Heirloom Tomato Panzanella

So - its prime time in the Farmer's Markets to be purchasing tomatoes... and how can you expect to walk past aisles of heirloom tomatoes and not want to bring home a bunch? This weekend, we scored a pretty little heirloom "salad mix" as the woman explained it. Basically - if you're not sure what kind of heirlooms you like, they put together a little bundle of them in quart containers and you can have a nice variety to do something with. Some of these were small cherry or pear tomatoes, others were larger.. so a very nice variety. Now... what to do with all these tomatoes?! Something to showcase them, of course... they can't just be thrown in somewhere. No - they need to shine.

Well, I don't know where you are... but here - ITS HOT! I mean, sitting outside at night, its so humid and hot its miserable. I know some people like that, but I don't. So - one needs to consider side options to make when its hot outside... like, something refreshing. Its been awhile since I'd made a panzanella, and for some reason I looked at these tomatoes and thought - bread salad! So if you're not sure what panzanella is - its an Italian dish made from stale tuscan bread, tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, and seasonings. So if you ever have a loaf of bread that's a few days old, this is a great dish to toss together. Otherwise - do as I did, and make croutons from that bread - toast it up in the oven. I didn't use Tuscan bread, as it was not available at the store I went to... but any good rustic white bread will work.. french bread.. whatever. Just do me a favor, and don't use sandwich bread. Just don't even bother.

Heirloom Tomato Panzanella
adapted from Michael Chiarello
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ripe heirloom tomatoes; seeded, and diced
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1T balsamic vinegar
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Several grinds black pepper
• Panzanella Croutons, recipe follows
• Wedge Parmesan, for shaving

Directions:

1. Drain the tomatoes in a sieve to remove excess liquid while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Add the croutons and toss well
3. Grate fresh parmesan over salad and serve immediately. ** This is important! The bread will begin to soak up all the juices from the tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, etc... and become soggy after awhile. If you want to do this ahead, make up the tomato mixture up to 1 hour prior to serving and toss in croutons at the LAST MINUTE.

Panzanella Croutons

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 6 - 8 cups crustless cubed day-old bread (1/2-inch cubes)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and preheat a cookie sheet in it.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until it foams. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute (be careful not to let butter get too hot and burn garlic, if so - throw out and start over!). Add the bread cubes and toss to coat with the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the bread to a baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with the cheese and toss again while warm to melt the cheese.
3. Bake, stirring once or twice, until the croutons are crisp and lightly colored on the outside but still soft within, about 8 or 9 minutes. Let cool. Store in an airtight container.

I promise - this is a very tasty, simple side dish to serve at any summer BBQ you attend... I might just make it again for one I'm going to this weekend. Just remember - toss bread at the last minute with the tomatoes so you don't show up with some soggy pile of bread.

Enjoy!

-Lauren

Lots 'o Latkes

Ok, ok, Lauren. I know that we've been slacking but I will do my best to keep up with your pace! Anyway, I thought I would share with you a couple latke recipes that I tried out this holiday season. I tried these (both eating and cooking) for the first time last Hanukkah as they are Zach's favorite treat. Essentially they're like little hash brown patties. Except more dense and probably fried in more oil. Obviously, this is what makes them even better.

Ingredients

• 8 medium Russet or Idaho potatoes, peeled
• 1 medium onion
• Lemon juice
  
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/8 cup melted butter
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Yeilds roughly 20 latkes

Directions

Grate potatoes and onions on a large-hole grater*. Splash with lemon juice and squeeze out excess water. (I find this easiest if I wrap the shredded potatoes in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth and then wring them out.)
— * Note: This can be very time consuming but as I learned with Lauren, if you have a shredder blade for a food processor this will become your new best friend. The shredding will be done more quickly and evenly and will spare you from skinning your knuckles! Not to mention the tears you would shed if you grated an onion! One last benefit is that since this will move much more quickly you have a lesser chance of your potatoes turning gray from the oxidation. Unfortunately in the process of learning this, we broke mom's food processor she got as a wedding gift. (I'm sorry Mom, I know the sentimental attachment you get to these sort of inanimate objects! )

Next, mix flour, milk, egg, baking powder, and nutmeg in a separate bowl. Then add to the potatoes and finish the mix by adding the melted butter.

Now, what comes next is what the important Jewish people in my life (ahem, Sarah and Zach) tell me is what MAKES the latke - the size and thickness. I've found that a size of about 3-4" in diameter and roughly .5" thick works best. Now there's a few ways you can go about forming and frying the latkes, but I find if I have an extra pair of hands it makes things much easier. While the oil is heating in the pan to medium-high heat (hot but not smoking), I usually pre-form a couple latke patties on a plate. Once those are done I use a large, round spatula to ease them into the frying pan. HOWEVER, before you drop them in the oil you must test the temperature by dropping in a tiny piece of shredded potato to make sure it's going to fry, otherwise your latkes will be soggy. Working in batches, slide the latkes into the oil. While those are frying, start forming your next batch.

Fry the latkes until golden on one side, about 2 minutes or so depending on their size, and then flip to the next. Transfer the latkes to a plate lined with paper towels.

Serve with watercress, caviar, applesauce, or creme fraiche (my personal fave!)

Above, is a photo of the sweet potato latkes I made for Christmas dinner. It gives you a good idea of the station set up. Anyway, I may as well post my sweet potato recipe here as well while I'm at it.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Cinnamon to taste
• Nutmeg to taste
• Ginger to tast
  
• Vegetable oil

Directions

Stir together potatoes, scallions, flour, eggs, salt, and pepper. Now, I used a recipe that called for only those ingredients. But reading a few other user comments, I decided to play off the natural flavor pairings of sweet potato and baking spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. I honestly can't remember how much I added but enough to give it a subtle flavor without overwhelming them. Cook as directed above.

Ok, Lauren. . . are you happy now?!

- Lindsay