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Dehydrated Tomatoes

drying tomatoes in the food dehydrator

This summer I processed 50 pounds of tomatoes – 25 pounds a week over two weeks The first week I canned beautiful organic plum tomatoes and the second week I canned beefy organic romas, and chose to dehydrated five pounds of those. It was a breeze to do this in the dehydrator compared to the oven, which I’ve used in the past.

It’s a very simple recipe: I cut each tomato in half and tossed them all with organic extra virgin olive oil. I placed the tomatoes, cut side up, on the dehydrator racks and then sprinkled salt on them. They spent time in the dehydrator for about 12 hours at 195 degrees, mostly overnight.

They didn’t dry out totally, which is what I wanted; they are soft. I ended up freezing them individually, then bagging them. This means I can take them out and use them as I like. They will be great on top of goat cheese, or chopped up into tomato sauce. Their flavor is concentrated and sweet. The epitome of a summer tomato.

I’ve preserved a lot of food this summer. I will write about it, so stay tuned for that!

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Three Sisters Cheese

Three Sisters Cheese collage

In a recent CSA order I received a small wheel of cheese from Nettle Meadow Farm called Three Sisters. I am a big fan of Nettle Meadow’s Kunik, so I thought I’d give another one of their cheeses a try. While I don’t think it’s on the level of the Kunik – which is, granted, stratospherically good – it’s very good.

I’ve enjoyed a quarter of a wheel as part of a light lunch or dinner. The cheese is fairly firm, though mostly I’ve eaten it after it’s sat out for 5-10 minutes; it would likely soften a bit if left out a little longer. It’s a mild cheese and is good all by itself – no bread or crackers are needed. I eat the rind, too.

I like it enough to order it again, for sure. If you’d like to try it, here is where you can find it. And if you are reading this and are a member of the Hellgate CSA, you can order it through our meat & dairy program.

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5 Spoke Creamery Redmond Cheddar

5 Spoke creamery redmond cheddar

While shopping at one of my local produce markets (Greenline Organic aka “The Tiki Hut” because of the thatched overhang), I checked their cheese section and found they carry this 5 Spoke Creamery raw cheddar from Port Chester, NY (that’s near the Connecticut border). I saw that it is raw, and decided to check it out. It is delicious!

I was particularly impressed with how the Redmond Cheddar melted in the quesadillas I had for lunch (raw cheddar and CSA tomato between two Tortilleria Nixtamal corn tortillas, fried in pasture butter) today. I also snacked on it a bit and found it very satisfying. It has a wonderful texture.

I’m really happy that a delicious raw cheddar is so close at hand!

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Plum Shrub Update

plum shrub september 2011

I thought I’d update you a on my plum shrub syrup. It certainly has changed over the past couple of months. It’s gotten sweeter and less vinegary – that tang is still there, though, but it’s certainly mellower.

I really like how it’s changed – I think it’s much more balanced and actually more syrupy. It goes great in sparkling water; I haven’t tried it with alcohol. When I use it in sparkling water, I find that these days I want to use  more syrup than I did at the beginning of its life. When it was younger, a little went quite a long way.

I would say to those who experiment with the shrub and find it way strong for their taste, just wait longer and the syrup will mellow out. And become more delicious, of course.

I’ll definitely be making shrubs again for many summers to come.

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Washington State Cheeses

cheeses from Pan D'Amore

While I was in Washington last month, I stopped at Pan D’Amore, a wonderful bakery in Port Townsend. They sell all sorts of things (flourless chocolate cookie, yum), including cheeses made by the Mr. Townsend Creamery, located on the other side of town. I wanted to go to the Creamery originally, but our timing and their open hours didn’t match. So, I picked up a few things at the bakery instead.

Good thing, too, as I’ve never seen the Cougar Gold (made by Washington State University Creamery) at the Mr. Townsend Creamery.  It was fantastic – very sharp and crumbly. The Seastack (I often kid around and call it “Sleestak“) is a soft ripened cheese, and the Trailhead is a tomme. These last two are still in my freezer, to be enjoyed at a near future later date.

I also bought some raw milk cheese called Jewel, from the Dungeness Valley Creamery, which is also very tasty. It’s basically a medium-sharp cheddar.

I am a big fan of local and artisanal cheeses, so having these on hand makes me happy!

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Burrata Twice

burrata with melon and prosciutto
Burrata with melon and prosciutto at Ornella in Astoria, Queens
burrata, prosciutto, and figs
Burrata with prosciutto and figs at Il Punto in Manhattan

Last week I had the chance to eat burrata not once but twice! I am consistently mesmerized by burrata, that magical, delicious, amazing cheese. I try to eat it whenever I’m presented with the opportunity.

I first encountered burrata – which translates as “butter” – at Peasant, a restaurant in the NoLita neighborhood in Manhattan. We went there for my birthday a couple of years ago, and it was a wonderful evening, in part because we started with their burrata dish. I was served with roasted tomatoes and the whole thing was just heavenly. I was in food love.

Burrata is basically a fresh mozzarella pouch stuffed with a mixture of warm, loose mozzarella and cream. When you cut into it, it’s very soft and when you taste it, it does live up to its buttery association. It’s a traditional cow’s milk cheese, and a speciality of the Puglia region in Italy.

I would love to learn to make it, too, truth be told.

Last week, I had burrata at two different Italian restaurants – one in Queens and one in Manhattan. Monday night, during our bi-monthly We Heart Astoria Blogger Social, it was available as an appetizer at Ornella Trattoria, a lovely Italian restaurant in Astoria, Queens. It was served with slices of melon and prosciutto, which was seasonal and all delicious.

The following day for lunch at Il Punto, I had a taste of my dining companion’s appetizer, which was burrata served with figs and prosciutto. It was a beautiful seasonal dish, too. I love seeing more burrata on menus around the city.

I’ve also heard that my local Italian Deli, Rosario’s, sometimes carries burrata. Hmm… must inquire about this!

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Caprese Salad at Il Punto

caprese salad at il punto

One of my favorite salads is the caprese salad. Usually it consists of tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella, and I’ve seen it in myriad configurations in restaurants around NYC – sometimes with greens, mostly not; more often than not stacked, but sometimes not. I love ordering this dish in part to see how different restaurants construct it.

At Il Punto last week, the caprese salad came in a configuration I wasn’t accustomed to – big wedges of yellow and red tomatoes surrounding a half a ball of fresh mozzarella – in this case, it was buffalo mozzarella, so extra decadent. The balsamic vinegar that dotted the plates was a nice touch – it mixed perfectly with the shimmer of extra virgin olive oil. The fresh and chopped basil finished off the flavor palate.

Il Punto Ristorante
507 9th Avenue
New York, NY