CSA: for the love of tomatoes

The first handful of tomatoes showed up in my CSA last week - they were small, they were yellow, and they were delicious. I know I'll be singing a different song by the end of September when I'm up to my knees in tomatoes, but since I chose to plant herbs instead of vegetables in my balcony garden this year, right now I'm beside myself with excitement over these guys.

I kept it simple and used this recent Smitten Kitchen recipe as inspiration - warmed pita bread, a schmear of horseradish hummus (from TJ's),  two slices of fried provolone cheese, and lightly salted and sliced tomatoes. It's a strange combination that works - it's sweet, it's salty, it tastes of long summer days and local farm goodness. What's your favorite way to use up extra tomatoes?

Hawaiian Pita Pizza

It's a sad but real truth in my life - I can't stop making mini pizzas. I don't know if it's the summer weather, the ease and speed of putting together such a tasty lunch, or just that I like to be creative in the kitchen and making a tiny pizza allows me to experiment using different toppings without too many negative ramifications. Which brings me back to my original point - I can't stop making mini pizzas! They're my go-to lunch this summer, and I recently landed on my newest favorite - a Hawaiian Pita Pizza. Why Hawaiian? Because pineapples should go on everything, especially pizza. Why pita? Because it's cheaper than a pre-made pizza crust but tastes just as great, and my grocery store stocks fresh, locally-made pita on a daily basis. It's a total win-win!

How to:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 7" piece of pita with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon your favorite pizza sauce onto the pita (I'm an unabashed fan of Ragú Pizza Quick), and add the toppings: shredded Mozzarella cheese, fresh sliced mushrooms, thick-sliced ham (cut into 1/2" slices), diced/chunked pineapples, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese just for good measure. Cook for 10 minutes or until the edges of the pita are crispy (I like my pizzas more on the well-done side, so make sure you check on your pizza after 8 minutes or so).

Porchetta and mozzarella pizza

This is a quick and easy recipe, because sometimes you're rushing around with too much to do and not enough time to get it all done before rehearsal starts and you're hungry because breakfast was a million hours ago but you also need to make enough food to take to work for dinner and you just really need something that's salty/savory/cheesy/delicious that can be made in the next 10 minutes because oh good lord I have to leave like five minutes ago.

Do make sure, though, to get high quality porchetta and fresh mozzarella from the deli, because life is too short to eat low-grade cured meats. Also make sure to get a pre-made pizza crust (I go with Boboli) because one day you'll figure out how to make your own whole-wheat-healthy-homemade crust but today is not that day because you're a working woman dammit and really really have to catch a train.

Ingredients
1 pre-made pizza crust
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs pesto
5 oz. fresh mozzarella.
5 oz. thinly sliced porchetta
2-3 fresh basil leaves
1 tbs parmesan/romano cheese

How to
Preheat your oven to the directions stated by the pizza crust - Boboli recommends 450 degrees. Brush or blot the entire pizza crust first with olive oil, then with the pesto. Make sure to get all the way to the edges of the crust with the oil, that will ensure a wonderfully browned and crispy slice. Unwrap the mozzarella and slice it to your desired thickness - I usually keep it to around 1/8 of an inch, otherwise it may not melt quickly enough. Add your toppings to the pizza - first the sliced mozzarella, then strips of the porchetta. Sprinkle on the basil and parmesan/romano cheese and bake for about 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven and your desired level of crispiness.

Black bean hummus

You guys, I can't. stop. making. hummus. Seriously, I opened the Pandora's box of homemade hummus and can never go back. It's just so good! And so cheap! In that, it's inexpensive, not that it's of little account or value (thanks, dictionary.com). Anyway, to make this hummus:

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz.) of black beans, drained, but reserve the liquid
2 tbsp tahini sauce
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Juice from 1/2 a lime
Spices to taste - I used a dash of salt, a dash of cumin, and a healthy helping of Trader Joe's Everyday Seasonings

How to: 
In a blender or in the cup of your immersion blender (which I personally prefer), puree until smooth all the ingredients listed above plus half of the liquid from the can of beans. If you like a thicker hummus use less liquid, use more liquid to thin it out. Add some cilantro if you like (I'm actually not a fan, but most people love it) and serve with your favorite chips and/or veggies!

Quick bites: veggie naan pizza

Last week, J brought home some extra naan from a work lunch thing he attended. It sat in the fridge for a few days, until inspiration struck - I'd make a flatbread pizza! Now, I'm clearly not the first person to have this idea (google "naan pizza" and you get like 6 million results), but the pizza I made was just so good I had to share it with you. All you need is a a slice of naan and your favorite pizza toppings. I started with a light brushing of pesto, then added my go-to pre-made pizza sauce (Ragú Pizza Quick), sprinkled some shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheeses (the combo is delicious), then topped the whole thing off with my favorite veggies - fresh chopped spinach, sliced mushrooms, marinated tomatoes (leftover from my homemade hummus) and artichoke hearts. Bake on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is fully melted. So yummy. So easy. And so close to my beloved Chicago-style-thin-crust that my soul did a happy dance ;)

Cheddar Apple Hand Pies

I haven't jumped on the pumpkin train yet. It's still in the low 80's here in New York, and there's something about still being in shorts and tank tops that doesn't quite make me think of fall foods and warm drinks. But, whether the weather agrees with it or not, it is apple season - and who am I to deny a fruit it's rightful place in the seasonal lexicon!

I had been wanting to try a cheddar pie crust for a while, and this recipe from Martha Stewart seemed like the right one for a first timer. Instead of baking an entire pie though, I made little hand pies so that I could throw one in a baggie and take it to work for a break-time treat.

Quick Bites - Blueberry-Mascarpone Turnovers

Happy National Pie Day! It's only fitting that the American Pie Council should choose such a blustery and dreary winter day to celebrate the most heartwarming (and delicious!) treats.

In honor of this most tastiest of holidays, I'm proud to introduce a new feature on Pies Etc.  - a section called Quick Bites, where I'll showcase recipes that can be made in under half an hour and with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

Enjoy!

Ingredients - (yield - about 8 turnovers)
- 4 oz. soft sweet cheese (I suggest and used Mascarpone, cream cheese works as a great substitute as does any kind of Brie-type cheese you might have left over from your last Girl's Night Wine and Cheese Party)
- 1/2 cup fruit, chopped into very small pieces (I used blueberries, any soft sweet fruit will work)
- 1 tbsp honey 
- 1/4 tsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Lemon juice and zest from 1/4 lemon
- Pie crust
  *I had a small ball of pie crust left over from my last baking experiment, it was about 5 inches in diameter and enough to make eight 3"x 3". squares of dough; the above measurements reflect the amount of dough I had

I'd like to say I hand picked these from my garden. I didn't. I live in New York City and bought these frozen from the C-Town down the street.

How to
In a small saucepan, melt the cheese, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and zest until creamy. Let cool.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out your dough and cut as many 3"x 3" squares as you can.

Squeeze a dollop of honey onto each square.

Add a small dollop of the cheese mixture over the honey. Not too much though! In this case, a little goes a long way.

Add a few berries in the center of the dough square.

Finally, fold the dough in half (to make a triangle) and seal the edges. It helps if you dip a finger in water and run it along the edges of the dough, this will seal the edges so the turnovers don't pop open in the oven.



Don't seal your edges this way:

Photo courtesy of ALAMY

Or this way:

Photo courtesy of this odd website

Seal your edges this way:

Use a fork to pinch the edges

Finally, sprinkle the turnovers with a little sugar and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown (or until you realize that you didn't seal the edges well enough and now there's blueberry juice all over your oven).

Blueberry and Mascarpone Turnover