When You Have Tomatoes...

...Make Tomato Pie.

This was dinner a couple of evenings ago.  Served with fresh greens from the garden and a Take And Bake baguette.

 

It's kinda putzy as far as recipes go, but you can perform all the prep in-advance.  Assembly and final bake is the relatively short part of the process

While you should seed your tomatoes; you don't have to bother peeling them.  The two most prolific tomatoes in my raised bed garden repertoire this year include San Marzano and Korean Long - both are high in the flesh department and low in seeds. If at all possible use fresh basil prepared in a chiffonade.    

Tomato Pie

Classic Southern tomato pie, a savory summer pie with seasonal tomatoes and basil topped with a creamy cheese mixture and baked until golden brown in a flaky pie crust shell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prep Time 30 minutes mins Cook Time 55 minutes mins Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

● 1 9-inch frozen deep dish pie shell
● 3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks about 3 to 4 cups
● I cup chopped onion - caramelized
● ¾ cup good quality mayonnaise I like Duke's
● 2 cups grated cheese - sharp cheddar, Gruyere, mozzarella and Monterey Jack
● Large handful of fresh basil, chopped or thinly sliced (chiffonade) about ¼ cup
● Frank’s hot sauce or Tabasco to taste
● Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. Follow package directions to bake pie shell; prick bottom all over of sllghtly thawed shell, bake for 10 to 20 minutes until browned.
3. Meanwhile, place tomatoes in colander and sprinkle with salt. Let drain, tossing several times. Then with paper towels, press down to blot up even more of the liquid.
4. In small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and cheeses until combined well.
5. Turn oven down to 375º .
6. Layer baked pie shell as follows: onions, tomato, basil, salt and pepper, mayonnaise-cheese mixture and spread evenly over the top.
7. Bake in center of oven for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool at least 20 to 30 minutes or longer. Slice and serve, warm or at room temperature.

Notes

● Make sure to drain the tomatoes, extracting as much juice as possible.
● Grate the cheese yourself, it melts better. That said, prepackaged shredded cheese will work, too.
● Serve warm or at room temperature, make sure to let it cool at least 20 minutes or longer.

American Culinary Dominance

For any of you regular readers you already know that from time to time I have been critical of many of the foods and certainly outdoor grilling during the 1960s.  But this vintage magazine ad from 1958-59 (or thereabouts) is actually appealing to me.  So much so I am inclined to try it out  Although the missus is going to ask me to leave the mustard out of her burger.

Click on image to read the recipe

Anyway, the pitch is:  Burgers Aren't Burgers Without French's Mustard.  Versions of this ad appeared in Life and Look magazine  featuring the distinctive red, white and blue Pure Prepared Mustard jar pitching mustard as an essential cooking ingredient.  

Whether you enjoy a plain hamburger or a fancy cheese burger mustard is not just something to put on top of the meat - you can incorporate it in the meat to enhance your culinary experience.

There's a detailed recipe explaining the mixing of butter, bleu cheese (Roquefort) and French's mustard into the beef.  Branding highlights the light and lively flavor, specific  blend of spices and quality of mustard seed making this uniquely suited to your needs where other mustards are not up to the task.  It is simple enough to appeal to a home cook looking for an entertainment recipe.

If I try my hand a building a better vintage burger, you can expect that I will opt for Dijon paired with Roquefort and possibly Dusseldorf and Swiss.  What could I pair with pizza mozz? 

The Russian Connection Surfaces Again

Over the years and from time-to-time I have mused and speculated about Russian influence over Donald Trump.  Yesterday we learn that Donald Jr.’s wedding celebration was funded by the Russians.

Russian businessman Umar Kremlev reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding festivities in the Bahamas, including renting a private island and paying roughly $70,000 for fireworks.

Kremlev appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, yet he attended the larger post-wedding celebration with a sizable group of other Russian guests. The actual wedding ceremony was a much smaller, private family affair.

Some additional details: Kremlev is a former member and leader of the Russian nationalist Night Wolves motorcycle organization, has close ties to Vladimir Putin, traveled to China around the time of Putin’s visit, and has been personally sanctioned by Ukraine.

Artyom Geodakyan/TASS/ZUMA Press

Ukraine’s sanctions cite Kremlev’s connections to Russian security structures and Healthy Fatherland, an organization involved in the abduction and forcible relocation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

The Trump family has confirmed Kremlev’s financial role, describing the festivities as an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend.

Such a sweet guy.

Trump Jr. and his wife have now publicly confirmed Kremlev’s contribution. 

Don, Jr. reportedly has a net worth of $300-$500 million, give or take. 

Whew!  Some days I'm grateful the Republicans don't want me around anymore.  With mobster friends like this; who needs enemies?  

September Astronomy

 

Venus will mathematically reach its greatest illuminated extent on Friday, September 18.  Nevertheless, it is still near its absolute brightest in our sky tonight. It will be piercingly bright. The moon is also at apogee, its farthest point from Earth.

Consequently, we’re also still seeing a fairly large fraction of its day side. It’s that combination – relative nearness and relatively big crescent – that makes Venus the most brilliant object in our sky. 

Because Venus is so bright, you can even attempt to observe it during daytime. Stand in the shadow of a building to completely block the sun, and carefully scan the clear blue sky roughly 38 degrees to the east (or to the left) of the hidden sun's position to spot the planet's brilliant white pinpoint of light.

I dare you. 

No matter where you are on Earth, watch for Venus as the blazing object in the west after sunset.

Bear Hunting

This ingenious battery-operated toy was offered for sale in 1963 by Louis Marx & Company. 

Marx was commonly known as the Henry Ford of the Toy Industry as he built his plaything empire on a single, yet simple, rule:  Give the customer more toy for less money.

The formula to his success?  He actually eschewed television advertising and relied heavily on high volume catalog sales and rock-bottom pricing.  

By the early to mid 1960s competitor Mattel revolutionized the industry by means of television commercials specifically directed towards kids as a target market rather than adults.  Recognizing the shift, Marx embraced television advertising and leaned heavily into dynamic, battery-operated plastic interactive toys.  Bop-A-Bear led the way during this transition.

Marx recognized the attraction of earlier shooting-gallery style games.  Even though they were huge hits they relied-upon fixed tracks and static targets.  Mark's engineering team developed a toy that was a marvel of scientific innovation inspiring real-time  unpredictability an entire generation before digital toy technology. 

The bear was constructed of molded plastic and included a mechanical trigger switch on its hind quarter.  Instead of a track it "walked" freely across the floor.  Hitting it with a rubber suction cup dart reversed the motor's polarity sending the bear shuffling-off in another direction while triggering an internal growling sound mechanism.  This was too cool beyond words.  How else could 1960s suburban kids bring a safari to the driveway, living room or basement rec room. 

In 1963 this was priced somewhere between $4-$6 depending-upon retailer; or about $40 to $60 in today's dollars.  Two D-cell batteries were extra. 

Bop-A-Bear had a relatively short life expectancy (pardon the pun) spanning 1963 to 64: yet, it set the stage for more Marx favorites like Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots (1964).  Nowadays, working examples of the original over-under dart gun and reversing motor bear are sought-after pieces of mid-century toy Americana. 

Just goes to show; even a Marx can become a wildly-successful capitalist....  

 

Fall Harvest Corn Chowder

I've heard that there are some people who surf the web to watch porn.  You know; stuff like sex videos.  And because my appetite leans towards food and less to carnal temptations I surf the web to watch food videos.  

Recently, I watched a Jacques Pépin tutorial on preparing a corn chowder.  I was intrigued by the ease he denuded a cob of it's kernels without sending them flying all over the kitchen for the dog to chase.  It's all about keeping your knife on both a horizontal level while at the same time a horizontal angle.  Who knew?  In any event, I found a New York Times recipe in my digital cooking index and short of sourcing some fresh sweet corn I had everything else on hand including some extras.  Sunday morning I fetched a half-dozen beautiful ears of sweet corn from Wienke's Market over on County S.  Besides, Packer Football is always better at halftime over a bowl of soup; notwithstanding a loss to the Vikings.

Individualizing a chowder or soup is a simple matter; consequently I incorporated chopped celery (including the tops) in lieu of parsley along with a cup of locally-sourced chopped oyster mushrooms I had on hand.  And smoked bacon.  Why, you ask?  Because I always have Marchant's bacon in the freezer in the event of an emergency.  Make it your own!_________________________________________________________________  

Basic Corn Chowder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Mark Bittman  Updated July 2, 2024

Total Time 30 minutes    Yield  4 servings

This is chowder at its simplest: corn, onion, potatoes and milk, with a couple of chopped
tomatoes and a handful of parsley to add flavor and color. Starting with bacon and finishing with cream makes a richer version of the dish. But you could easily expand its borders by adding curry powder and ginger, sour cream and cilantro. Or when the potato is replaced by rice and the cream with coconut milk, Southeast Asian seasonings can be added to make a chowder that has little in common with the original, save for its intense corn flavor.

Ingredients

● 4 to 6 ears of corn
● 1 tablespoon butter or neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
● 1 medium onion, chopped
● 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
● Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
● 2 tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (optional)
● 1 cup whole or low-fat milk
● ½ cup chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation

1. Shuck corn, and use a paring knife to strip kernels into a bowl. Put cobs in a pot with 4
cups water; bring to a boil, cover and simmer while you continue.  The corn water constitutes your stock.

2. Put butter or oil, I had residual bacon drippings (hubba hubba) in a saucepan, and turn heat to medium-high. When butter melts or oil is hot, add onion and potatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes; add tomatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

3. After corncobs have cooked at least 45 minutes, strain liquid into onion-potato mixture;
bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. When potatoes are tender, add corn kernels
and milk, and heat through. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Garnish with the parsley, and
serve.

Pro Tip

I added the oyster mushrooms along with some flour to make a roux at Step 1, the celery at Step 3 along with crispy chopped bacon bits as a garnish before serving.  

For a South Asian flair try curried corn chowder:  In Step 2, use oil, and add 1 tablespoon each curry powder and peeled and minced ginger to the onions. In Step 3, use sour cream in place of milk; garnish with cilantro in place of parsley.  Make it your own!

Autumn Is Knocking On The Door

The other day we rose to a sunny, blue-sky, 62F morning.  Perfect weather to walk the dog.

There's a lot of native flowers putting on a show and keeping the pollinators occupied.  Bumble bees everywhere and in short order lost count of the number of Monarch butterflies teasing me for a photo opportunity.

I had to settle for flowers...

Sneeze Weed (Helenium autumnale)

Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)

Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)

New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) 

Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum) on the left and Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)