Pablo Neruda & Tomatoes

The tomato displays its remarkable amplitude and abundance, no pit, no husk, no leaves or thorns, the tomato offers its gift of fiery color and cool completeness.  

- Pablo Neruda

Happily, I am now enjoying the amplitude & abundance of the luscious cherry tomatoes started from seed earlier this year as well as lots of basil.  

Today I am makng a roasted tomato & basil soup adapted from an Ina Garten recipe:

Ingredients

• 3-4 pounds ripe cherry tomatoes

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon sea salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• 2 cups minced yellow onions 

• 6 minced cloves of garlic 

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 4 cups fresh shredded Basil leaves

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• 1 quart chicken stock

Directions

 Toss the tomatoes with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes collapse.

Saute the onions & garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions begin to caramelize.   Add the basil, thyme, chicken stock and oven-roasted tomatoes with their accumulated liquid. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Blend with an immersion blender.  Garnish with basil pesto (see 4/23/11 post). 

Now off to pick some blackberries for dessert!

Basil & Toscana Saporita Cooking School

A couple of years ago, my friend Prudence and I spent a week at the Toscana Saporita Cooking School in Tuscany, which is  owned by Chef Sandra Rosy Lotti. Among the many wonderful dishes we were taught was a delicious Pesto alla Genovese. According to Sandra, the dish wouldn't taste quite the same when made in the U.S. because Americans use older growth basil.  At the time I thought this was a bit chauvinistic.  However, I made a batch of Pesto today using tiny Basil Genovese seedings, from seeds sown two weeks ago. 

I was surprised at the difference, viz., sweeter, less bitter & a brighter green in color. I am convinced!  Below is Sandra's recipe:

TOSCANA SAPORITA COOKING SCHOOL

Recipes by Sandra Rosy Lotti

Copyright 1999

Pesto alla Genovese

Making the authentic Pesto alla Genovese is very easy BUT you will need a marble mortar and a wooden pestle.The reason is because the consistency of the real pesto is coarse and not very smooth. If you do not have these two precious tools…well, use your food processor!! Add everything together and pulse until you have  a creamy texture. Pesto can be refrigerated in a Tupperware container or it can be frozen in a ziploc bag or Tupperware container. It keeps in the freezer  for up to 6 months.

3 cups of  sweet basil leaves,  (about 60 leaves) rinsed, stems removed (do not use large leaved basil, it is too strong in flavor and too taugh)  

1/2 cup raw pine nuts ( gr 100)

2 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil ( 675 ml )

1 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano (gr 125)

3 cloves of garlic

1 pinch of salt

Place everything in a food processor an pulse until you have a creamy texture.