Fish, Fennel and what else? Tomatoes of course!

I’m still making tomato sauce for winter nights ahead, and trying to eat them now too. So yesterday after the sauce was finished, I decided to pair the sauce with fish. One of the vendors at our farmers market sells wild fennel pollen and I decided to use it in creating this easy healthy dish. This fish preparation uses the usual Mediterranean ingredients which of course includes the tomato sauce made with olive oil, garlic and onions, and with both fresh fennel & fennel pollen, and kalamata olives.
The fish I used was Orange Roughy but you can substitute another firm white fish.This can be baked in the oven but because its 100+ degrees in Visalia, I decided to baked this fish dish in heavy duty foil lined with parchment paper on my gas grill.
The method is simple: each ingredient is layered one on top of another, then the packet is folded shut and place in the center of a the medium high grill, and the cover is closed.
First place on the parchment/foil sheet, one sliced fresh fennel bulb, a small sliced red onion (¼ cup), ¼ tsp fennel pollen, cover these vegetables with ½ cup of your fresh (or thawed frozen) tomato sauce. Place 1 lb of fish filet on top, add another ½ cup of tomato sauce, another ¼ tsp of fennel pollen and ¼ cup chopped pitted kalamata olives. Bake just until the fish flakes easily and is no longer translucent. Open the packet and check with a fork after about 10 minutes. It’s not necessary to complete close the packet if you need to continue baking the fish.
This will serve 3-4 and is lovely with a lightly dressed fresh green salad.

Peaches, Peaches, Peaches

Peaches are here and they are very juicy and delicious. Thankfully some of the best peaches are in our own farmer's market this month. This Saturday July 18, I was at the Visalia farmer's market demonstrating how to make stone fruit salsa, and you'll find a master recipe here. You can substitute peaches with pluots or nectarines, or use all three. This is good with chips or served with a chili rubbed grilled pork tenderloin, or grilled chicken. I used rice wine vinegar instead of citrus juice for the acid it was delicious. I also used lemon basil instead of the cilantro.

Peach Salsa
Because I think of fruit salsa as spontaneous and I use what I have on hand, it is hard to write a recipe for salsa, but there are a few guidelines. Use ripe but firm peaches, peeled or unpeeled; diced bell peppers and/or onion; an acidic liquid of some sort, either fruit juice or vinegar; and, if you don’t want to stop there, a handful of some other pungent or flavorful ingredient, from the spicy (chipotles, for instance) to the sweet (such as honey). The proportions of peaches to other ingredients can vary so this makes it extra hard to write a specific recipe, but here’s a good place to start.
Remember to start chopping and mixing, and when the salsa looks and tastes about right, let it sit for at least an hour or so to allow the juices and flavors to blend, and then serve/eat.

2 ripe, but firm medium peaches
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (or rice wine vinegar, or other citrus juice)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup diced red and/or green bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon (or to taste) minced jalapeno pepper, (or Serrano chili)
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Great with roast pork tender loin, grilled fish, or chicken breasts.

home grown tomatoes, home grown tomatoes....

Only two things that money can’t buy are,
True love and home grown tomatoes…..

I guess I’m a better gardener than I thought, because my counter top is covered with large grape tomatoes, plump Romas and beautiful beefsteaks. So last night, under a full moon, I made classic marinara sauce and roasted a baking sheet full of grape tomatoes. I packed them in gallon zip lock bags, flattened them out and then placed them in my small, but essential, garage freezer.

Here are some tips on how to do the same with your own home grown tomatoes or some beauties from your farmers market.

I think my favorite tip this summer has been blanching garlic before using it. This takes out the raw flavor and mellows it a bit. It’s especially important when you aren’t cooking the garlic, such as in dressings. A good example is the classic Italian Insalata Caprese, a salad of sliced fresh tomatoes, layered between fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves, topped with chopped garlic, olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar, plus fresh salt and pepper to taste.

To blanch garlic: Separate the clove, unpeeled and place a pot of boiling water for about 1- 1 ½ minutes. Drain, cool and peel. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator until ready to use, within a week.
When making sauce, it best to take the time to peel and seed the tomatoes. If left on, the peel becomes a mini roll up and has unappealing texture, and the same is true of too many seeds.
Peel and seed tomatoes:
Place whole washed tomatoes with an X cut into the bottom, into a boiling pot of water to 30 + seconds. Remove the whole tomato, cool, then the peel will easily slip off. Cut each around the belly, then wiggle you r fingers into the seed pockets over the sink, to remove many of the seeds. There is a lot of flavor around the seeds so you don’t need to remove them all. Now you’re ready to add your fresh homegrown tomatoes to your favorite sauce recipe. Substitute these flavor bombs into any recipe that called for canned whole or diced tomatoes.
Roasting grape, Roma or large cherry tomatoes:
Wash and cut each tomato in half lengthwise. If needed, scoop out the green or white stem section. In a large bowl, toss with salt and pepper, chopped blanched garlic, olive oil, to cover but not drown . Place them face up on a parchment paper lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast in 450° oven (or on a gas BBQ grill) until they have reduced in size and are beginning to brown. Top with chopped fresh basil, and serve along with bread or over pasta, on pizza etc.
A small batch of roasted tomatoes can be done using the same method and ingredients on the stove top. These will be wetter and are best served with good bread to soak up the juices. These are amazing and taste similar to sun dried tomatoes. When you pull them out of the freezer this winter, they will be a bit of summer sunshine.

For still more tomato recipes and a great guide to fresh herbs, from Food & Wine:

http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/tomatoes/1

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/herb-guide