2 Reviews--Local Flavors

[jjsooner73]

These are both wonderful and taste like pure summer to me. :) If you have an abundance of summer tomatoes, definitely try these out.


A Big Tomato Sandwich

1 large (1 lb) loaf ciabatta (I used an Italian Loaf)

2 or more big, juicy tomaotoes

1 large red or yellow bell pepper, roasted, peeled, and quartered (I just used fresh, would roasted would make it even better, IMO)

4 oz fresh mozzarella or goat or your favorite cheese

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Herb Vinaigrette

Slice the top third off the loaf of bread and set it aside. Pull out the inside.
Paint the inside of the bread with some of the dressing, then make layers of sliced tomatoes, pepper, and cheese. Bathe each layer with the dressing and season w/ s&p.
Add the top, press down, then cut into quarters or sixths. This packs well if wrapped tightly.


Herb Vinaigrette
1/4 cup basil leaves
1 T. chopped marjoram
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 t. aged red wine vinegar
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Finely chop the herbs w/ the garlic, then add olive oil. Add the vinegar and 1/4 t. salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.



Tomato and Avocado Salad with Lime-Herb Dressing

Dressing
1 T. chopped mint
1 T. chopped marjoram
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4-5 T. olive oil
1 jalapeno chile, finely diced
2 to 3 T. fresh lime juice
1/4 t. sea salt

The Salad
1 1/2 lbs. tomatoes
1 large avocado, peeled
1 cucumber, peeled
1 sweet pepper--frying pepper, bell, or cubanelle
1/2 small sweet onion or several scallions, finely diced
2 cups chopped romaine hearts
sea salt
8 large pimiento stuffed olives, sliced
2 oz. fresh feta cheese, crumbled


Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Taste to make sure there is enough acid.
Cut the tomatoes , avocado, cucumber, and pepper into bite-sized pieces and put them in a roomy bowl with the onion. Add the lettuce and a few pinches of salt. Toss, add the dressing, salt lightly, and toss again, with the olives and the feta cheese. Pile on plates and serve


I didn't use any romaine, I just add the veggies straight. I didn't have any olives, so did without.

[kima]

Thanks so much for posting those recipes and reviews Jennifer!

I am not a big avocado fan but the Tomato Sandwich sounds perfect for a hot summer night. I am printing it out for sure!

[SusanL]

it is not even 6:00 AM and I am so hungry for BOTH!!
Just wish we had good tomatoes here in PA but I will be patiently waiting with both recipes in hand for that time!

[vbak]

Jennifer. that sandwich sounds great. I especially liked the goat cheese part! Thanks for sharing.
Vicky

[jjsooner73]

Originally posted by vbak
Jennifer. that sandwich sounds great. I especially liked the goat cheese part! Thanks for sharing.
Vicky

I've made it with goat cheese, swiss cheese, and muenster (which I normally wouldn't try, but I needed to use it). Ditto for the swiss. SO far, goat cheese is my favorite. I can't wait to try mozzarella!!!

[gertdog]

YUM! These sound so good! I am so jealous of those of you who already have tomatoes...

Thanks for the reviews. I'll keep these recipes in mind when tomato season starts here... :)

[sherri]

Last night I made the Eggplant Gratin from this cookbook (but I used squash from the farmer's market) and the kale with savoy cabbage and beans. They were both wonderful. This is a great cookbook.

[shoyski]

Yea! Thanks!!! :D

[Natasha3]

Thanks for the reviews from this book!! :) I just picked it up at the library and am about to curl up and peruse it. It looks like a good book indeed!

Natasha

[ErinM]

Originally posted by Natasha3
Thanks for the reviews from this book!! :) I just picked it up at the library and am about to curl up and peruse it. It looks like a good book indeed!

Natasha

So did I! Makes me excited for our farmer's market!

[Natasha3]

We had guests over last night, and one thing we made was the Eggplant Gratin from this book. It went over well, and was pretty good. I'll make it again, but will change a few things:

1. I'll use less cream and more milk. This time I used half skim milk and half light cream, and it was too rich for my tastes.

2. I'll add mushrooms, red peppers, etc. I had both on hand, so don't know what I was thinking by not adding them, but oh well! :) I felt that it could have used a bit more depth of flavour, or at least something else to create a bit of a diversion from the creaminess (again, just my tastes).

3. I used more fresh herbs -- not just basil, but also some fresh parsley and oregano. That was good, and next time I'll do the same. I also used a liberal amount of freshly-ground pepper.

By and large, though, it was good, and quite an attractive dish. :) Now to make more from this fun book!!

Natasha

[Natasha3]

I made the tomato sandwich and we had it for lunch just now, for sustenance after a busy morning puttering around the house making it pretty. :) This is one amazing sandwich!! I normally don't pay too much attention to sandwich recipes, but when I read Jennifer's review and saw the tantalizing photo in the cookbook, I knew I had to try this one.

I used less oil than was called for in the vinaigrette, and increased the vinegar just slightly, and ended up with enough vinaigrette to adequately dress the sandwich. I used a bit more tomato (so I ended up with two layers of tomato), and perhaps a bit less cheese than the recipe called for, but more or less made it according to the recipe. I roasted the red peppers, and used fresh ciabatta. As for cheese, I used mozzarella because I love that combo of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.

Anyway, as you can tell, my husband and I both LOVED this. It's destined to become a summer favourite. :) So Jennifer, thanks for the review! This is my new favourite cookbook; I've got a bunch of other things earmarked to try before returning the book to the library.

Natasha

[jjsooner73]

Glad you enjoyed this, Natasha!

I brought home some home grown tomatoes from a farm stand in SW Missouri--I will probably have to have this again Monday or Tuesday.

[Natasha]

Hi all!

Jennifer, I made that sandwich (this time on olive bread) a couple of days ago, and had it for lunch yesterday too. Yummy! A real keeper. Hope you enjoy those fresh Missouri tomatoes!!

I also made another recipe from this book yesterday: the Zucchini and Cilantro Soup. It was quite good, too, though a tiny bit time-consuming. I didn't mind, though; it was fun. Also, I got to use up all the fresh cilantro and zucchini we had on hand, so that was a bonus. The soup was good on its own, but when I added the recommended dollop of sour cream, and sprinkled some lime-flavoured tortilla chips on top, it was much better. I tried it a bit hotter than room temperature and chilled, and both were good, though I personally prefer soups warm rather than chilled. You can guess what's for lunch today! :D I can post the recipe if anyone would like.

This book rocks. :)

[sherri]

I made the Yellow Pepper/Tomato Soup (the "formal" name escapes me right now). It was wonderful with all those fresh tomatos. I used a variety of colored tomatos and skipped the white rice, I didn't think it was necessary. Also, I used the emersion blender at the end. It was yummy!!

p.s. I didn't make my own stock, but it was still good with store-bought!

[SusanMac]

You guys keep referencing a book...is the title actually "Local Flavors"?? Sounds like one I should check out. Lots of yummy vegetarian dishes, and I've been wanting to be more creative with veggies lately.

Questions about the sandwich.....why do several recipes call for pulling some of the bread out of the top of the sandwhich? Is it just for presentation? To fit more stuff inside? Or is there an actual reason that it makes the sandwhich better?

[jjsooner73]

Susan, here's the Amazon link to the book.
Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0767903498/qid=1057672635/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/002-9063725-7640059?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

As for the sandwich question, I believe it is partly presentation, but also to make room for all the yummy veggies. It makes a nice little place for them to lie, w/o falling out as easily when you begin to eat it.

[lorilei]

And I'm happy to see all the lovely reviews!! I've had this book for MONTHS now... and have only tried one recipe that I can remember (the end-of-summer tomato sauce, which is EXCELLENT)

Just had to thank you guys for inspiring me. The eggplant gratin just might get onto our table tonight -- and all of your suggestions sound great!

~*~*~*~ lo ~*~*~*~*

[meslgh]

Could someone post the end-of-summer tomato sauce?? My tomatoes are finally ripening (those that I have saved from the varmints, that is), and I'm looking for good recipes! Thanks.

[ssusan]

I had missed this thread but the title of this thread caught my eye. It seemed familiar. I was right. I got this book for the holidaze and have had the book sitting open to the picture of the big tomato sandwich. It inspired lunch several days this week although not making the recipe, just a simple tomato on sliced sourdough toast that has a bit of goat cheese with lemon then tomato then fresh basil. I could live on that.

Has anyone made the farmers' stew?
I've been using the book more for ideas and some methods than for recipes. (thus far)

-Susan