A few of my friends make this tart and they have variations that involve adding feta cheese and all are great adaptations, but here’s the original.

Fresh Tomato Tart

• 1 10-inch pie crust
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 3 tbs chopped fresh basil, divided
• 1 large clove garlic, sliced into 8 slivers
• 6-8 plum tomatoes, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional

Place piecrust in tart pan or glass pie plate.  Generously prick bottom and sides of pastry, bake at 400 for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle cheese in pie crust.  Top with 2 tbs basil, sprinkle garlic across cheese and basil.  Arrange tomato slices on top. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place baking sheet on lower rack in oven.

Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes(this time varies, mine took 30 minutes tonight). You may need to cover with foil as the crust turns golden brown to prevent burning. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  Optional-top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

With the motivation to keep the tomato tarts coming in the early years, we now have enough children to empty the pie plate in one sitting!

And plenty of volunteers to hold the food for blog pictures.

Why is this called lasagna you ask? Aimee, where are the noodles, where is the cheese-it doesn’t even look stacked like lasagna? All very relevant questions.  When I first had this dish at my friend Kristen’s house it was perfectly stacked in layers and presented in a nice square on my plate.  The square part didn’t work out quite so smoothly for me this first time, but it was absolutely delicious even if not geometrically pleasing!(update: now I know, it’s white rice that makes the nice square, we used brown rice)

The main elements of this dish are rice, beef, and fresh salsa.  When I called Kristen to get the recipe she yelled to her daugher, “How did I make that mexican lasagna dish?”  That’s right, it’s one of those kinds of recipe, a spur of the moment piece of genius with no definite measurements.  But I did my best to translate it into a recipe and I think it came out just as good, and the kids all had thirds.

Kristen’s Mexican Lasagna

• 4-6 cups rice(brown or white)
• 1 pound ground beef
• Chopped onion
• Chopped Pepper
• Cumin
• Salt/Pepper
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• Fresh Tomato Salsa
• Fresh Cilantro(optional)
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese(optional)

1)If you are preparing your own fresh salsa with nature’s bounty, complete this step first.
2)Cook rice according to directions, adding in 1 cup(or more) salsa to the rice while it’s cooking.
3)Brown beef with peppers, onions, and cumin.  Add in beans, and salt and pepper to taste.
4)Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees, coat 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
5)Spread rice in baking dish, press with spoon. Next spread ground beef mixture over rice.  Finally, spoon fresh salsa across ground beef.  Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
6)Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, rinse and chop fresh cilantro.  Allow each person to top with cilantro and/or shredded cheese. Enjoy!

Fresh Salsa: Now is a great time to make fresh salsa and it’s not hard, the most time consuming part is chopping the tomatoes.  This is the recipe I used, leaving out the hot peppers.  If you can’t make your own salsa, look for something similiar at the store, especially at stores like Trader Joe’s and Harris Teeter.

Topping it off: Stick to fresh cilantro, it adds an extra layer of zing that just won’t happen with the dried substitute.  Additional fresh salsa with chips make a nice side.

Dairy-Free: I was delighted when I went to my friend’s house and this dish was dairy free without even intending to be.  It has plenty to offer without needing the cheese, but you go ahead and have as much as you like!

Make-ahead: Now that I’ve made this once, I would consider doing a few things the day before.  Cooking the rice and storing in the fridge.  Making the salsa and storing it as well.  Really you could probably assemble this whole dish the day before and have it ready to go for company the next night.  I think the taste was even the better the second night that we re-heated it.

With Matt’s talent for making homemade pasta combined with the fresh farm tomatoes, we’ve got the whole flavorful world in our hands.

We’ve been making this dish about once a week since the tomatoes began arriving. It captures the fresh feel of summer and you don’t have to peel the tomatoes like cooked fresh tomato sauce. This recipe is perfection with hand-made pasta but a fine-second with store bought. Last night, short on time, we used Trader Joe’s bow tie pasta and it was a nice compliment.

Raw Summer Tomato Sauce for Pasta
from Lidia’s Family Table by Lidia Matticchio

Makes 3 to 4 cups, enough to sauce 1 pound of dry pasta

• 2 pounds ripe summer tomatoes, preferably heirloom varieties in a mix of colors and shapes
• 3 to 4 plump garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 large basil leaves (about 3 tbs shredded)
• 1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes, or more or less to taste
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup or more grated Parmesan-reggiano or cubed fresh mozzarella (optional)

1.Rinse tomatoes and wipe dry. Over a large mixing bowl, cut tomatoes into 1 inch chunks (cherry tomatoes in half), removing the core and any hard parts. Drop them into bowl along with juices.
2.Smash the garlic cloves with a chef’s knife and chop into a fine paste. This is easier if you add some of the salt as you chop;mash the garlic bits with the flat side of the knife too. Scatter the garlic paste and rest of salt over the tomatoes and stir gently.
3.Pile the basil leaves and slice into thin strips. Strew these over the tomatoes, then the pepper flakes. Pour in the oil, stir, and fold, to coat the tomatoes and distribute the seasonings.
4.Cover the bow with plastic wrap and let it marinate at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Toss the marinated sauce with freshly cooked and drained pasta. Serve as it, or toss in 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiana.  For additional complexity, you could add 1 cup or more cubed fresh mozzarella.

Notes: This is not the recipe to skip the fresh basil and used dried as substitute. Raid your neighbor’s garden or shell out the 3 bucks at the grocery store. We don’t add the cheese (since I am eating dairy free at the moment) but the rest of the family enjoys parmesan sprinkled on top.We have skipped the hot pepper flakes. The is good warm with the fresh pasta but it’s also good cold from the fridge the next day.

Enjoy a breakfast recipe that is actually healthy and delicious. Or served with ice cream, a soothing dessert.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal
From the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook

1 cup steel cut oats
4 tbs unsalted butter
4 cups water
3 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup crystallized sugar(I substituted  1/4 tsp dried ginger)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9 inch square baking dish.

Place steel cut oats and butter in a large bowl.  Bring the water to a boil, and pour over the oats. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, stir in the old fashioned oats, sugar, blueberries, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Stir into oat mixture. Transfer to prepared baking dish.

Bake, until center is set, 35 to 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve warm with milk or cream for breakfast, or warm with ice cream for a healthful dessert.

To prepare dairy-free: substitute dairy free margarine(such as fleischman’s unsalted margarine) or other dairy-free alternative and original almond or soy milk to replace cow’s milk.

Notes: This will fill a 9 inch pan to overflowing, we use a 9 x 13 instead.  Adding the egg mixture to the warmed batter can cause the eggs to cook which really turns my appetite to see bits of egg in my oatmeal.  I find that removing the lid on the oats after 20 minutes and allowing the soaked steal oats to cool down a bit helps prevent that problem.  I always have water still in my oats after the 20 minutes, that doesn’t affect the outcome of the recipe, just go ahead and mix in the other ingredients. We we’re able to reheat on low temp the next morning and it tasted just as delicious.

The recipe comes from yet another summer discovery, a book called The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds (600 g) ripe peaches (about 4 large peaches)
1/2 cup (125 ml) water
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Peel the peaches, slice them in half, and remove the pits. Cut the peaches into chunks and cook them with the water in a medium, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, covered, stirring once or twice, until soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat, stir in the sugar, then cool to room temperature.

Purée the cooked peaches and any liquid in a blender or food processor with the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice until almost smooth but slightly chunky.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Note: if you accidentally purée the mixture too much and liquify all your peaches, you can quickly dice up one additional peach, heat it up with a tablespoon or two of water and add it in the what you’ve puréed. It might take you an additional 5 minutes.

If you decide to make this, please let us know how it turns out.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART (1 LITER)

I’m a big fan of chocolate chips and I usually can’t say no to a cupful in banana bread or the current summer treat, zucchini bread.  But as much as we’ve enjoyed having zucchini bread with our fresh farm squash, I’ve been on the lookout for a less “super duper”(as my kids would say) recipe that isn’t quite so packed with sugar and chocolate.

As much as I love to cook and bake healthy when possible, I’ve never been able to embrace the method of substituting applesauce for oil.  The results have always been spongy or too pungent with apple.  But I gave it a try with this recipe, and I’m completely satisfied with this version of zucchini bread and haven’t experienced any sorrow over the missing chocolate.

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 cups sugar(see note)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup walnuts(optional)

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium bowl sift together first 5 ingredients(flour through cinnamon).  Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla.  Beat well with an electric mixer(I used a whisk and it worked fine).  Stir in zucchini.  Add flour mixture and stir until just combined(do not over mix).
3. Spray 2 regular loaf pans or 4 mini loaf pans with nonstick spray(bottom and sides).  Bake for approximately 50 minutes for 4 mini loafs or 65 to 75 minutes for 2 regular loaves(my oven cooks faster, and so my cooking time was about half the recommended time so watch carefully).  Cool slightly, run a knife around the edge of the pans to release bread from sides, and remove from pan.  Cool on wire rack.

Notes: If you grind your own flour, this recipe works great with both hard red and soft white, the latter being my current favorite.  I used 1  1/2 cups of sugar today and I think I could still come down another quarter cup and it would be plenty sweet. Today I was short on zucchini and finished off the amount with carrots instead and the result was the same.