Caramelized Onion & Tomato Pie

This is a great summer brunch dish and also an excellent way to use some of the beautiful tomatoes that you’ve grown in your garden or got at the local market. Serve with a fresh salad.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2-3 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

6 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters

1 medium onion thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic finely sliced

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (defrosted)

1.5 cups grated gouda

1 egg, beaten

A few sprigs of fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme

1 tsp balsamic vinegar (the more aged/thick the better)

1 tbsp of butter

Flour for dusting

Method:

Put the sliced and cut tomatoes onto a few sheets of paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt. This will help to draw the liquid out and make your pie more crispy.

Heat the butter in a medium sized frying pan and saute the onions for about 15 minutes on medium. Sprinkle a bit of salt while they’re cooking and stir frequently. They should get all dark and soft and caramelized. Once they are just about ready, toss in the garlic and saute for a minute or so. You don’t want the garlic to burn as it’ll get very bitter. Take off the heat and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking pan or pizza pan with parchment paper.

Dust your counter or board in preparation for the pastry. Take your now-defrosted puff pastry (or make it if you have nothing but time on your hands!) and roll it out a few times just to make it a bit thinner than it is out of the package.

A whole piece of puff pastry is probably too big so maybe cut a quarter off the end and use that to make a few either sweet or savoury turnover. (I made swiss chard and goat cheese ones).

Roll the pastry onto your roller and then unroll it nicely onto the parchment paper covered pan. Prick the pastry a bit with a fork.

Take your now cool onions and spread them on the pastry. Leave a bit of an edge because you’re going to fold the edge over for max prettiness.

Cover the onions with a layer of cheese. Then artfully place the sliced tomatoes on top of the cheese. Make a frame around the edge of the onion/cheese/tomatoes with the little wedges of cherry tomato. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the top of it all.

Now gently fold the extra pastry over the top. It will form a frame around the edge (whether you do it as a rectangle or a circle). Lastly, give a generous egg wash all around the pastry on the top.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the pastry is a nice darkish brown. If there’s a little too much liquid still in your tomatoes once the pastry is done, you can just daub it with a bit of paper towel once you take it out the oven.

Let it cool for a few minutes, top with some fresh basil, then serve and enjoy.

© 2020 Gail J Cohen

What to cook with your tomato harvest II: Tomato tart

With the abundance of tomatoes from the garden, I had been threatening to make this for weeks. It’s a great way to use up a bunch of the cherry or grape tomatoes in your garden, particulary because when it rains it pours with the little ones. I used smoked gouda because I really enjoy the smoky flavour and feel it pairs really well the tomatoes. It’s also a pretty fast weekday recipe and served with a salad makes a nice light lunch or dinner.

Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

1 tart shell recipe or 1 frozen pie shell

2 dozen heirloom cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs – chives, basil, thyme
pinch of salt
100 g smoked gouda, grated

Once you’ve cut the tomatoes in half, place them innards up on a cutting board and cover them with a paper towel or two to remove some of the liquid. Leave it for about 10 minutes or so, then simply discard the paper towels.

Preheat your oven to 325 F

I used the frozen pie shell because it makes this whole operation faster and with less cleanup. Plus I don’t enjoy fiddling with making crust. But if you choose to make crust, here is an easy recipe from BBC Good Food [http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2983/basic-shortcrust-pastry].

If using frozen, make sure to take it out at least a half an hour before you need to start using it. Follow the instructions for the pastry if you’re making it or remove the defrosted shell from the foil pan it’s in and place pastry in a tart pan (the one with the bottom that comes out). If you’re feeling adventurous, you can free form your pastry and make it look rustic.

Either way, once your pastry is ready, spread the dijon mustard all over it. It should be about the same thickness as you use on a sandwich so use a bit more or less than above if necessary. The lay the tomato halves on the pastry alternating them so some are skin up and some are insides up.  Sprinkle the fresh herbs and a bit of salt on the tart and finish off with a layer of the grated cheese.

Place in the oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes until the cheese and crust are browned and the tomatoes have given off most of their liquid. Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes, then slice and serve!

Beet risotto is pretty in pink

I tried growing beets in the garden this year and the crop did not disappoint. The sugary yet earthy flavour of these vegetables can't be beet! I first tasted this beautiful, sweet, deep red beet risotto at Mistura restaurant in Toronto many years ago. I had to figure out how to make and since then, it's become a staple. I cobbled together this recipe from a variety of places and some trial and error. So rich and gorgeous. It can be made with any beets so the colour can vary from gold, to pink, to a deep ruby.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

3 medium beets
3 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small white onion, minced
3 shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, mince
1 1/2 cups white wine
2 cups Italian short grain rice, such as carnaroli or arborio
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese plus curls for garnish
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Wash and peel beets. Place beets in a medium saucepan, add 3 cups stock and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 40-45 minutes or until fork tender.

Remove two of the beets and allow to cool. Grate and set aside. (Reserve remaining beet for eating or if you want a really beety risotto just add it in as well)

In a medium, wideish pot, heat olive oil and 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. Sauté the onions and shallots for about 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another minute.

Pour the rice in the pot and stir to coat.

Add the wine to the rice mixture and bring to a boil, letting it bubble up for about 2 minutes.

Now is the time for patience: Add the red beet stock, one ladle at a time, to the rice. Before adding the next ladle of stock, let the rice absorb all liquid in the pan. After the first 3 ladles, add the grated beets. Continue adding stock one ladle at a time and cook for about 20 to 22 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness. I don't like there to be and hardness in the centre of the bite, but others might like it a bit less or more done than I do.

When your're happy with the doneness factor, traditionally it should be a bit "soupy", stir in remaining butter and parmesan cheese.

Serve it right away and finish with cheese curls.

Forgot to take a pic of the final product, I was so excited to eat it. Here's a beet innards pic instead.