Enjoy Summer's Last Tomatoes

I think I remember what a real tomato tastes like.  However, it’s been so long since I had one that maybe it’s a dream.  My father occasionally came home from work with a bag of freshly picked tomatoes he’d bought at a roadside stand.  We would eat them like apples.  But those days are long gone.

I tried growing my own, but tomato worms and snails got to them before I did.

Now I use Roma (aka plum) tomatoes to make Tomato Pie.  Baking the pie for 25 minutes helps concentrate the tomato flavor and makes me think about my childhood.

Tomato Pie – serves 3-4  

The key to success is slicing the tomatoes at least 1 hour beforehand, placing the slices on a clean towel and then covering them with another towel.  This blots away the excess moisture and keeps the crust from becoming soggy. 

1 pre-baked pie crust
8-10 Roma (aka plum) tomatoes
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary (cut into 1/8-inch pieces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil  

Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-slices and blot away the moisture, as described above. 
When ready to make the pie, preheat the oven to 400 degrees (or 375 degrees if using a glass pie pan).  

Spread the mustard onto the bottom of the pie crust and then cover with cheese.  Lay half the tomato slices on top of the cheese, making sure the slices overlap.  Sprinkle with half the garlic powder, rosemary, salt and black pepper.  Repeat the process, using up the rest of the tomato slices, salt and spices.  Drizzle the olive oil over the top and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to shrink.  

Serve immediately or let cool and serve at room temperature.  

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Quiche Lorraine Sounds So Sophisticated!

Back when I was a new cook, I didn’t know much of anything.  Every recipe I looked at impressed me.  When one of my sophisticated friends invited me to dinner and made Spaghetti with Garlic Sauce, I was enthralled.  Only when I dared make it myself did I realize how easy it was.

My first taste of Quiche Lorraine came at a cocktail party.  By then I was slightly more ambitious in the kitchen.  I liked the bacon-y flavor of the quiche but had no idea what was in it.  There was no Internet then, so I went to a bookstore and searched through cookbooks.  That may be when I bought my first copy of “Joy of Cooking,” which included a Quiche Lorraine recipe. 

After studying it, I realized this dish was really a bacon and egg pie.  How hard could that be to make?

Harder than I thought because it involved making a pie crust.  At least I had my grandmother’s rolling pin.  When I bought the recipe ingredients, I also bought a pie pan.  Several hours later I proudly took my first quiche out of the oven.  It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. 

Over the years I’ve adapted the original recipe, but the first bite always brings back memories of my young and foolish years.

Quiche Lorraine – serves 4-6 (with a nod to “Joy of Cooking”)  

1 unbaked pie crust 

4 slices bacon  

1 medium onion, thinly sliced 

1 1/2 cups light cream 

3 large eggs 

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg  

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

1/2 cup grated Edam or Swiss cheese  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Put the bacon slices into a heavy frying pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring regularly as the bacon gives up its fat and begins to brown.  Turn the slices over and cook for another minute.  Remove the cooked bacon and let it drain on a paper towel-covered plate. 

Pour off most of the bacon fat into an empty can or jar, leaving about 1 teaspoon fat in the pan.  Add the sliced onions and stir until it begins to soften.  Turn off the heat and set aside to cool. 

In a large bowl combine the light cream, eggs, nutmeg, salt, black pepper and cheese and stir thoroughly.  Add the cooked onions and stir again. 

Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces with scissors and scatter the pieces over the unbaked pie crust.  Pour the cream/egg mixture over the bacon pieces and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top has begun to brown and knife inserted into the top of the quiche comes out clean. 

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a rack.  Serve or reheat when needed.

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Spicy Potato Spread from Mom's Kitchen

One of my favorite local restaurants in Southern California is Chef Hannes in El Segundo, not far from the Los Angeles Airport.  When you arrive for lunch or dinner, the first dish that lands on your table is a complimentary bowl of thick green spread accompanied by slices of French bread.

I wasn’t sure what I was eating, but I knew that I liked it.  I hinted to the owner, who sometimes also serves as the waiter, that I would like the recipe. All I got were two clues: garlic and potatoes.

For several years I tried to duplicate this appetizer in my kitchen.  After making another inedible version, which this time included vinegar, I finally had a breakthrough.  Pesto.  I had a jar of Basil Pesto, which I keep around as an easy topping for spaghetti.  It’s green and garlicky.  Why not mash a boiled potato and stir in a few spoonfuls of pesto.  It worked.  I drizzled some hot sauce on the top, heated up some French bread and demolished the whole bowl.

Spicy Potato Spread – serves 4 

2 medium potatoes
1/4 cup basil pesto + more if needed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Several drops hot sauce + more if preferred
Sliced French bread 

Boil the potatoes in water for about 20-25 minutes, or until they can be pierced easily with a knife.  Drain the water and pull off and discard the potato skins.  Roughly mash the potatoes with a fork. 

Stir in the basil pesto, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is mostly green, with only a few flecks of white showing.  Add the salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.  Taste to see if more seasoning is needed. 

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and top with some hot sauce.  Serve with slices of French bread, warm if possible.

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Question for Mom

 Now that uncooked boneless chicken breasts often weigh more than 1 pound each, I’ve been wondering what’s the best way to prepare them.  Do they need to cook longer than smaller breasts? –Evelyn K.

One large chicken breast can feed a family of 4, especially if you cut the meat into stir-fry pieces and supplement with some fresh vegetables.  Spices would help provide flavor because this size breast is pretty bland.  Cooking time would be a few minutes longer because of the greater amount of chicken, but you could get a meal on the table in 30 minutes.

Marinating and roasting the chicken breast is also an option.  In order to keep the breast from drying out, cut it into 4-to-6 relatively equal-size pieces and marinate them in a spicy sauce for at least 1 hour.  Roast for 20 minutes, or until thin slices are white in the middle, not pink.  Slice the cooked breast pieces as thinly as possible. Pour any leftover cooked marinade on top and serve with pita bread, if using, and sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.

Spicy Chicken Slices – serves 4 

1½ pound boneless chicken breast or 2 smaller boneless chicken breasts
¼ cup olive or canola oil
1 large onion, cut into large pieces
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
¾ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
2 Persian cucumbers or 1 medium-size cucumber, sliced
Pita Bread, heated (optional)
Rice (optional) 

Cut the chicken breast(s) into 4-6 large chunks and set aside. 

Add 1 tablespoon oil to a small frying pan and begin heating over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring continually until it starts to soften.  Remove from the heat and transfer the onion and oil left in the bottom of the pan to a large bowl. 

Add the rest of the oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and stir well.  Add the chicken chunks to the marinade and stir until they are covered with marinade.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 

When you are ready to roast the chicken pieces, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil or use a silicone mat to cover the sheet.  Transfer the chicken pieces to the foil/mat sheet and pour any remaining marinade on top.

Bake about 15 minutes, turning the chicken pieces once.  Test to see if done by cutting the largest chicken piece in half.  If it is pink in any way, bake for another 5 minutes, or until it has turned white.  

When the chicken pieces are fully cooked, remove from the oven.  Slice as thinly as possible and pile the meat on a serving plate.  Pour any cooked marinade left in the pan on top.  Serve the tomatoes, cucumber and pita bread, if using, separately.  If serving rice, offer it in a separate bowl.

                                      See all Questions for Mom

Welcome Home! Real Tomatoes

I just read that tomatoes may be getting their flavor back!  This probably sounds odd to anyone under 30, who may well assume that tomatoes are used in salads and sandwiches mostly for their color.

Lure of the Chocolate Chip

I’m proud to be a chocoholic.  I’ve tried weaning myself off this addiction.  Once I managed to avoid chocolate for two weeks, but that was a long time ago.  Without the invention of chocolate chips, I might have succeeded. 

Have You Ever Tried Canned Chicken?

Back when the Covid-19 pandemic started, I laid in a lot of supplies.  Gradually, though, I’ve been using them up in my daily cooking.  Only one item I bought gave me pause—the 12.5-ounce cans of cooked chicken breasts.  I noticed them at my big box store because they were sitting alone on a shelf that had been stripped of everything else.