Feta & Tomato Biscuits

I'd taken a nice summer hiatus from blogging, but heading to the August Food Bloggers LA meeting kicked the habit back. I even went so far as to bake (!!!) a recipe I'd never tested. I threw all caution to the wind.

Go big or go home, right?

The theme for the August meeting (always a potluck gathering) was to use either tomatoes or zucchini, or both, since they are abundantly available. At first I was tempted to make a tomato jam. But then muffins became a more attractive option. And from muffins I went to biscuits.

Notice how zucchini was never a part of the discussion?

It's hot as hell everywhere in this country, even out here on the west coast, and yet I risked burning to a crisp to turn on the oven. Thankfully these only take 20 minutes. And I did it at 7 am when it's still under the Hades heat level.

And they were good. Half of them disappeared at the meeting and thankfully Dorothy from Shockingly Delicious took the rest home. No overly carby leftovers for me to munch on!

The original recipe is actually for muffins, but it's so easy to drop batter on parchment-lined baking sheets instead. Using Greek yogurt instead of the typical milk makes for a light, tangy biscuit. And these spread. You'll end up with little disks instead of actual biscuits, but hey, they still taste good.

One little mistake I made was thinking my dried mint was basil. Oops! So a little bit of mint ended up in the finished product. And cilantro, along with the basil. Great combo. But it was only a teeny pinch of mint. Though if I make these again, I probably would repeat this happy accident.

I'm going to try not to bake again until the heat index goes back to less hellish levels. But I might finally be getting the hang of it.

It's about time.

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Feta & Tomato Biscuits

by August-15-2012

Adapted from Savoury Tomato Muffins, the biscuits are a light breakfast snack 

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, deseeded, finely chopped, and drained
• 1/2 cup feta
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch dried herbs, like mint!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.2. Lightly fry the minced garlic (30 seconds), then drain. Mix with the chopped tomatoes and herbs.3. In a bowl, beat the eggs, salt, oil, and Greek yogurt together.3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and cheese together, then add the egg mixture. Fold in the tomato mixture.4. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture on top of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before eating.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: about 15 biscuits

Marinated Roasted Tomato Bruschetta

This kitchen experiment was inspired by an appetizer I had at my birthday dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe earlier this year. They're turning all of 40 this year, did you know? I turned not-40 and was blown away by their bruschetta.

The secret to their dish is that they marinate the tomatoes in balsamic vinegar. Delicious, sour balsamic vinegar. Mmmm.

Ever since learning to turn tomatoes into raisins, I've been wanting to see how that would work in bruschetta. Balsamic-soaked, roasted grape tomatoes are perfect on their own. Throw them in salads, sandwiches, eat them by the handful. But marry them with cilantro and shallots, then add them to grilled bread? Hot. Damn.

Growing up here in not-Italy, I was under the impression that bruschetta is the toppings on the toasty bread. Turns out that's not true. The word bruschetta is derived from the Italian word that means to roast over coals. So those bottles labeled bruschetta are both lying to you and cheating you out of a really great fresh toasted and roasted dish. Don't buy them. Make this instead.

First you roast tomatoes, then marinate them in balsamic vinegar and a bit of olive oil overnight. Or, if you're like me and dare to forget they're in the fridge, let them sit for a week! Hell, just store them in the balsamic after cooking. You can reduce the marinade later and use it as a glaze or salad dressing.

Once you've waited long enough for the tomatoes soak up their tasty sourness, chop up a shallot and some cilantro. Mix them all in the the marinade. Then toast some sliced crusty bread and rub it with garlic. Top with a good Parmesan or an Italian truffle cheese. Enjoy your sexy dish.

Then stuff it in your pie hole.

The instructions below will give you enough for 1 person (about 5-6 slices). Scale as necessary.

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Marinated Roasted Tomato Bruschetta

by Paulette Fontanez August-12-2011

Ingredients

• 1 large French dinner roll (or any crusty bread)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup roasted grape tomatoes, soaked in balsamic marinade
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Italian truffle cheese

Instructions

1. Roast grape tomatoes according to directions. Cover in balsamic vinegar and a dash of olive oil. Marinate overnight (or longer).2. Cut bread into 3/4-inch slices on the bias. Brush with olive oil and bake oil side up at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool then rub with a cut clove of garlic (or a whole head cut in half--it covers more surface area).2a. You could also simply toast the bread under the broiler, in the toaster, or on the grill.3. Add shallot and cilantro to the tomato marinade and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste (if you find it necessary, this is optional).4. Spoon the mixture onto each bread slice and top with a bit of grated cheese.

Try not to devour it all at once. You don't want to choke.


Yield: 5-6 slices

Wordless Wednesday: Ritz Carlton Tomato Salad

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Summer has finally arrived in California. One day it was freezing cold (as in there's still snow on the ground in some spots), the next it was in the 80s and now everyone is complaining and cranking up the AC.

We're fickle, spoiled creatures.

But just because it's a scorching summer and I don't have artificially cold air in my home (I live by an ocean, naturally cold air!), doesn't mean I won't turn on the oven and roast poor defenseless vegetables. Because roasted vegetables are so much yummier than raw ones (especially cauliflower, regular and Roman).

So it was without even a second thought that when Erika Kerekes posted her oven-roasted cherry tomatoes recipe on Facebook, that I walked right into my kitchen and followed her directions. Luckily I had just picked up 2 baskets of grape tomatoes.

First I laid them all out on a pan, and rubbed them lovingly with olive oil and Adobo seasoning. They enjoyed it.

Then I roasted them till they shriveled up into little tomato raisins.

They liked that too.

Like Erika will tell you, "they get redder, softer, juicier." And sweeter. I've put them in every single salad I've had this week (and I eat one for lunch every day), the spaghetti I made last night, and even stood over the pan above and just ate them straight out of the oven. Until I burned my tongue and managed to hold off for a while, till they cooled an edible temperature.

Throw them in a jar and dare yourself not to eat them all at once.

Erika's recipe can be found here. Though I would recommend doing this early in the morning or late in the evening, especially if you don't live by an ocean.

Oysters Smoked & Skewered

Turns out straight out of the can isn't the only thing to do with the alien-looking smoked oysters (and remain on the elimination challenge diet). They're also really good with tomatoes. Especially baby heirloom tomatoes. On sticks.

I got the idea from the good people over at Group Recipes. But they recommended toothpicks, and I like my sticks a bit longer.

There's something perfect about the combination of baby tomatoes and smoked oysters together. Like peanut butter and jelly, mac and cheese, or an old scotch and a fine cigar, they are absolutely delicious together.

And far easier than shucking your own oysters.

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Smoked Oysters & Tomato Skewers

An easy snack

Ingredients

1 tin (3.5 ounces) smoked oysters1 basket mini heirloom tomatoes

Instructions

1. Alternate spearing oysters and tomatoes on a skewer. Use about 4 tomatoes and 3 oysters per skewer. Be careful, the oysters are delicate and tend to fall apart easily.

2. Repeat until all tomatoes and oysters have been used.

3. Eat.

Yield: about 10 skewers