Start a trend – veggies for the host!
Comments Off on Start a trend – veggies for the host!A quick glance at friends’ posts on Facebook informs of the abundance of vegetables, and in particular tomatoes, this time of year. So I offer up a few solutions.
First – give your extra produce to those who do not have it. You can donate it or you can use it as a hostess gift.
If you don’t have extra produce or a garden, for that matter, I would still encourage you to support a local grower and give fruit or veggies to your host.
This weekend we invited my brother and sister-in-law to lunch. For years I have asked that guests not bring anything – or if they must, to please make it something comestible. We have an embarrassment of riches and far too many things to add one more nice candle, or cute ornament or fill-in-the-blank to the mix.
My sister-in-law set the bar high by presenting beautiful organic produce in a gingham-lined basket, complete with the story of the farm that my brother printed off the grower’s website. We now have tomatoes, yams, potatoes and beets to enjoy! THANK YOU.
Second – if you find yourself up to your elbows in tomatoes, I would suggest you blanch, peel and freeze them to recreate that wonderful flavor when the winds blow cold in February. Don’t know how to blanch? Bring a large pot of water to boil, and have a similar sized vessel filled with ice and water. Wash the tomatoes, score a X in the bottom and drop into the boiling water for 30 seconds …have just enough tomatoes in there so you can remove them easily at the 30 second mark. Plunge into the ice water for a minute or 2, until cool enough to touch. Remove, peel and freeze.
Or you can use about 6 cups right away in this simple soup recipe.
Sopa de Tomate (Portuguese Tomato Soup with Poached Eggs) Serves 6
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups of peeled and seeded roma tomatoes OR 2 (796ml) cans whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 eggs
6 (½”-thick) slices rustic country bread, lightly toasted
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are slightly caramelized, 10–12 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1–2 minutes more. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, until soup is slightly thickened, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
2. Working in batches, purée soup in a blender until smooth; transfer to large pot or deep skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Working with 1 egg at a time, crack eggs into a small bowl and carefully slide into soup. Cook about 5 minutes. Divide bread slices between serving bowls and using a slotted spoon, place eggs over bread; ladle soup over the top. Garnish with grated semi-soft cheese. In Evora, Portugal this soup is served in a bowl for sharing, with a variety of sausage on the side to add in if you like.
This is a VERY hearty lunch – enjoy.
