Time to make use of summer tomatoes

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Tomato & Vidalia Onion Pizza – great tasting and easy. Karen Freeman

July 28, 2010

Karen Freeman CNHI The Daily Southerner Wed Jul 28, 2010, 10:16 AM EDT

TARBORO — Every year, about this time, I put in recipes for tomatoes. We don’t have as many this year, but the ones we have are so delicious that we don’t want to waste even one!

I hope you are enjoying the fresh tomatoes this summer, whether you grow them or buy them at a farmers market.

The first recipe is tomato bisque, which is just fancy tomato soup. But, with the extra ingredients, it doesn’t taste like the soup your mother used to make from the Campbell’s can!

The second recipe is so good that you will want to keep this one around. A colorful, light and delicious concoction to serve with tortilla chips or pita bread. Always a crowd pleaser!

The third recipe is pizza. The recipe has the directions for making your own pizza dough. I enjoy doing that. However, you can just buy one already made or buy the one in the roll can (like biscuits) and roll it out. The one in the can will taste the closest to homemade. You can fool our family with this one.

The fourth recipe is a marinated salad. It’s great just like it is but you can add extra ingredients to give it a different taste if you have them on hand.

The last recipe is a tomato and zucchini casserole. That way you can use two things out of your garden! This is a great and easy homey dinner entrée.

Tomato Bisque

6 fresh tomatoes

1 small onion

1 1/2 pint water

1 bay leaf

2 cloves

1 sprig parsley

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon hot water

salt and pepper to taste

1 pint milk; scalded

Slice tomatoes and put them in a kettle with the onion, water, bay leaf, parsley and cloves. When tender, pass all through a sieve, rubbing the pulp through too. Blend butter and flour in a pan till smooth; do not brown. Add hot tomato liquid and stir till boiling. Season to taste. After cooking 5 minutes, add the soda in water. This neutralizes the acid of the tomatoes. Just before serving, add the hot milk.

Tomato “Caviar”

2 large avocados - peeled, pitted, and chopped

3 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (11 ounce) can Mexicorn, drained

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup canola oil

hot pepper sauce to taste

Stir together avocados, tomatoes, green onions, black beans, and Mexicorn. Stir in red wine vinegar, canola oil, and hot pepper sauce. Cover, and chill 1 hour.

Vidalia Onion Tomato Pizza

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees)

3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 (15 ounce) cans pizza sauce, divided

2 large Vidalia or sweet onions, thinly sliced

4 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

In a bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Add 2 tablespoons oil, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Press dough onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of two greased 14-in. pizza pans. Spread 3/4 cup pizza sauce over each. Bake at 450 degrees F for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute onions in remaining oil until tender.

Arrange tomato slices over pizzas. Combine cheeses; sprinkle over tomatoes. Top with onions. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Warm remaining pizza sauce; serve with pizza.

Marinated Tomato Salad

5 medium tomatoes, sliced

1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large shallow dish, layer the tomatoes and mushrooms. In a bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic, parsley and salt. Pour over vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, turning occasionally. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Zucchini & Tomato Casserole

1/3 cup uncooked long grain white rice

2/3 cup water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds zucchini, cubed

1 cup sliced green onions

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/4 teaspoons garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped tomatoes

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

Combine the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, until rice is tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the zucchini, green onions, and garlic 5 minutes, or until tender. Season with garlic salt, basil, paprika, and oregano. Mix in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and 1 cup cheese. Continue to cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Did you know?

• A good serrated knife is far superior to a flat-edged knife for slicing tomatoes. If you use a flat-edged knife, be certain it is very sharp or you will squash and bruise the tomato flesh when slicing.

• Scooped-out cherry tomatoes make great edible cups for fish or egg salad, herbed cheese, or caviar as an appetizer. Use a standard-sized hollowed tomato filled with any variety of stuffing’s as a side dish, either baked, raw or as a condiment bowl for sauces. Turn the hollowed out tomatoes upside down to drain for about ten minutes before filling. When baking stuffed tomatoes, place them in a muffin tin for stability.

• Do not use an aluminum pot, pan or utensil when cooking tomatoes. The acid in the tomato reacts unfavorably with the aluminum. Using aluminum makes the cooked tomatoes more bitter and fades the color. The dish will also absorb some of the aluminum and the acid in the tomatoes can pit and discolor the aluminum cookware.

• If your tomatoes seem overly acidic, you can add a sprinkle of sugar and salt, both of which will bring out the flavor.

• Rather than sugar, I prefer adding grated carrot to marinara sauce to combat acidity. The carrot disintegrates in the sauce and adds sweetness but no hint of carrot flavor.

• Plum tomatoes are best used for sauces. Globe, cherry and grape tomatoes are best for eating raw, although all varieties are good.

• If your only choice is the mealy, tasteless supermarket fresh tomato, you may well be better off using canned tomatoes in cooked recipes.

Karen’s Kitchen is a weekly column by Karen Freeman of Tarboro. Contact Karen at:

kvfreeman@triad.rr.com to exchange ideas, ask questions, submit recipes, tips or suggestions.

Check out her Web site: http://www.geocities.com/kvfreeman27886/

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