Bob and his Friends!

[ British accent ] And now is the time for Tomato Confit [ /British Accent ].....

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES....beautiful...irregular and presumably so full of flavor that after one bite you could boast about how good it was for the remainder of your life and try to make everyone feel like you know something that they don't know and how much richer your life is than theirs because you've had this amazing tomato experience and they haven't. -David Libovitz

When tomato season comes upon us, do you ever wonder "what should I do with all these tomatoes!" You've gotta try this recipe! Grab whatever tomatoes you can get your hands on....I prefer my homegrown-(literally- unlike other mkts ) heirloom tomatoes. Right now I have Stupice Heirlooms-basically like the "earlygirl" coming out my ears! Grab a cookie sheet, some fresh herbs and your tomatoes and taste the best tomato concoction known to man.

Confit of Tomatoes

Fresh Herbs:

3 twigs of Rosemary

4-5 Bay leaves

5-6 Twigs of Thyme

Then throw them on top of your cookie sheet and generously sprinkle with olive oil. Salt and pepper.

Halve tomatoes and put the cut-side down on top of the

herbs. Slice 3-4 garlic cloves and sprinkle on top of the tomatoes, garnish with your whole bays leaves scattered on top as well as a little more salt.

Throw into the oven for 45 min at 350 degrees. You

might want to put the pan on top of a bigger

one just incase the juices drip over.

Once the tomato tops have browned take out and

let cool for 10 min. Then use a tong to peel off the skin.

Now what?!

It's time to eat.....add this flavorful pulp to homemade pizza, pasta, on fish or chicken.....anywhere you wanna good concentrated flavor of tomatoes!

Happy Eating! - k

Day 16: Lot-sa Pasta

Taking this challenge has made me one busy girl!

The first week had it's definite difficulties. I had to adjust to make more time for food preparation, I must remember to take my food with me when I'm away from the kitchen and make time throughout the week to pick up local items I've been purchasing from now....new friends.

Top 5 things I've learned so far through this project:

1 Sugar is in everything! Eating locally really cuts down your sugar intake.

2 Sorghum and honey are great substitutes for almost anything.

3 I really miss cinnamon

4 I can't live without the house wine of the south....Sweet Tea.....though truly good with honey

5 Now that I eat food that's more nutritionally packed, I eat less food....which means I lose weight without even really trying!

Some food items are quite limited and scarce. I was getting tired of eating

eggs and potatoes, bread and honey. I knew for me to make it to the end I had to get more creative!

So I decided this weekend to make PASTA!

I already had the flour from Weisenberger Mill and my farm fresh eggs.....a very simple recipe for making AMAZING Pasta!

Each round is a portion that I cut into strips and let

dry for 3 days....or immediately eat fresh.....which I did both!

Life is so much better with PASTA!

Last night and today for lunch I had fresh pasta and my homemade bolognese sauce made from my very own tomatoes and fresh veggies bought from the farmers market. It was amazing!

You gotta try it!

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Pasta Recipe:

2 ¾ Fresh Flour

5 med Eggs

Dash o’ Salt

½ C warm water

1 Tbl Olive Oil (optional)

Bolognese Sauce Ingredients:

15 Tomatoes (peeled and seeded if preferred), crushed

1 med onion, finely chopped

1 carrot , scraped and finely chopped

1 Tbsp butter or Olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, busted

5 med-sized basil leaves (fresh) chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

2 Tbsp Sorghum Molasses

1 lb of ground meat

Peeling Tomatoes:

With a sharp paring knife, cut an X on the bottom of each tomato. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, place 3-4 tomatoes in rapidly boiling water in a 6-8 quart pot for 15-25 seconds. Be careful not to cook the tomatoes. Let cool then peel.

Bolognese Sauce:

Use two pots, one for your stewed tomatoes and one for your meat and veggies. Throw your crushed tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper in your pot on medium heat and let it begin to boil down. This will take about an hour, stirring occasionally.

In the other pot, start sautéing over med heat your onions and carrots in butter or olive oil. Sweat your veggies down until they begin to look translucent and caramelized, then add your meat. Brown the meat and set aside.

Once your stewed tomatoes have reduced to a thicker sauce add sorghum and basil. Let it reduce a bit more until you like the consistency, then add your meat.

Voila! Happy eating! - k