EDF Cooking Contest

[NaturalSelection]

wow Ron, are you really serious?

I mean, I guess I regret mentioning the soup, it was really just a flippant comment that I made mostly in the spirit of saying how a simple dish can taste great. Especially with such a fine ingredient as garden fresh tomatoes. When I said it would be a 30-1 dog to win in a forum contest it was in no way implying that I think this contest is a joke. In fact, the first sentence of my post said I really wish I could taste what you guys were going to do. This means that I DO recognize the skill and creativity in this forum. So in your response you imply that #1: I think a simple tomato and herb soup is a "shoe-in" to win a cooking contest, and #2: that I don't understand the talent that we have in EDF's cooking enthusiasts. You're wrong on both counts.

When I made the post I was actually pretty excited about the idea of the contest and just wrote whatever popped in my head, sometimes it's easy to misunderstand tone when reading a post as opposed to talking directly. If this was the fault of the writing, I apologize. I don't think it was a troll post in any way and I'm sorry to everyone if it came across as such. In fact, in the post above that, I posted what I thought would be an interesting link for all you heirloom fans out there.

I really like this forum and am looking forward to contributing more in the future, hopefully in this thread!

p.s. Ron, if you're ever in Michigan (Lansing OR Detroit), stop by for a homebrew and some home cooking!

Oh, and HU razz 4 rollz obv too :-)

Edit: Mermade, nice first entry! love that first pic of the tomatoes, what great color... LOVE this time of year!

[BK_]

Just a little tomato salad to get things started. Nothing is actually cooked in this dish, but I made it over the weekend and it tasted good. Actual dishes to come this weekend or next..

Appetizer 8-5-2007: Tomato and Smoked Salmon Salad



Heirloom tomatoes, basil, and aged balsamic, topped with some smoked scotch salmon from Sables in NYC. Not sure what prompted me to add the smoked salmon to the salad, but it tasted good, and I guess that is all that matters.

[Mermade]

I went out to water my tomatoes this morning and something had taken a bite out of each of my ripe yellow pear tomatoes. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[jws43yale]

I may have to add a pasta entry of my own to this. I absolutely love sundried tomatoes and think they are great on so many things. I acutally never like tomatoes much until I have been eating sandwiches from these good Italian markets. The tomatoes were actually good and I assume now thinking about it that they must have come from a much better source. I just need to get ahold of some fresh homegrown tomatoes now.

[SamIAm]

Up north, y'all yankees would probably call this "sauteed breaded tomahtoes alongside roasted tomahto polenta". Down south, we call it:

<font color="red">Fried Green Tomatoes 'n Roasted Tomato Grits</font>

Roasted Tomato Grits:

1 T Tomato Paste
1 T Olive Oil
1/2 t Red pepper flakes
3 cloves Garlic
1/2 Red Onion
4 Tomatoes
4 C Chicken broth
1 C Cornmeal
1 handful Parmesan cheese
Salt

Mix the paste, oil, &amp; flakes, and toss the onion and garlic in it. Note that I use Amore tomato paste. It wins Cook's Illustrated's taste tests every time, and comes in a convenient tube instead of can. (Cans always have double what I need and leave a tinny taste.)



Anyway, setup the garlic &amp; onion on a piece of aluminum foil and arrange the halved tomatoes on a baking rack, juice down. If you have some leftover oil, you can toss the tomatoes in that. Roast at 450degrees till roasted. (About 30 minutes.)



Bring the broth up to a boil and slowly shake in the corn meal, stirring the whole time. If you pour too fast, you'll get lumps. Note that I used organic, stone-ground corn meal from a local source. I honestly can't imagine this makes any difference in the final product. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]



Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes, stirring a few times so they stay smooth. While they cook, remove the charred bits from the tomatoes &amp; onions and puree the rest. Add them halfway through the baking. When they're done, add the parmesan cheese.

Fried Green Tomatoes:

2 Green Tomatoes
1 Tube Saltines (1 box = 4 tubes)
1/2 C Corn starch
1/2 C Flour
1 t Cayenne
3 Eggs
Oil for frying

Slice the tomatoes into 1/4" slices and spread out on paper towels. The key to good fried green tomatoes is dry green tomatoes. I put two towels below and two above. (I obviously removed the above towels for the picture...)



Take the saltines for a spin.



Mix the cayenne, flour, &amp; corn starch. Beat the eggs. For each slice, season with salt &amp; pepper, bread in flour (shaking off any excess), dip in egg, and cover in crumbs. Let them sit for a little to develop a stronger crust.



Heat 1/2" of oil to almost smoking and put a few slices in. Fry a minute on each side (or until golden brown). Remove them to an upside-down drying rack on paper towels. (This way the excess oil is wicked away by the towels, but it's not as gross as putting the fried food directly on the towels.)



Make a rose out of tomato skin and serve.

[Analyst]

[ QUOTE ]
Note that I used organic, stone-ground corn meal from a local source. I honestly can't imagine this makes any difference in the final product. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]



"I take pride in my grits!"

Seriously, looks awesome, Sam. I've never had fried green tomatoes (nor any particular inclination to), but these look delicious and I'd love to be able to try them.

The only (very slight) negative I see is that the color of the grits and the fried tomatoes is quite close, so visually the tomatoes get a bit lost.

[SamIAm]

[ QUOTE ]
The only (very slight) negative I see is that the color of the grits and the fried tomatoes is quite close, so visually the tomatoes get a bit lost.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is definitely true. I wanted to sprinkle some crumbs of blue cheese on the tomatoes, but it turns out we were out. Anyway, this color complaint is true for the majority of the pictures/meals I make. My food-picture folder is a collage of golden brown. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]



I'd love any tips on getting more color into my dishes. A lot of the problem is that I don't think about color till the end. I think about tastes and textures when planning the meal, but I know "we first eat with our eyes" and all that.

This is the first time I tried a different background, so at least I'm not taking pictures of golden-brown-&amp;-delicious food on a golden-brown-&amp;-delicious table. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I'd love to hear any other ideas, besides "Eat more brocolli; it's good for your camera".

[Ron Burgundy]

Sam,

Try not to fry everything. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

That rose sure is purty though.

[Mermade]

Sam--Although the various parts of this dish don't contrast with each other, I think I've mentioned before what the black does to pop the dishes and really set them off from the plate. I have been seriously tempted to go out and get several black plates. I have white plates rimmed in blue for everyday use. Unfortunately, the white is marred where knife marks have become visible. I know I can remove these marks with Barkeeper's Friend, but, seriously what a pain to keep doing that for merely cosmetic purposes. Does anyone have this problem and have an easier solution?

I really like the touch of the rose from the tomato skin. Everything looks nicely executed, but that takes it over the top.

Any reason you prefer saltines to breadcrumbs?

[Ron Burgundy]

<font color="red"> Penne with salsa cruda </font>

I stole this from the latest Fine Cooking magazine.

I always look for ways to cook things less. It's easier and healthier.

I think when tomatoes are in season, I'll make this a lot more than cooked tomato sauce.

Start with some good fresh chopped tomatoes. I forget what kind I used. Put the chopped tomato in a bowl with some evoo, chopped garlic, chopped parsley and/or basil, and s&amp;p. Mix it up and let it marinate for 30 minutes.



Cook some pasta. Just before the pasta is done, cut up some mozzarella and add it to the bowl. Then add the pasta, toss it around and you're done.