How to Slow-Roast Tomatoes

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Here’s another idea if you have an excess of tomatoes from the garden: slow-roast them. The results are similar to sun-dried tomatoes: sweet, chewy, with an intense, sunny flavor. I like to eat them on bruschetta with a soft cheese, but they are also good tossed into pasta dishes and casseroles. They can even be pureed for an intense tomato sauce or soup.

Roma tomatoes are the best choice for slow roasting. Larger tomatoes will work (quarter them), but the roasting time is longer and the results won’t be as pretty. I haven’t tried cherry tomatoes, but I think they might get too sweet after roasting. Still, feel free to experiment.

Here are the steps for slow-roasting roma tomatoes:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Toss with olive oil and a little salt.
3. Arrange the tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut side up, and put them in the oven.
4. Start checking the tomatoes after 2 hours. They are done when they turn dark and it looks like all the juices have evaporated. A little black on the edges is okay, but you don’t want them to charcoal. Remove the tomatoes to a plate with a spatula as they finish cooking. The smaller tomatoes will finish first. The larger slices may take up to 3 hours.
5. Let cool to room temperature and store or enjoy. The tomatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, or they can be frozen and used as needed.

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How to Puree Tomatoes

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It seems we either have too few tomatoes (most of the time) or too many (right now). When we have too many, it is worth taking an hour or so to puree those tomatoes and preserve them in some manner. If you are adept at canning, the tomato puree can be canned, or do what I do and just freeze them. These pureed tomatoes can be used in any recipe that calls for canned puree, such as sauces and soups, but the recipe may have to cook longer if your tomatoes are particularly watery.

I generally puree roma tomatoes and save the larger slicing tomatoes for salads and sandwiches. The process couldn’t be easier, but you do need a food mill to puree the tomatoes. The food mill removes the seeds and skin for you, making tomato-preserving a snap.

1. Chop the tomatoes roughly and put them in a large, non-reactive saucepan.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Simmer until the tomatoes start to break down and thicken, 10-20 minutes.
4. Remove the tomatoes from the heat and let cool a little.
5. Run the tomatoes through a food mill to remove the seeds and skins. Food mill discs generally come in three sizes. I use the middle size for this.
6. Chill the puree in the refrigerator, then transfer to freezer containers. The puree can be frozen up to 1 year.

The Secret Ingredient Is Corn

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If last night’s dinner was on Iron Chef, the secret ingredient would have been corn. For the main course, I served a warming corn and potato chowder, perfect for a snowy day. It was accompanied by a hearty cornbread. Why so much corn? I was mainly trying to use up the bag of frozen corn I opened (I didn’t quite succeed), plus the two dishes seemed to complement each other.

Since I started the soup early in the afternoon, I finished the corn and potato chowder in the slow cooker, but it would have worked just as well on the stovetop. My only issue was that I got hungry and turned off the slow cooker a little too early, so the potatoes were not as tender I would have liked (they were still edible, though).

This recipe is a little different than the previous one I used. I added bacon and thickened the soup with flour. Most chowders call for cream, but I omitted it, opting instead to stir in a spoonful of sour cream just before serving. The updated recipe is below.

To go with it, I made cornbread in a skillet (which is the best way, in my opinion). I wanted something hearty, so I added more corn and grated cheddar. It was delicious, and leftovers will be tasty as a snack or breakfast.

Corn & Potato Chowder

Serves: 4
Time to make: ~30 minutes

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. bouquet garni or dried thyme
• ¼ cup flour
• 3 cups chicken stock or water
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 2 cups corn, thawed if frozen
• a few drops of Tabasco or 1 4-oz. can roasted chiles
• salt to taste
• shredded Monterey Jack and/or sour cream for garnish

Crisp the bacon over medium. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until translucent. Add the herbs and flour, and cook 3 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil, whisking. Add the remainder of the ingredients. Reduce to a simmer; let simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Alternatively, transfer the soup to the slow cooker and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Season to taste. Garnish as you like.

Finally a Good Turkey Burger

For those of us, who don’t eat beef or are trying to cut back, a good turkey burger is the holy grail. A burger made from ground turkey seems like a good idea, in theory. In practice, though, it is often quite similar to eating a flavorless hockey puck.

The problem with most turkey burgers is fat, or lack of it. Because turkey is a lean meat, it doesn’t have the fattiness of ground beef to keep it moist when being cooked and to make it flavorful on the bun. I’ve seen a lot of tricks to “fatten up” the turkey burger, but so far no recipe I have tried has lived up to its promise.

Until I tried the Cheddar and Tomato-Packed Turkey Burgers in Lynn Rossetto Kasper’s How to Eat Supper. I have been trying a lot of new recipes out of How to Eat Supper since I got the cookbook for Christmas, and while the results have been fairly uneven so far, there have been a few unmistakeable home runs, recipes that I star several times and will keep making for years. I think this will be one of those recipes, as it is the only turkey burger I have ever made that actually tastes like a burger, that remains moist, juicy and full-flavored after cooking.

There are two secrets. One is incorporating cooked onions and tomatoes into the burger patty itself, which adds moistness and flavor. The other is inserting a few cubes of cheddar cheese into the center of the burger, which adds fat. Not too much cheese — as that would overwhelm the burger and probably make a mess during cooking — but just enough to punch up the delicious factor and make you feel like you’re eating a real burger. Plus, there’s the nice surprise of biting into the burger and encountering a gooey pocket of cheese, rather than just melting a cheese slice on top.

I won’t reprint the recipe here, as they have already done so over at Serious Eats, so just head on over there to get a copy. Or pick up How to Eat Supper. This one’s a keeper.

Cooking notes: I recommend making the patties ahead of time and chilling for an hour or so to help them hold together better while cooking. This is not a burger for grilling. It just won’t survive. Pan-fry it instead in a little oil over medium-high to sear, then turn down the heat to medium and cover to finish cooking through. I froze the leftover patties with no problems.

Homemade Pizza Is Easy — Really

Homemade Three-Cheese Pizza with Fresh Basil

Dear Mark Bittman, I have to apologize for having doubted you and not believing that it really is as easy as you say it is to make your own pizza dough. For a long time I have resisted because I believed that making all doughs is difficult. But I finally broke down and tried your pizza dough recipe, and not only was it incredibly easy, but it was also the most delicious pizza I have ever made. (My husband agrees.) It was better by far than any store-bought pizza dough, even the frozen unbaked dough from the local co-op. I will never go back to store-bought now.

I am sure Mark Bittman won’t mind if I reprint his pizza dough recipe from The Minimalist Cooks Dinner because I am also going to urge you to go out and buy that book or any one of his other excellent books. Bittman really is an advocate for simple, delicious home cooking, and his recipes are all very accessible and adaptable. I did adapt the recipe just slightly to use RapidRise yeast.

Easy Food Processor Pizza Dough

Yields: enough dough to make 2 10-inch pizzas
Time to make: ~1 hour 30 minutes, mostly rising time

• 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed
• 1 package or 2 tsp. RapidRise highly active yeast or instant yeast
• 2 tsp. coarse salt
• 1 cup hot (not boiling) water
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• food processor

Combine the flour, yeast and salt in the food processor. With the metal blade inserted [updated], turn the machine on and pour the water and the oil in through the feed tube. Process for about 30 seconds, until the dough forms a slightly sticky ball. Add up to ¼ cup more water, a little at a time, if needed.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until the dough doubles in size, 1-2 hours. (You can also let it rise more slowly in the refrigerator, 6-8 hours.)

Form the dough into a ball and divide into 2 pieces. Roll each piece into a round ball. If you are not using the dough right away, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it; it can be defrosted in a covered bowl or in the refrigerator. Place on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle with a little flour and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rest until puffed slighly, about 20 minutes. Proceed with making pizza (see below).

How you want to top your pizza is up to you. I think homemade pizza tastes better if you use a light hand with the sauce and toppings, because then the crust doesn’t get too soggy. (You can also skip the sauce altogether and make a “white” pizza.) I have been experimenting with sauces beyond just traditional pizza sauce, such as pesto and even barbecue sauce. As for toppings, I like to choose one or two cooked vegetables, some fresh herbs and a mixture of shredded cheeses. But it is your pizza, and you should put whatever you like on it.

Here is how to finish cooking the pizza:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
2. Oil a baking sheet or pizza sheet.
3. Roll out the dough on the baking sheet. I have found that the easiest way to do this is by stretching and patting it with my hands, and crimping the ends to make a crust. I don’t worry too much about it being a perfect square or circle. If the dough starts to tear, let it rest for a few minutes before stretching again.
4. Add the toppings (except for fresh herbs).
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese melts and the crust browns. If using fresh herbs, add them only for the last couple of minutes of baking time.

Of course, now that you have homemade pizza dough, you can use it for much more than just pizza. I plan to try making calzones, breadsticks, foccacia and even rolls. With dough this easy to make, there’s no reason not to always have a little on hand.

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Fresh-from-the-Garden Minestrone

This minestrone recipe is designed to take advantage of whatever is growing fresh in your garden right now. While you may want to stick to the combination of root vegetable, squash, beans and greens, substitutions can and should be made depending on what’s available. What makes this soup really tasty is the “garnish” of bacon, shallot and garlic that is swirled in right at the end.

This recipe is very adaptable. It can made ahead of time and then reheated before serving. Extras can be frozen, so make a big batch.

Garden Minestrone

Time to make: ~45 minutes
Serves: 6-8

• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 sm. summer squash, diced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 oz. bacon or prosciutto, diced
• 1 shallot, sliced thinly
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can any beans, drained and rinsed, or the equivalent of cooked beans
• 1 bunch arugula, chopped
• 1 handful parsley, minced

Add the stock, carrots and squash to a large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the bacon, onion and garlic. Cook slowly until the bacon is crisp and the onion is translucent, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add the beans to the soup and let heat through, about 5 minutes. Add the arugula and parsley. Stir in the bacon mixture. Warm through about 5 minutes to wilt the greens and blend the flavors. Serve with crusty Italian bread.

A Milder All-Purpose Pesto: Spinach-Walnut Pesto

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I actually made this pesto last fall with the last of the basil, but I froze it in ice cube trays and have found many uses for it since. Since this recipe replaces half the basil with spinach, it has a milder taste and can be used in greater quantities than classic pesto. Because the spinach flavor doesn’t overwhelm, this is a good recipe for sneaking a healthy vegetable in unexpectedly. I like this pesto best as a sauce for fresh tortellini or ravioli, but as we discovered last night, it makes a great pizza sauce, particularly if the pizza also features fresh spinach. (I also added crumbled bacon, fresh mozzarella and tomato to the pizza.)

Spinach-Walnut Pesto

Time to make: ~10 minutes
Yields: 2 cups

• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1 cup fresh spinach, stems removed
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup walnuts, toasted
• ½ cup Parmesan, grated

Combine everything in a food processor and process until pureed.

This pesto freezes very well. Freeze 1 tablespoon portions in ice cube trays. Once the pesto is frozen, transfer the cubes to a large freezer bag. Then you can just remove and defrost what you need for the dish.

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Mashing Vegetables Beyond Potatoes

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Lately, I have been experimenting with mashing a wider range of vegetables than the standard potato. And why not? The baby loves mashes, even when he’s turning his nose up at vegetables in general. For adults, they are comfort food. Everyone’s happy.

What is the difference between a mash and a puree? Generally, purees are smoother, more like baby food consistency, and in our house at least, we don’t like to eat them as side dishes. I prefer to use a puree as part of another dish, such as a soup or dip. I mostly puree in the food processor so I can choose from a wider range of vegetables (such as broccoli, mushrooms and eggplant, to name a few), although I will occasionally use a finer sieve in the food mill to puree.

I always serve mashes on their own as sides. I like to leave mashes a little chunkier than purees and to enrich them with butter and cream, milk, buttermilk or sour cream — whatever I have on hand. If I am serving the mash right away, I use a potato masher to make quick work of mashing the vegetable and mixing in the additions. If I am planning to serve the mash later, I’ll use the food mill with its coarsest sieve instead, and I’ll mix in the butter and dairy when I’m reheating.

For mashed potatoes, choose the russet, white or Yukon Gold varieties. These varieties have more starch and are better suited to mashing, although I will mash large red potatoes, if that’s what I have. Other vegetables that mash well are carrots, celeriac, parsnips, peas, sweet potatoes, turnips and winter squash.

A new vegetable often benefits from being mashed with potatoes so it’s not entirely unfamiliar. Mashed potatoes and celeriac (or celery root), for instance, has a wonderful nutty flavor. The baby likes mashed vegetables like turnips and winter squash mixed with cooked apples — not a favorite of mine, but if he’ll eat it, I’ll go for it. I like to experiment with strong flavor additions to enliven a mash. Salsa, pesto or herb purees, roasted garlic and cheese are all great additions to try.

Here is the basic technique:

1. Select the vegetables you want to mash and pre-cook them. Most vegetables can be peeled, cut into chunks and  boiled until tender. You might choose to bake starchier vegetables, such as russet potatoes, sweet potatoes and winter squash.
2. If you are serving the mash immediately, transfer to a large bowl. Add ½ tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. cream, milk, buttermilk or sour cream per serving (just eyeball it). Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Using a potato masher, mash until the vegetables are the desired consistency, the butter has melted and the cream is incorporated. Mix in any other flavorings with a rubber spatula.

If you are not serving the mash right away, omit the butter and dairy. Use a potato masher or food mill to mash the vegetables, and either freeze or store in the refrigerator. Before serving, add the butter and dairy. Reheat over low until heated through, stirring frequently.

Mashed vegetables, including potatoes, can be frozen. Usually, I freeze them without the butter and dairy, which I add when reheating. To freeze as individual servings, scoop the mash into muffin tins. Once frozen, store in ziploc freezer bags, and just remove the number of servings you need.

Baked Beans for President’s Day

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I don’t make baked beans too much. To tell the truth, it’s not one of my favorite dishes. But a lot of people love them, especially on patriotic holidays, like President’s Day, and I always think something is much better homemade than out of a can. Here is a fairly simple, vegetarian baked beans recipe that I enjoy, although I have to confess that I haven’t made it very often and the seasonings might need some tweaking.

One nice thing about baked beans is that it is a versatile recipe. You can cook the beans ahead or make the whole recipe ahead and then reheat before serving. You can easily make them in the slow cooker just by extending the cooking time. Leftovers freeze well and, I am told, make an excellent breakfast served on toast (see the picture).

One note: It is better for this recipe to use dried beans than canned, as they will retain their texture during the long cooking time and not turn to mush. If you are unsure how to cook dried beans, here are some instructions.

Baked Beans

Yields: 4 servings
Time to make: ~1 hour, not including the time to cook the beans

• 2 cups dried navy beans, cooked until just tender
• 2 cups tomato puree
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. liquid smoke
• 2 tsp. cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all of the ingredients in a casserole dish and cover. Bake for 1 hour. Uncover for the last 20 minutes of cooking time.

Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze.

How to Make Applesauce

Applesauce is really easy to make. I didn’t realize how easy until I got a food mill. A food mill is a bowl-shaped gadget with a hand crank; you fit a disk with holes in it into the bottom of the food mill and use the crank to force cooked food through the holes. Depending on the size of the holes, you get a chunkier or a smoother puree, and things like seeds and peels are left behind, unlike when you puree foods in the food processor. I bought my food mill to make baby food but I have since found many other applications for it, including making smooth tomato sauce, creamy mashed potatoes and, of course, applesauce.

Using the food mill results in a really smooth applesauce. And you don’t even have to worry about peeling the apples first. I like to buy apples to snack on, but if I don’t eat them all by the weekend, I just match a batch of applesauce to mix with oatmeal for breakfast.

You can omit the sugar if you are making this for a baby or if your apples are sweet. Also try varying the seasonings.

Applesauce

• 4 tart apples, cored and cut into chunks
• 1 cup water
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ½ cup sugar, or to taste
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. cinnamon

Combine the apples, water and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium. Mix together the sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir into the apple mixture. Cook until the apples are tender, adding more water if necessary. Run through a food mill, let cool and refrigerate.