Pizza with Fresh Tomatoes, Chicken, and Edam

This was a hit with Nate and one of his friends on Friday night. And the grownups liked it, too. I used Dutch Gold cheese from Chase Hill Farm, which is an Edam. Gouda would work fairly well here, too, though it is not as strongly flavored. The tomatoes were Romas from my garden.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
4-5 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup cooked shredded chicken
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup small cubes of Edam
2-3 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Paint the crust with olive oil, then prebake for about 7 minutes.

Spread the chopped tomatoes and chicken oven the crust, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Edam and mozzarella, then bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

40 Pounds of Tomatoes

Saturday Donovan and I processed 40 pounds of tomatoes for the freezer. These were the tomatoes he and Nate picked up at Atlas Farm--40 lbs of organic tomatoes for $24. We got seconds, but as far as I could tell, most of what made them seconds was cosmetic blemishes on the skin. A fantastic deal.

Last year I froze a load of tomatoes by the easiest method possible--sticking them straight into the freezer. This method works great and is a fantastic time saver on this end. The down side is that it requires more time on the other end, when you're ready to cook with them. So this year I decided to experiment with some greater processing before freezing--definitely more time required on this end, but hopefully lots of time saved when cooking. We cored, blanched, peeled, and seeded, then packed into freezer bags. To do 40 pounds took a whole afternoon, though it would have been faster with two people working at once (we had to take shifts). This amount of tomatoes resulted in packages for 18 meals--a good quantity, but still less than we would need at our typical rate of usage. So we may yet do some more. Time is always the limiting factor.

Apricots and Tomatoes

No, not together, though who knows, maybe they would be good.

Apex Orchards in Shelburne is advertising apricots available at its farm stand. Locally grown apricots are hard to come by around here, because apricot trees flower early and are vulnerable to spring frosts. Apex seems to have a sheltered spot where it can produce them, so get on over there for a treat!

Also, Atlas Farm in Deerfield has been advertising bulk organic tomatoes, both standard field varieties and mixed heirlooms, at very reasonable prices. They have seconds for even less, if you are planning to can or make sauce. They are available in 10- or 20-pound quantities (or more with special arrangements). If your own garden has been producing less than expected this year, this is a great way to stock up on local tomatoes. Donovan and Nate are headed over there today to get some for us to freeze.

Lamb and Eggplant Stew

Last weekend I cooked up a bunch of eggplant from the garden with some tomatoes, garlic, and onion, figuring I'd add other things to it later--it just needed to be used. Last night I turned it into this delicious stew. Directions below are from scratch, though. I used ground lamb because it is easier for my little guy to eat, but stew lamb would work well, too--perhaps even better.

Olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb ground lamb or stew lamb
3 medium eggplants, peeled and cubed
Several tomatoes, seeded and chopped (around 3 cups)
1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp minced fresh sage
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Crumbled feta for topping (optional)

Heat a little olive oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and onion and saute 2-3 minutes. Add the lamb and brown thoroughly. Pour off excess fat, then add the eggplant and tomatoes. Simmer until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the oregano, sage, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, then simmer an addition few minutes (or longer).

Serve hot, topped with feta at the table if desired.

Serves 4-6.

Blueberry Salsa

I had a hankering to do something savory with blueberries--something that could go with chicken, perhaps--and this is what I came up with. I've had fruit salsas before, but never with blueberries. They work well, though! Try this with grilled chicken or pork, or even as a dip for tortilla chips. You can use fresh or frozen berries.

1 1/2 cups blueberries (whole if low-bush, halved or quartered if high-bush)
1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 hot pepper, such as jalapeno, minced (or more to taste)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mash the blueberries a bit with the back of a spoon. Let sit for an hour or more for the flavors to mingle.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups, enough to serve with meat for 4-6 people.

I Feel Like a Squirrel

At some point over this weekend, Nate and I were looking out the window, watching a squirrel run along the fence with a good two or three nuts precariously clasped in its mouth. Nate wanted to know where the squirrel was going, so I told him it was probably going to stash those nuts away for the winter. Doing the human version of that was pretty much how I spent much of the rest of the weekend.

I husked two dozen ears of corn, stripped off the kernels, blanched it all, and packed it into the freezer. I harvested a bunch of kale from the garden, where it was once again overshadowing the smaller greens around it, steamed it and packed that into the freezer. I made tons of pesto, both the standard Italian basil variety and my own parsley-mint version, and stashed all that away in the freezer for quick meals to come.

While I was at it, I cooked a big batch of black beans in the crock pot (plugged outside on the deck to avoid heating up the kitchen unnecessarily) to replenish the stock I like to keep in the freezer and also to provide the basis for a quick meal later this week (to provide more time for working in the garden and putting up additional food). Oh, and I harvested a load of eggplant from the garden along with some tomatoes and cooked it up into sort of a stew with some garlic and onion, to be embellished later with additional ingredients for quick meals. Again, some went into the fridge for later this week and some went into the freezer. Whew.

Corn Chowder with Bacon

Pleasing contrasts form the basis of this simple soup--sweet and crunchy fresh corn contrasting with salty bacon and soft new potatoes. The seasonings are few, letting the flavors and textures of the main ingredients take the starring role. Donovan and Nate both came back for thirds.

2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium sweet onion (such as Walla Walla), finely chopped
2 lbs new potatoes, cubed
1/4 cup white flour
4 cups corn kernels (from around 5 ears; scrape the cobs to get all the juice)
4-5 strips bacon, cooked and finely chopped
2 cups whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup snipped chives (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot. At the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, then add the potatoes. Saute for another few minutes, then add the flour and stir to form a roux. Continue to cook over reduced heat for a couple minutes, stirring frequently, then add enough water to just cover the potatoes. Stir to blend the roux into the liquid, then partially cover and cook over medium-high heat until potatoes are tender (15 minutes or so).

When the potatoes are tender, add the corn, bacon, milk, salt, and pepper and remove from heat. Garnish with chives if desired.

Serves 4-6.

Variation: Serve topped with a sprinkling of chopped fresh chives or cilantro.