliflower
Choice of vegetables, such as grated carrot, chopped parsley, water cress, green onion, celery, olives, tomatoes, chopped pickles
Salt and pepper
Oil and vinegar, or sour cream
Choice of herbs, such as basil, dill or cilantro

Cut the raw cauliflower into small pieces. If you want to cook them, blanch or sauté for just 3 to 4 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Cut up other ingredients and mix with cauliflower in a bowl. Prepare an oil-and-vinegar or sour cream dressing and mix it with the salad ingredients, adding herbs of your choice, and salt and pepper to taste. Leave in the fridge until serving time.

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No-Guilt Bean Dip

kidney beans

Nash’s grows kidney beans? That’s right! Get kidneys along with a variety of other legumes and grains at the store or our farmer’s markets.

Makes about 5 cups

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 cups cooked Nash’s dried corn, cooked until very soft
1 32-ounce can chopped tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1-3 tablespoons salt (to taste)
6 cups cooked kidney beans, cooked until mushy

In a large Dutch oven or sauce pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened and just turning golden. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add corn and tomatoes and cook until excess liquid from tomatoes has simmered away. Stir in spices, brown sugar, and one tablespoon salt.

Stir in beans, using the bowl of your spoon to smash the beans against the bottom and sides of the pan. Continue stirring and smashing until the beans are as mashed as you like. Leave some of the beans still whole for the texture if you like. Taste and add salt and other seasonings as needed. Serve with thinly sliced pieces of toast, vegetable sticks, pita chips, or tortilla chips.

We thank The Kitchn for this great recipe.

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Raab Frittata

lacinato kale raab

Which raab is your favorite? Try this frittata with kale raab, cabbage raab, brussels raab, arugula raab, and any other raabs that come you way, and let us know which is best in the comments below!

1 small onion, chopped
1 bunch raab, stems and florets/leaves separated and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil (or 1 tablespoon dried basil)
6 eggs, scrambled
3/4 cup grated cheese
Pepper to taste
Frittata sauce (see below)
Fresh tomato, chopped

With olive oil in skillet, saute onion and raab stems with basil until tender. Cover and stir occasionally. Add chopped raab leaves and florettes. Replace lid. When the saute has shrunk, add eggs and stir quickly, then press evenly in pan. Cover and turn heat down very low. Top with cheese and sprinkle with pepper. Cut with pie server when egg is cooked and serve with sauce (see below) and fresh tomato.

Frittata Sauce
1 cup yogurt
6 cloves garlic, minced fine
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup cream (optional)

Mix together and serve generously on frittata with fresh tomato.

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Six Nettle Recipes

Nettle leaf

Young nettles are easily blanched and frozen to enjoy year round. They are easy to dry as well for healthy herbal teas.

Farmer’s Nettle Frittata
Saute red onions, mushrooms in season, grated carrot, finely sliced broccoli spears and minced chickweed together in olive oil until wilted. Add a handful of minced young nettle stalk and leaves on top, cover and let steam until nettles wilt. Meanwhile, prepare a mixture of eggs, minced parsley and dried basil. Stir well and pour it over the steaming veggies. Place a cover on the pan, wait until eggs set, then flip until done. Delicious as is or with salsa or chickweed pesto.

Leek, Chickweed and Nettle Soup
Saute chopped leeks, celery and crushed garlic cloves in olive oil until soft; add diced potatoes (I use russets or Yukon golds). Add minced chickweed, nettles, parsley, dried basil, turmeric, salt and perhaps a bit more oil or butter. Saute a few minutes more, mixing all the ingredients well to blend the flavors. Cover with stock or water and simmer until everything is tender. Other veggies can be added, such as tomatoes, grated carrots, or perhaps a tin of salmon added at the end for even more variety. Unlike most leek and potato soup recipes, I do not use milk or cream as an ingredient, nor do I find a need to puree if the ingredients are diced small enough, as everything seems to meld together just fine.

Nettle Lasagna
Any spinach lasagna recipe will do for nettle lasagna with the obvious substitution of sauteed or steamed young nettles. If you make your own noodles, toss a spoonful of dried nettle powder into your flour mixture for added nutrition or into your homemade tomato sauce.

Nettle Quiche
Again, there are countless recipes for making quiches. My favorite is from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen. Since I make my own crusts, sometimes I’ll throw in a tablespoon of dried nettle powder with my flours. For the filling, I use a large handful of chopped and steamed nettles, along with sauteed onions, mushrooms in season, chopped broccoli, and an assortment of fresh and dried herbs laid on a bed of feta and shredded raw cheddar cheeses. Over that goes an egg-and-milk mixture to which I might mix in an additional tablespoon of flour depending on how moist my ingredients are.

Nettle Greens Medley
Saute slivers of red onion and garlic in olive oil or coconut oil until translucent. Add equal amounts of chopped Swiss chard and nettle tops. Pour in a small quantity of water, cover with lid and steam until wilted and tender. Mix gently to blend the veggies and oil, sprinkle on some sea salt and serve.

Sesanelp
A seasoning mixture of sesame seeds, nettle seed and nettle herb plus kelp and Celtic salt. Tasty! Roast 1/2 cup sesame seed in a frying pan to your liking. Cool. To a blender add cooled sesame seeds, 2/3 cup of nettle seed, 2 tablespoons dried nettle herb, 2 tablespoons kelp granules and 1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt. Blend till fine. Store in a glass jar. Goes great with a wide variety of foods. My morning toast is sprouted grain bread with a dribble of olive oil topped with this mixture and nutritional yeast. Yum!

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Zesty Wheat Berry and Black Bean Chili

In 2014, Nash’s grew a limited quantity of black cocos beans, which would go wonderfully in this lovely chili.

2 tablespoons olive oil, extra-virgin
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 pound black beans, soaked
1 pound tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 cups wheat berries, cooked
Juice of 1 lime
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Pour dry beans into a medium sized container with lid, and fill with water to cover beans plus some. Cover container and soak overnight (either in refrigerator or on stove top).

Next day, drain beans and add fresh water, enough to cover beans plus some. Uncovered, heat to boiling then reduce to maintain simmer. Cook until soft, approximately 1 hour. You may need to add water to keep beans covered during the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

At the same time, place wheat berries and 4 1/2 cups salted water in a saucepan and cook, uncovered, over low heat approximately 1 hour, or until berries are soft. Drain and set aside.

In a dutch oven or soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add beans, tomatoes, jalapeno, broth, and brown sugar.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.

Stir in cooked wheat berries and beans and heat through, about 15 minutes more.

Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.

Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with avocado and cilantro.

We thank Annie McHale for this recipe.

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