Sunday Sauce Extravaganza

A brief history

The Tomato History has origins traced back to the early Aztecs around 700 A.D; therefore it is believed that the tomato is native to the Americas. It was not until around the 16th century that Europeans were introduced to this fruit when the early explorers set sail to discover new lands. Throughout Southern Europe, the tomato was quickly accepted into the kitchen, yet as it moved north, more resistance was apparent. The British, for example, admired the tomato for its beauty, but believe that it was poisonous, as its appearance was similar to that of the wolf peach. "...most Europeans thought that the tomato was poisonous because of the way plates and flatware were made in the 1500's." Rich people in that time used flatware made of pewter, which has a high-lead content. Foods high in acid, like tomatoes, would cause the lead to leech out into the food, resulting in lead poisoning and death. Poor people, who ate off of plates made of wood, did not have that problem, and hence did not have an aversion to tomatoes. This is essentially the reason why tomatoes were only eaten by poor people until the 1800's, especially Italians. What changed in the 1800's? First, and most significantly, was the mass immigration from Europe to America and the traditional blending of cultures. Many Italian-Americans ate tomatoes and brought that food with them. But also, and perhaps equally as important, was the invention of pizza. There is no pizza without tomato sauce, and pizza was invented around Naples in the late 1880's. The story goes that it was created by one restaurateur in Naples to celebrate the visit of Queen Margarite, the first Italian monarch since Napoleon conquered Italy. The restaurateur made the pizza from three ingredients that represented the colors of the new Italian flag: red, white, and green. The red is the tomato sauce, the white was the mozzarella cheese, and the green was the basil topping. It was not regarded as a kitchen vegetable until the times preceding The Civil War Period in the United States. From this point forward, tomatoes have become a staple item in the kitchen throughout the world. Each area of the world has its own tomato history and how it is used in everyday dining. It appears though that tomatoes have had the largest impact on American eating habits, as they are responsible for enjoying over 12 million tons of tomatoes each year. via: http://www.tomato-cages.com/tomato-history.html With all that being said, the tomato production at the crib has been on overload. If not for seeing it with my own eyes I would never of believed how many tomatoes could be grown off what started as two tiny tiny plants. These monsters have taken over, and have been very kind to us this year.

I can pick this many tomatoes about every other day, and they are gorgeous!

I can smell fall, and I love it! Pumpkins, apples, all things cool crisp air-Mi Amor!

As you can tell, the collards are pretty damn fascinating. After the heat wave, they have been much happier (and super tasty)

Every Sunday, and a couple other days of the week I have made tomato sauce. Just when I think I'm sick of the red gravy goodness, after it's been cooking for a couple hours I just can't get enough of it- and luckily either can Aidan.

The squash and eggplant production has been on high alert- won't these plants just die already?!



Eggplant and squash pasta bake with brown rice rotini- gluten free



Eggplant parm made with Italian bi-color eggplant @ Aunt Chele's house for a Sunday Sauce day (my favorite!). Family is by far the most important thing in my life, and being able to cook for the ones I love will always be the thing I enjoy most in my life- saying I love them is a total understatement...nothing compares.



The bolognese sauce



Always smiling


Another day of sauce, with turkey meatballs



He hates it




Many an individual feel the need to add tomato paste or a thickener to make their sauce heartier- I however feel that is pointless. Every time I make sauce I use fresh tomatoes- I chop them into small squares and throw in a pot with browned garlic, onions and olive oil. I cook it down for a couple hours and add some dry red wine. To that I add herbs and spice it up a bit, then I use an immersion blender to get it to the consistency I desire. I never take the time to blanch the tomatoes and peel them, thats just how I roll.

Chevre&Mushroom Tarts

1/2 cup of herb chevre

1 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (I used portabella)

3 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted or untoasted)

mini phyllo shells(in the freezer section)

dill

salt & pepper

olive oil for cooking

Cook down the mushrooms in olive oil until tender. Add cheese and create a sauce, add the nuts. Season to your liking with herbs. Spoon into shells, and bake at 375 for 20 min until brown.

Another family dinner included this raw garden kale salad

Bbq'd scalloped squash, baby tomatoes, cucumber and massaged kale in a lemon tahini dressing.

The dressing contains soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, tahini, and a really light touch of mustard.

Aunt Chele's heriloom garden tomatoes & squash gratin.

The dehydrator has come in handy lately.I dried parsley, sage, mint and lemon balm for tea.



Roasted butternut squash from the garden on top of hummus, served with a salad tossed in an apple cider mustard vinaigrette.


GET CAKE!


Aidan has been brushing up on his baseball skills which also happens to be one of his favorite words.



Baby likes tilapia with edamame.

Ciao Bambino!