Tomatoes 4: skewers of garden grape tomatoes, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella balls

Not a recipe, more like a paint-by-number. Grape tomatoes and fresh basil picked by the kids in the garden. Fresh mozzarella balls. "Fancy" toothpicks. Salt and pepper. If you really want to live it up, a drizzle of white balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Why yes, the boys did help themselves before I got here with the camera!

Tomatoes 3: Grilled pizza

So, I had heard of grilled pizza. But like deep-fried turkey, it sounded like a food hack for someone more adventurous. I am so happy to have been proven wrong - it is faster and easier than oven-baked, and even more delicious. 

Friend and fellow school parent Teresa S. suggested grilled pizza in a Facebook thread when I was looking for ideas to use the extra fresh tomatoes ripening on the kitchen counter – and she was kind enough to type the entire recipe in comments.

Teresa’s tomato-garlic-basil topping is – mmm – better even than it sounds. Divine! Hurry up and get some of the last tomatoes at the farmer’s market this month and try this.

With her permission, here is the recipe, transcribed from a chain of FB comments. I just added a few notes and photos.

Teresa S’s Grilled Pizza with Garden-Fresh Tomatoes

·         ‎5-6 garden-fresh tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into ½” dice [I missed the part about seeding – it was delish anyway, although a bit moist]

·         ½ C grated Mozzarella cheese [use real mozzarella and grate yourself]

·         ¼ C grated fresh Parmesan cheese

·         Kalamata olives

·         Fresh garlic cloves

·         Fresh basic cut into ribbons

Toss tomatoes and table salt in medium bowl; transfer to colander and drain 30 minutes (wipe out and reserve bowl).

 Shake colander to drain off excess liquid; transfer tomatoes to now-empty bowl. Add a clove or two of freshly-pressed garlic (to taste) to tomatoes, along with about a teaspoon of olive oil and ribbons of thinly-sliced basil. Gently toss, then set aside. 

Combine cheeses in second medium bowl and set aside. Cut olives crosswise and place in a third bowl and set aside. (I know this seems like a lot of bowls, but pizza cooks pretty quickly on the grill, and you want everything right at your fingertips so you can add it quickly.)

Turn gas grill on high to get it nice and hot (about 15 minutes), then back it down to medium. It takes a little longer to cook the pizzas, but honestly, they go so fast when the heat's on high it's overwhelming. 

Cook directly on grill. [Jen’s note: Yes, I gave into the temptation to try on a grill pan. Don’t make my mistake. Directly on grill is what you want.]

Slide the crust directly onto the grill and close the lid and cook for 2-3 minutes, until top is bubbly and bottoms have grill marks. Pull them off the grill for minute so you can add the toppings - it gets too dang hot to try and top while they're on the grill. 

Once they're topped, but them back on the grill until the cheese bubbles, usually about 3-5 minutes, but watch to make sure the bottom crust doesn't burn. A cookie sheet (one that has a lip on 2 sides only) and grill tongs work pretty well to slide the pizzas on and off the grill.

 

More notes from Jen: 

We made 4 small pizzas, which allowed us to figure out the temperature settings that seemed best for our grill. I think it was somewhere in the 400/425 degree ballpark, but I also think this is one of those things that will vary by grill and improve with practice. Even our most overdone pizzas were delicious, though.

Puppy watching intently, wondering, where's my pizza?

Two of the pizzas were made with store-bought fresh dough (Super Tony’s, for local friends, although Trader Joe’s also sells fresh dough.) For the other batch I made dough in our bread maker. I thought my homemade dough was worlds better, but no one else in the family had a preference. 

Pizza Dough for bread machine 

(adapted from Sunset Italian Cookbook)

Proof 1 package of dry yeast in 1 cup of warm water, allowing to sit for 5 minutes until bubbly. Put in bread machine. Add ½ tsp. salt and 2 tsp. olive oil. Add 2 cups all-purpose flour. Mix to blend. Add another ¾ cups flour. Set machine for “dough” setting and allow machine to do the work for you. When done, roll dough for pizzas.

Tomatoes 1: Grannie Annie's Tomato Toast

'Tis the season when even we gardeners of  Tiny Gardens have counters overflowing with tomato-y bounty.

 

In the next couple of posts, how we're using our fresh tomatoes. I just harvested another 8 ripe beauties, so please share your favorite recipes in comments! I'm getting desperate here.

 Grannie Annie's Tomato Toast

Tom's mom sometimes makes this when we visit and it's now a family favorite at our house. It's a great breakfast or lunch snack that an older kid can make on their own. James (11) will ask for it, and even Milo will eat a serving.

1. Slice ripe garden tomatoes and arrange on a cooking sheet (if broiling or using a toaster oven) or microwaveable plate.
2. Sprinkle lightly with your choice grated cheese. 

3. Broil or microwave until cheese is melty and tomatoes warm (about 2 minutes on high in our microwave)
4. Scoop onto toasted whole wheat bread. 

Greek Tomato Soup

A few years ago, our friend Joe gave us the Daily Soup Cookbook. Everything we've made from it is fantastic, but I wouldn't go looking for inspiration there on a weekday normally because - well, it's soup, and often that means an all-day wait. I knew I had to share this recipe when Tom made it on a Tuesday and mentioned that it was fast and easy. It's also vegetarian, and the kids loved it. (Milo cheered when he heard there were leftovers. I swear.)

The recipe calls for trahana pasta, but Tom used orzo. The feta snuggles in with the tomato, somehow cutting the acid but accentuating the piquant and adding richness of flavor. It took me a few minutes to figure out what that flavor was. 

Another thing about this dish. Cheap. We had garden tomatoes. If you make your own stock, I think you can serve this for about a dime a bowl. Maybe a quarter if you buy the fancy feta - but then you'll have leftover feta for the salad and extra dollars for the french baguette. Mmm.

Greek Tomato with Trahana Pasta [soup]

(from The Daily Soup Cookbook)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium white onions, chopped 

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, diced

8 cups Basic Vegetable Stock [make your own or canned - more on vegetable stock in an upcoming post]

2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 cup uncooked trahana pasta or couscous [we used orzo]

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese [2 tablespoons for the soup; the rest for garnish]

1/2 cup scallions [garnish]

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and sugar and sweat for 4 minutes, until tender

2. Add the cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and cinnamon and stir to coat.

3. Add the canned tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Add the stock, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Stir in the fresh tomatoes, pasta, and 2 tablespoons of the feta cheese; simmer for 2 minutes.

6. Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes.

7. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the remaining feta cheese and chopped scallions. [cook's note - we skipped the extra feta cheese - it did not really need it.]

Makes 12 cups