Tomato and Orzo

This is what happens when you've got nothing in the fridge and nothing in the pantry but tomato sauce, a couple fresh tomatoes and orzo pasta. Plus a few dry herbs here and there. And some garlic. Must not forget the handful cheese, too. Overall, I'm loving that this is packed with tomato-y goodness.

It's basically a "lazy to go to the market" kind of meal.

Tomato and Orzo

1 c uncooked orzo
1 12oz can tomato sauce
1 medium beefy tomato - quartered and seeded
2 large garlic cloves
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp dry thyme
1 Tbsp dry oregano
1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
olive oil
shredded cheese (optional)

In a small drizzle of oil, saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the tomato and cook until the tomatoes have released their juices. Then add the tomato sauce. Bring the sauce to a slight boil on high heat covered. Once boiling reduce the heat and simmer to a few minutes. Add the dry herbs, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir to combine. Then add the orzo. Stir to combine once again.

Add the orzo and cook until it absorbs the sauce and has a creamy like consistency. Roughly 8 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid the orzo from sticking to the pan. Once cooked. Serve in bowl and sprinkle some shredded cheese on top.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Salsa number TWO! I remember Reeni from Cinnamon and Spice using these green guys for one of her recipes lately. I've seen them many times, but I never really had them. I've mentioned many times on this blog that I LOVE tomatoes, so why haven't I tried these? I finally had my chance to get a hold of them I when I walked into the farmer's market over the weekend. I go to one of the usual vendors I shop with and the first thing I see...voila! Tomatillos! Fresh and a whole bunch of them, too. I literally perked up with delight proclaiming, "They have tomatillos!!!!" Trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about. So I pick out 5 good ones.

pic from wikipedia

They have a kind of sticky residue on them once you peel the leaves off. Just gently wash it off with some water and it'll be fine. Since I didn't want to do the conventional way of roasting them. I placed them in the broiler for 5-10 min to soften them up. Gave them a quick turn half way to even out the roasting.

I put everything in the food processor and scooped away with some blue corn tortilla chips.

Again, I put the non-food processor version as well. For those who don't like cilantro, you can substitute it with parsley for a milder flavor.

Make around 3 cups.



Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

5 medium tomatillos
1-2 jalapeno peppers (removal of seeds is optional)
1-2 c fresh cilantro or parsley
4 green onion stalks
juice of one lime
salt to season


Preheat your broiler.

Remove the leave and genty wash the tomatillos with cold water to remove the sticky residue. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and roast for 5-10 min. Give them a turn halfway through.
Remove from the broiler and let them cool completely.

Finely chop the cilatro/parsley, jalapeno peppers and green onions. Place them in a large bowl.

When the tomatillos are cool enough. Quarter and finely chop them. As you place them in the bowl lightly mash them to release some of their juices.

Squeeze in the lime juice and season with a little salt. Mix thoroughly.

Place in the fridge, if not serving immediately.

Food Processor:
Place the cilantro/parsley, jalapeno peppers and green onions in the food processor and pulse chop until they are look fine. Place the mixture into a large bowl.

Place in the tomatillos and pulse chop until it looks of a mashed consistency. You still want some chunks. Remove and add to the bowl.

Squeeze in the lime and season with some salt. Mix Thoroughly.

Caprese Bake

Don't let this unassuming loaf fool you. Because there's some deliciousness inside. When I came home from watching Julie & Julia, I was feeling hungry. I had intended to make regular caprese sandwich, but I didn't have any bread left and I wasn't going to make any until the next day. I didn't want to go to the local bakery at that time as it was way too crowded of people who had just gotten off work. But I did remember that I had one last round of pizza dough left in the freezer. Sweet!!

I had some fresh mozzarella, one medium sized tomato and some fresh basil. Drizzled little olive oil and balsamic vinegar onto the dough, then layered the ingredients onto the rolled out pizza dough and wrapped it like the shape of a demi-baguette. The shape kind of reminds of those chicken bakes found at Costco. Have I mentioned that they have good cheap food? You don't need to be a member to buy from their food court. Hotdog and a drink all for 1-2 dollars. I do like their pizzas too. Oops...Got sidetracked there for a moment.

When you cut into it you get the gooey mozzarella goodness and the juices of the tomato oozing out. Ahhh...so good, so good.

Serves 2.



Caprese Bake

1 pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
1 medium tomato (sliced)
6-8 oz fresh mozzarella (sliced)
1 c fresh basil leaves (washed)
balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat your oven to 350˚F

On a floured surface, roll out your pizza dough in a large rectangle shape.

Layer the ingredients: basil, tomato, mozzarella

Fold the side of the dough over and gently press to seal all the edges.

Place on an ungreased baking sheet seam side down.

Baked for 25 min or until golden brown.

Ginger-Tomato Soup

Soups are probably one of the easiest things to make. Simple. Hearty. Hot. Delicious. Yummy! What else is there to say? Soup just puts a smile on my face. It was a Friday, so I didn't want to put too much effort into making something and I wanted to relax.

I had some bok choy. I also had some leftover spinach. It just so happens that there was a little nub of ginger left, hiding in the corner of the veggie compartment. In which I totally almost forgot I had it. Plus the sauce of the fire-roasted tomatoes, I had opened when I made those Sausage Pizza Sticks and Ratatouille. I don't like to put anything to waste. So I threw that into the soup. Let it simmer until the bok choy and spinach shrink down, the enjoyed.

The result is what you see. Very gingery with a hint of tomato. I used chicken stock, but you may use veggie stock to make this a vegetarian soup. Be careful as the soup is hot meaning temp-wise. In my excitement, I couldn't wait and burnt my tongue. Ouch!

Serves 2-3.



Ginger-Tomato Soup

4 oz tomato paste or sauce
1 12 oz can chicken or vegetable stock
1 large garlic clove (minced)
2-3 Tbsp ginger (sliced)
3 bok choy (ends removed)
3 c baby spinach
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper


On medium to low heat, heat the olive oil in a pot and saute the garlic and ginger for about a minute.

Add in the tomato sauce, mix to combine for 2 min. Add in the stock, then the bok choy and spinach. Bring the mixture to a simmer and until the vegetables had wilted.

Season with some salt and pepper. Add more, if needed.

T.M.T.

What you may ask is a T.M.T.? It is a Tuna Melt Tomato. They could be just called Stuffed Tomatoes, but T.M.T. sounds WAY cooler.

A few days ago Greg from Sippity Sup had announced a tomato contest, I figured why not? So, here's my entry. Besides, I felt like eating something relatively light after that feast from last week. =)



Tuna Melt Tomatoes

4 Medium sized tomatoes
1 5oz can tuna (in oil)
2 tsp Mayo
2 tsp Sweet Relish
1 C Panko Crumbs
Shredded Mild Cheddar
A few pieces of romaine lettuce.


Preheat the oven 350˚F.

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes. Then carefully cut and scoop out the ribs and seeds, making it into a hollow bowl. Set Aside.

Drain most, but not all of the oil from the tuna. Mix in Mayo, relish and panko crumbs. Blend thoroughly.

Divide the tuna mixture evenly among the tomatoes and top with some cheddar cheese.

Drizzle a little olive oil in a baking pan and place the tomatoes over.

Bake for 20 to 25 min. Serve immediately. Place the tomatoes over the lettuce leaves on a dish

The best way to enjoy this is to place some of the tuna and tomato in the lettuce leaf and eat it like a wrap.





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Grilled Cheese and Creamy Tomato Soup

What's more nostalgic than a good ol' fashioned grilled cheese sandwich and some creamy tomato soup. A perfect after school snack. I had seen a recipe from 30-minute meals. Click here Made some minor changes and was please with how it turned out. I used evaporated milk instead of heavy cream. A bit lower in calories and gives it a nice rich taste. For the grilled cheese, my choice of bread was sourdough. I love sourdough.



Grilled Cheese Sammie

2 slices of bread (your choice)
butter or margarine
swiss cheese slices
cheddar cheese slices

Preheat skillet on a medium fire. Butter the top sides of the bread. When the skillet is hot enough place one slice of bread butter-side down. Place a slice of swiss and chedder and top it off with the other piece of bread, butter-side up. Grill for 5-10min. Then flip and grill for another 5-10min. Cheese will be nice and melted with a crispy bread crust.

Makes 1 sandwich

Note: don't smush the sandwich when grilling.




Creamy Tomato Soup

1 can (15oz) Chicken or veggie broth
1 can (15oz) fire roasted diced tomato or crushed tomato or tomato sauce
1 8oz can evaporated milk
1 Tbsp Rosemary (optional)
salt
pepper


Combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

For the creamy texture, use an immersion blender to mush up the tomato to bits. If you don't have an immersion blender, you may mush the tomato beforehand in a regular blender or food processor before adding it to the stock. If you don't have either, tomato sauce will also make a good substitute.

Serves about 2-4 people