tomato caprese Archives - Good Food St. Louis

Leading the Wild Life

My father used the expression “eating off the fat of the land” to describe a bountiful meal from his garden.

With that in mind, last weekend I planned a dinner based on eating from the land. (Today’s sniffy chefs would call that a “vegetable forward menu.”)

But as Robert Burns noted, the best laid schemes often go awry.

Stalking the Wild Mushrooms

This being chanterelle season, Robin and STL mushroom guru, Ken Gilberg, (above) prepare to stalk the wild fungi. Sadly, they returned with barely enough for the evening meal.

But a second outing uncovered a field of Meadow Mushrooms, that became a tasty topping for our pork loin.

Ken’s dog, “Soapy,” is not a truffle h0und, but she did enjoy the woodland trek.

Meadow Mushrooms have been a bit more prolific than the Chanterelles this year. (We found only the few Chanterelles shown in the opening photograph)

Meadow Mushrooms grow in a circle referred to as a “fairy circle.” In English and Celtic folklore, these rings were caused by fairies or elves; in Germany by witches. Some believe the circles brought good luck and were a sign of a fairy village underground. Be careful. If you step into the ring, you might become invisible. I like that one best. 🙂

Meadow Mushrooms awaiting to be sautéed in butter and white wine.

Ah, But the Tomatoes . . .

While the mushrooms were evasive, the tomatoes were easy. My nephew, Bobby, has a bumper crop this year. With fresh mozzarella and basil and a balsamic topping, they were transformed into a heavenly caprese salad.

Next to a good BLT, a caprese is one of the true delights of summer.

These lovely tomatoes made my heart go pitter-patter.

Vegetables Forward

Bobby didn’t have as much luck with his corn as he did the tomatoes. It seems the raccoons are holding their version of Woodstock in his corn patch this year. Being good sports, the little rascals left him a half dozen ears.

The newly-dug potatoes roasted nicely in the oven. The rest went into the green beans from the local farmers’ market. I still cook my beans until they’re soft i.e., Southern style, like my mother did. No al dente beans for me.

This duo of new potatoes and green beans brought back memories of my mother’s table.

For our pork/mushroom entrée, Robin cooked the meat to the perfect temperature using a sou vide. She later browned, sliced, and sauced the pork loin.

Bring It On!

From bottom to left: Fresh green beans with new potatoes, roasted potatoes, sliced tomatoes and a tomato caprese, kale salad, homemade sourdough bread from Worthy Bakery in Rolla, French butter, lentils, and pork roast. And the fresh corn, compliments of the racoons of south Missouri.

What better way to end a meal than with one of Martha’s fresh peach-blackberry cobblers.

You never know what you’ll stumble onto in the wild. We often see turkeys and deer. But we were surprised to come upon this pair of vultures, that appear to have moved into an old, rundown cabin nearby. I thought it was an unique photo.

Marinated tomatoes are like a caprese minus the cheese.

Simple but Tasty

I had just finished the first bite of my chicken enchilada at Canyon Cafe, when I noticed a few chopped tomatoes on top.

So for the second bite, I incorporated a chunk. Wow! Was I ever surprised. It was sweet and tangy all at the same time.

First, I thought I had run onto a new variety of tomato. I asked my server. She said it was a simple plum tomato, that had been marinated. She didn’t say in what.

These cherry tomatoes from Robin’s backyard garden are perfect for marinating.

The Olympic Gold

Tomatoes waiting to be marinated.

“Hey, Siri, Do You Know How to Marinate Tomatoes?”

Now I’ve often marinated tomatoes, but the Canyon ones seemed to have more pizzazz. I pulled out my phone and googled “marinated tomatoes.”

I found a number of recipes that mingled the fruit (yes, tomatoes are botanically a fruit) for several hours with green onions, olive oil, red wine vinegar (or lemon juice), fresh basil, garlic, salt and pepper.

Some of the recipe readers making comments mentioned adding a bit of honey as well. I tried that and it was magnifico!

A Long Bath in a Perky Sauce

Let your tomatoes swim in the marinade 12-24 hours for a more intense flavor. This saucy treatment will enhance a sub-par tomato or give extra punch to salads, tacos, vegetables, and grilled chicken or shrimp. Marinated slices certainly perked up a BLT, that I had for lunch recently.

Serve the tomatoes on crusty French bread that sops up the yummy sauce.

Or just eat it with a spoon. Heirlooms varieties thrive well in a marinade and chopped Romas hold their shape nicely.

Marinated Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered or Romas.
2 clove garlic, finely grated
1/4 red onion, finely diced (or green onions)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. white or red wine vinegar
1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
a bit of honey (optional)
1 Tbs. freshly minced herbs (fresh parsley, basil), optional
sea salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp., or so). Taste to test.
black pepper

Directions:

Toss tomatoes, grated garlic, onions, olive oil, vinegar, honey (if using), herbs, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.

Give the mélange 2-3 hours of rest in the fridge. You can let the tomatoes soak in all that goodness for up to 24 hours, especially if your tomatoes are sturdy to begin with, and/or if you’ll be mixing them into other dishes like a salad.

Bring tomatoes back to room temperature for ideal serving conditions!