Tomatoes

Last week, members of the River Road Gardens CSA in Tucson, AZ were blessed with onion, basil, melon, eggplant, peppers, garlic, summer squash, potatoes, and tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes! I was up to the challenge of using all those yummy tomatoes, but I know they're not supposed to be refrigerated (they lose flavor and nutrients, evidently). So, I sorted them out by ripeness, and immediately made a no-cook tomato-basil sauce with noodles. I prepare this by chopping basil, garlic, and peeled tomatoes. (To peel a tomato, cut out the core where the stem was and submerge it in boiling water for 10-15 seconds- the peel will come right off!) Then I add some salt and hot pepper flakes, a dash of balsamic vinegar, mix it well, and then toss the basil mixture with noodles. Then I add cheese and usually nuts. I used feta and walnuts this time, but asiago (or another sharp Italian cheese) and pinons are good too. Along with this, we had a big tossed salad using the ripest readiest tomatoes I had.

The next night I baked a frozen cheese pizza topped with sauteed summer squash, peppers, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and more peeled tomatoes.

Saturday, I remembered Jon's potatoes! I had some tofu, so I sauteed some of it with peppers, mushrooms, and garlic, added diced potatoes and chopped broccoli, seasoned it with a little soy sauce and let it brown in a skillet. I added peeled chopped tomatoes right before serving.

For Sunday breakfast, I had some leftovers from the sauteed squash pizza topping mixture that I mixed with scrambled eggs. I added a little feta cheese and more peeled tomatoes for a lively breakfast!

The last thing I made this week was traditional pesto sauce with the rest of the basil. I put a clove of garlic in the blender/food processor, and added rinsed basil leaves and some red pepper flakes. Then, I pour a little olove oil in, and turn the blender on, adding olive oil as needed to make the pesto. Then, I add nuts (walnuts or pinons), cheese (any sharp Italian cheese) and a tablespoon of butter, and blend it until it's smooth. It will need a little salt, as well. You can mix this up with noodles or risotto, or serve it on toasted crusty bread with peeled fresh tomato slices and melted cheese, and what you don't use freezes well.

So, this week, I used everything except the eggplant, which I'll cook tonight. I'm thinking of marinating sliced eggplant in olice oil, soy sauce and spices, then grilling it, cubing it and serving it with sauteed peppers, onion, artichoke hearts, olives, and, of course, peeled tomatoes.

Until next week, enjoy the vegetables you receive, and cook what you have!