Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Fresh Tomato and Ricotta Tart
12 appetizer servings
With the prepared sheets, this tart takes only 10 minutes to assemble. Wonderfully versatile, the tart can serve as an hors d'oeuvre, appetizer, lunch entree or even a side dish. Look for really red tomatoes: The more vibrant the color, the more attractive the tart.
Two 9- to 10-inch-square sheets of puff pastry (about 1 pound)
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 large tomatoes (about 1/2 pound each), cut in half and sliced 1/4 inch thick
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and place a puff pastry sheet on each piece of parchment. Using a small knife, form a 1-inch "frame" around the edge of the pastry by cutting a row of diagonal marks in the dough. Do not cut all the way through. Use a fork to prick the area inside the frame every 2 or 3 inches. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, 1/2 cup of Parmesan and the egg. Add pepper and nutmeg to taste and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the pastry, keeping it inside the frame. Cover the ricotta with the slices of one tomato, overlapping the slices slightly, like shingles on a roof. Sprinkle half of the remaining Parmesan over the tomatoes. Repeat with the remaining ricotta mixture, tomato slices and Parmesan. Bake until the pastry has puffed and browned, about 20 minutes. Let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.
Per serving: 265 calories, 7 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 18 g fat, 27 mg cholesterol, 5 g saturated fat, 185 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber
Recipe tested by Stephanie Witt Sedgwick; e-mail questions tofood@washpost.com
Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Pasta Salad
4 to 6 main-course servings
This salad employs one of the best combos in summer food: tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Even better, it takes about 30 minutes to make, from start to finish. It's always good to use the freshest ingredients, but here it's essential. Fresh mozzarella can now be bought in almost every supermarket. And choose the ripest tomatoes you can find: I like plum tomatoes, because they're easy to peel and seed, but you can use your favorites.
8 ounces rotini (corkscrew) or any similarly shaped pasta
Salt
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4 - to 1/2 -inch dice
3/4 pound plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4 - to 1/2 -inch dice*
10 to 12 medium or large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
2 scallions, white and tender green parts, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is done, but still a little firm to the bite. Drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta is completely cool. Let it drain for a few minutes and transfer to a large bowl. Add the mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, scallions, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste, adding more vinegar if desired. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
* NOTE: To peel plum tomatoes, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Have ready a bowl of ice water. Remove the stem from the tomato and cut an "X" in its bottom. Place in the boiling water for 10 or 15 seconds -- no longer. Use a slotted spoon to quickly transfer to the ice water. The skin should simply slip off.
Per serving (based on 6): 332 calories, 15 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 16 g fat, 24 mg cholesterol, 5 g saturated fat, 345 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber
Recipe tested by Stephanie Witt Sedgwick; e-mail questions tofood@washpost.com
Chicken Scallopine With Roasted Cherry Tomato and Onion Salsa
4 servings
Here's a twist on what to do with all those cherry tomatoes. Instead of adding them to a salad, roast them to bring out the flavor and turn them into a warm salsa. You can buy chicken already thin-sliced for scallopine, or you can slice boneless, skinless chicken breast halves. This recipe would also work well with turkey cutlets.
2 pints stemmed cherry tomatoes, large ones cut into quarters, smaller ones cut in half
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts (eight 1/4 -inch slices)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
In a large bowl, toss together the cherry tomatoes, onion and oil; add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a shallow baking dish or roasting pan, about 9 by 11 inches. Bake until the tomatoes are soft and the mixture bubbles, 50 to 60 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
About 15 minutes before the tomatoes are finished, start cooking the chicken. Sprinkle the scallopine with salt and pepper to taste. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil and butter. When the butter has melted and the oil mixture is hot, working in batches, add enough chicken cutlets to fit in the pan without crowding. Cook until lightly browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes, then turn the pieces over and cook another 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside and keep warm.
Divide the scallopine among individual plates. Spoon 1/4 of the roasted tomato mixture down the center of each portion. Serve immediately.
Per serving: 324 calories, 27 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 22 g fat, 72 mg cholesterol, 5 g saturated fat, 167 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber
Recipe tested by Stephanie Witt Sedgwick; e-mail questions tofood@washpost.com
Grouper Baked With Fresh Tomato and Fennel Sauce in a Foil Tent
2 servings
This is one of my favorite ways to cook thick pieces of fish. Classic recipes for this method, called en papillote , use parchment paper, but I prefer aluminum foil. The fish cooks in the oven, encased in a tent and steaming in whatever liquid you have added -- in this case, a fresh tomato and fennel sauce made on the stove. The fish emerges moist and flavorful. The tomato will have almost melted. The fennel adds its own flavor, softened by the two stages of cooking. The combination is delicious. I've used grouper here, but any thick white fish can be substituted.
2 small fennel bulbs (or 1 large)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for the foil
1 small onion (about 3 ounces), thinly sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound plum tomatoes, peeled and seeded, cut into 1/4-inch strips*
1/4 cup dry white wine
Two 6- to 8-ounce grouper fillets
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Have ready 2 pieces of foil, each about 12 by 16 inches.
Prepare the fennel: Using a knife, cut away the stalks that emerge from the bulb. Chop one of the fronds (the fern-like leaves) as you would dill, and set aside about 1 tablespoon's worth for a garnish. Discard the remaining fronds and stalks. Peel off the outer layer of the bulb and discard. Cut the bulb in half and cut each half into 1/4 -inch slices. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring every minute or so, for 2 to 3 minutes; then add the fennel. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking until the vegetables soften and just begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook 2 to 3 minutes, then increase the heat to medium-high and add the wine. Cook, letting the wine evaporate, until the mixture looks moist but not watery, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Lightly grease the center of each piece of foil with additional oil. Place a grouper fillet on each piece of foil, add salt and pepper to taste, and top each piece of fish with half of the tomato-fennel mixture. Fold the foil to form a packet around each piece of fish. All edges of the packet should be folded to create a seal, but there should be an empty space, like a small tent, above the fillet. Place the packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake; the time it takes will depend on the thickness of the fillets. A 1 1/2 - to 2-inch-thick fillet will take 18 to 20 minutes; smaller fillets may be ready in 15 minutes. To check, remove the baking sheet from the oven and open one of the packets, taking care to avoid the hot steam that escapes. The cooked fillet will look white and flake easily. If the fish is undercooked, refold the packet and continue cooking.
When the fish is ready, place each packet on a rimmed serving plate or in a shallow bowl, open the packets and bring to the table. (If desired, transfer the fish and vegetables to the plate before serving and discard the foil.) Garnish with a sprinkling of the reserved fennel fronds.
* NOTE: To peel plum tomatoes, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Have ready a bowl of ice water. Remove the stem from the tomato and cut an "X" in its bottom. Place in the boiling water for 10 or 15 seconds -- no longer. Use a slotted spoon to quickly transfer to the ice water. The skin should simply slip off.
Per serving: 358 calories, 38 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 63 mg cholesterol, 1 g saturated fat, 363 mg sodium, 10 g dietary fiber
Recipe tested by Stephanie Witt Sedgwick; e-mail questions tofood@washpost.com
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