Tomato Onion Tart

Don brought some local tomatoes home, so I figured I'd throw together a tomato tart of some sort. Coincidentally, I saw that Food Network Canada had tweeted about this recipe, so I figured I'd try it.

I realized I'd used up all my cornmeal on the anthills outside (don't ask) so I figured I'd substitute whole wheat flour. It was tasty, but a little heavy...cornmeal would have been WAY better. Next time, I'll make sure I use cornmeal.

I'd also use thinly sliced tomato, and seed them first.

Tomato Onion Tart



The Crust

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup freshly grated parmasan
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 olive oil
1/4 cup water
Salt and Pepper

Mix flour, cornmeal, paramasan, and oregano. Add in olive oil and water, mix until just combined, form to a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in fridge to rest about 30 minutes.

The Guts

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
1 large tomato (or a couple of plum tomatoes), sliced thinly
Grated parmasan

Add olive oil to a hot frying pan and caramelize the onions. Once the onions start to turn translucent, turn the heat down and let them brown and sweeten up. stirring only a couple of times as necessary to keep from burning.

In the middle of cooking the onions, preheat oven to 400 and pull out your tart pan. We all have one of those, right? I don't. I used the springform pan I use for my cheesecake.

Put it Together

Pull crust out of the fridge and roll out into an even disk that will fit into your 8" tart pan/whatever you're using with a little lip. I guess you could also roll it to a rectangle and put it on a cookie sheet. You really don't need to make this too complicated.

Spread caramelized onions onto crust, arrange tomato slices atop, and cover with freshly shredded parmasan. I also added a grind or two of pepper...the salt level was good because of the cheese - didn't need to add that. It pays to taste your food before seasoning (learned that the hard way...a few times, sad to say).

Pop into oven for about 20 minutes, or until tomatoes are softened and the exposed crust is golden.

I grabbed some basil from the garden and put that on before serving.

Blueberry Boy Bait

Yup...that's what I said...

Blueberry. Boy. Bait.

This is apparently a second place winner in a 1954 Pillsbury Bake-Off. The 15 year old girl who made it named for the effect it had on boys...riskee!!

It was adapted by Cook's Country, and Cook's Country's recipe was adapted by Smitten Kitchen.

Then I got ahold of it.

This is the first time I've made this delicious little treat and I can think of a couple of ways I might adjust it further to better suit my taste.

One thing I will say about this cake: It's SO moist and buttery that when you press down on it, there's an audible, rich crackle of moisture...and just the thought of that makes my mouth water.

I made this one with local blueberries, but it could easily be made with anything...it would be delicious with peaches, rhubarb, cherries...the endless possibilities give me goosebumps!

Blueberry Boy Bait

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour (plus 1 tsp set aside)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 cup demerara sugar (*see note)
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk (whole milk, buttermilk, skim milk, whatever you have...)
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, don't bother defrosting)

For the topping:
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, don't bother defrosting)
1/4 cup demerera sugar (*see note)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

* Note: I try to avoid using white sugar or commercially processed brown sugar in recipes...I prefer demerera sugar. If you don't have demerera sugar, in the cake you can use 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar, and in the topping, 1/4 cup white or brown sugar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 13 x 9 baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and milk, and mix until combined.

Slowly beat in dry ingredients, in 2 or 3 batches, until just combined.

Toss blueberries in 1 tsp flour (it will help keep them from sinking to the bottom), and fold into batter with a spatula. Place batter into pan and smooth the top.

Combine all the topping ingredients in a bowl and evenly sprinkle on top.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. I had to check on it and rotate it throughout the baking to make sure it baked evenly.

It's rich, that's for sure, but it's a nice treat. It was a great way to use up some local fruit that I had lying around. I'd totally make this again.

Grilled Veggie Burgers

I believe our neighbours think that we're crazy...we all know that when you BBQ, it has include MEATY GOODNESS!! And let me tell you, when they are out grilling, the smells that come from over the fence are divine - but I'm certain that the male counterpart feels so sorry for Don that he's being tortured with "burger substitutes" that one day he's going to sneak a burger over here, stealth style. Yeah, Kevin, I'm talking about you.

Truth is, Don doesn't mind the portobello burger...and I think they are pretty dang tasty too, and I used to HATE grilled veggies. Always thought they were slimy and/or bitter. I have found if they are done correctly, this is not the case.

Tonight we had grilled veggie burgers with grilled radicchio and some leftover potato salad (which is probably one of Don's most favourite things that I make). There is a deli  on Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, NJ that makes THE BEST potato salad I have ever had. This is the closest I've been able to come.

In an attempt to make a couple of friends happy by posting ACTUAL recipies, rather than "throw some of this and some of that in a bowl" ("OMG Jace, how are we supposed to make your delicious food if you don't tell us how to do it??") here you go...keep in mind that this is for 2 adults (and smidgens for the little one). Adjust as necessary.

Potato Salad

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I've also sliced in 1/8" rounds on the mandolin)
Onions, diced finely (I've used yellow onions, white onions and green onions...whatever is on hand), optional
1\4 cup mayonnaise
2 tblsp apple cider vinegar
1 tblsp sugar (or more to taste)
1 tsp yellow mustard
Salt & pepper to taste

Put potatoes on to boil in salted water.

Mix vinegar and sugar to get the sugar dissolved, add mustard, salt and pepper to taste. It should be a good balance of sweet and tangy with a really creamy texture. Adjust as necessary. Stir in onions.

Drain potatoes when they are fork tender and dump the hot potatoes into the dressing. Mix gently (try not to break the potatoes into mush)

Refrigerate and serve cold.

Use whatever potatoes you have on hand, or whatever potatoes you prefer. You can add a chopped boiled egg (which I've done, but am too lazy to do, normally). Throw in diced sweet pepper, celery, add paprika, whatever tickles your fancy.

Grilled Radicchio...not my recipe. I'm not a big fan of radicchio because it's bitter, but Anthony Sedlak's recipe is tasty and a great addition to this meal.

Grilled Veggie Burgers

2 large portobello mushrooms, stem removed
1 sweet pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into quarters
1/4 cup mayonnaise
5 or 6 basil leaves
Squirt of lemon juice (optional)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar or President's Choice Glaze with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
Salt & pepper
Hamburger bun, foccaccia, whatever you have
Arugula, baby spinach, lettuce...whatever you have (as long as it's not that crappy iceburg lettuce)
Balsamic vinegar or President's Choice Glaze with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

Heat grill on high (or you can do it on the stovetop). Drizzle mushrooms and peppers with balsamic vinegar (if not using the PC Glaze), olive oil, salt and pepper on both sides.

Mix mayo, chopped basil, a pinch of salt and a squirt of lemon juice (optional) and pop in the fridge.

Grill for about 3-5 minutes (depends on the size of your vegetables, the heat of your grill, and the alignment of the planets...ok, I was joking about that last one) each side, until the mushrooms and peppers are heated through and softened. If using the glaze, apply during the last 2 minutes or so. You can also grill your bread if you like.

Assemble burger (you know, bun bottom, greens, veggies, basil mayo and bun top) and go to town.

You can use whatever veggies you want in here...you like eggplant? Go for it. Grilled pineapple? Ok then. Red onion? Perfect! You can add a bit of garlic to your mayo, rub some garlic on your grilled bread...avoid the garlic if you don't like it...up to you!

So there you go...that's what was On My Plate tonight.

Local Asparagus, Arugula and Pesto Pasta

Last night I tried a new pasta recipe. I had some local asparagus that I picked up at Nature's Corner on Seacliff Drive in Leamington, and I was just itching to do something different with it. I saw this recipe while zipping around on the web, and thought it sounded perfect!

I made a few adjustments to the recipe, for instance, instead of making fresh pesto (which I love), I used up some jarred tomato pesto that I had leftover from the mushroom and leek pizza I made last week. I added some basil from our garden and grated in a clove of garlic to suit my taste.

I had 2 partially used boxes of whole wheat penne. How annoying! So I used what was left in both boxes and made some space in my cupboard (win!).

I had to buy some arugula, and unfortunately it wasn't available loose (so I couldn't just buy a handful or so), but I plan to make a steak salad this week so I can mix what's left into the baby greens I have on hand.

I am a fan of asparagus, and it's good for you too (with the whole having folate and vitamin K) but I wish I could say the same for arugula. I don't HATE it, I just don't love it. It's a great little leaf though, full of calcium, iron, and vitamins A, C and K, so if I can find a way to use it, I do.

So here's what I did:

Cut the asparagus into 1" pieces and steamed it barely tender. In another pot, I cooked the pasta (though I'm sure I could have just popped the asparagus in the pasta water as it would have floated and I could have fished it out when it was done).

In a bowl I plopped a few tablespoons of jarred tomato pesto (President's Choice brand in this case), chopped up a few basil leaves, and grated in a small clove of garlic.

I drained the pasta, threw it back in the pot with the pesto and the asparagus, tossed in a couple of handfuls of arugula and stirred to combine. Drizzled on a touch of olive oil to loosen the sauce up a bit as well. It didn't need salt (probably because the pesto was perfectly seasoned) but I did add some fresh ground pepper.

I had a couple of herbed foccacia rolls in the fridge from a grilled veggie sandwich I made last week, so I sliced them, brushed them with olive oil, and toasted them in the oven.

The pasta and toasts were topped with a bit of freshly grated parmesan, and we dug in.



The Verdict?

  I liked it. It had good, balanced flavours.

Quinn ate it right up. That surprised me as the arugula is bitter. He did, however, leave the asparagus bits. Probably didn't like the consistancy.

Don liked the flavours, but he prefers his pasta to be "saucy", so it wasn't to his liking.

I'll probably keep the recipe as an occasional meal, but it won't go into "The Rotation"