Fancy Tomato Pie

Tomato pie is back by popular demand.

This time, I went a little fancy and used a fluted French tart pan.  And I mixed in some ricotta with the mayo. So I guess you can call it Fancy Tomato Pie, or a Tomato Pie Tart. It's up to you. Either way, this pie is delicious and delightfully simple to make. (I'm definitely going to be adding it to my "perfect to serve to company" files.)

Fancy Tomato Pie
Ingredients:
1 batch biscuit dough

8 oz. ricotta cheese
2 TBS half and half

2 TBS mayonnaise

Heaping 1/2 cup aged cheddar, grated

Smoked sea salt (or regular Kosher salt is fine)

Ground black pepper

Italian herbs (fresh or dried)
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Garlic powder (optional)

Minimal MESS/ingredients/clean-up: Category 1

To Do: 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Prepare the biscuit mix according to your recipe or the package directions.
• Butter a fluted tart pan (or pie pan) and press the biscuit dough into it.
• In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the ricotta, half and half, mayo, cheddar, salt/pepper and herbs. Spread evenly over the dough.

• Top with tomato slices (seed side up) in a circular pattern, then sprinkle with a bit more salt/pepper, herbs, and a pinch of garlic powder if you want. Note: I was a bit messy with the tomatoes at the end (I have no patience for fanciness), but if you take your time, you'll have a beautiful looking dish.

 

• Bake until browned and bubbly.

• Let cool, carefully remove from tart pan, then cut into wedges.

• Serve pie warm with a green salad and glass of wine. (It's also fabulous eaten cold, for breakfast or a late-night snack.)

xoxo

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

Tomatoes rule.

From the briny, sun-dried kind to the beautifully plump Jerseys, and sweet, eat-them-by-the-handful cherry variety, this versatile fruit just makes everything better.

Let's face it -- there would be no BLT without the T. And, grilled cheese is just sad without a bowl of hot, creamy tomato soup beside it. Have you heard of Bloody Marys? A world without those is a world I do not want to be a part of, thank you, especially at 11am on a Saturday. Plus, who could live without tomato pie, pizza pie, lasagna, or spaghetti with Sunday gravy? Not this lady. There are tomatoes in my kitchen 24/7.

Now that the sun-kissed, juicy tomatoes of summer are far behind us, I'm using tomatoes in salads and sandwiches less often and baking, stuffing, roasting, and pureeing them instead. One of the simplest, yet tastiest ways to enjoy a tomato this time of year is to roast them. Simply toss your tomatoes (whole or sliced, depending on what size/type you're using) with some olive oil and a bit of Kosher salt and roast at 450 degrees until browned and deflated. You can add some cloves of garlic, dried herbs, or some sliced red pepper to the pan if you want, too.

Roasted Heaven

Once they're roasted, let the tomatoes cool and drain away the oil/juices into a separate container for dipping crusty bread, topping pizzas or tossing with pasta. Then, chop the tomatoes up (if they aren't sliced) and the possibilities are endless:

• Pile them on sandwiches/burgers along with basil and mozzarella for a Caprese-style treat.
• Blend them with fresh herbs and cream/stock for a tasty soup or sauce
• Use as a pizza or crostini topping. (They are especially great with ricotta or goat cheese.)
• Spoon a mixture of the tomatoes, lemon, olives and parsley over roasted fish.
• Stuff chicken breasts with the tomatoes, some feta cheese and spinach and bake until cooked through and browned.
• Cook until heated through with with tuna (in oil), chili pepper and olives, then toss with pasta.
• Fold into scrambled eggs or fill an omelet with them.
• Spoon them over a toasted bagel that's topped with cream cheese or ricotta.

Or, you can just scoop them into a bowl, sprinkle on some chopped basil and ground black pepper, put them on the table -- and watch them disappear!

Food like this is magic.

xoxo,
LPG

I'm a Believer: Anchovy Paste

I don't know about you, but whenever I pass a gourmet food shop, I have to stop what I'm doing and go in. There's an invisible pull -- I can't help myself. I could spend hours browsing the shelves for exotic spices and artisanal vinegars. And of course, I always use the opportunity to stock up on my standbys: tomato paste in a tube, smoked sea salt, aged Gouda, and fig preserves. Yum.

Recently, I added a tube of anchovy paste to my pile of goodies, after seeing some great recipes that feature it, like this one. I may be in the minority, but I've always liked anchovies. They are one of those underrated foods that everyone wrinkles their noses at...until they eat a dish that changes their misconceptions. And of course, if you like Caesar salad, you've eaten an anchovy or two. (They're in the dressing, folks.)

If you aren't quite ready to buy a ticket on the anchovy train, but are willing to give them a chance, I wholeheartedly suggest starting out slowly. (You'll believe in the power of anchovies in no time.) Buy a tube of anchovy paste and go from there. Anchovy paste is made from anchovies, olive oil, salt, sugar and spices. It has a bright, salty flavor and is more savory than fishy. And, a little goes a long way. Add a bit to the melted butter, garlic and grated cheese on your garlic bread. Whisk some into your shallot vinaigrette. Mix some in with the mayo in your potato salad. The opportunities to impress the anti-anchovy faction are endless. Note: I've also found anchovy paste at my local grocery store in the pasta/sauce aisle, so you may not need to go to a specialty shop to find it.

Anchovies go terrifically well with briny olives and capers, spicy peppers and fruity acids, so I made a Puttanesca-type of dish to use as a topping for breads/crackers. I didn't write down the recipe, but I sautéed some garlic in a bit of olive oil until it was fragrant, then in went a couple tablespoons of butter, a tablespoon of capers (drained), about 10 sliced olives (pitted), and an inch or so of the anchovy paste. I stirred it all together until combined, then added in four plum tomatoes that I had seeded and diced, and a last-minute addition of a teaspoon of tomato paste. I cooked this all down, seasoning with salt/pepper and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes. When most of the liquid was gone, I turned off the heat and let it cool a bit before eating. Chris and I then spent the rest of the afternoon drinking wine and scooping the briny-yet-bright tasting mixture onto crusty bread, salty crackers, and hunks of hard cheese.

It would also be great as a pizza topping (add crumbles of spicy sausage and fresh mozzarella) or the more traditional way, tossed with spaghetti. Or for breakfast with a poached egg. To make a sauce, simply add 1 1/2 cups more of the diced tomatoes and simmer about 15 minutes longer, adjusting the seasonings, and you're done. Maybe a drizzle of olive oil and/or some chopped fresh basil, parsley and oregano to finish?

Mmmm. Delish!

Baby steps, dear ones. Baby steps.
xoxo

End of Summer Bounty

See ya, Summer!

I'm sorry to break it to you, but this summer was not that great, and I will be very happy, thrilled even, to see Autumn take its place next week. The weather was horrible and very un-summerlike here on the East Coast. It was muggy and cloudy for days, and then there was a heatwave or three. It also rained quite a bit, usually on the weekends. (Of course!) We didn't make one trip down to the shore this year, which is sad because it's a short drive away. But, we'll always have Paris, so I can't complain too much. And, if there is one good thing about this time of year, it's that my favorite kitchen staples like eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and tomatoes are plentiful and delicious, which means I can make lots of great meals without a lot of fuss.

From mid-August through the end of September, Chez Gourmess is home to heaping plates of ratatouille (my favorite summer dish); thick slices of toasted homemade bread topped with goat cheese and a flavorful summer vegetable spread; stuffed to the brim casserole dishes of rich summer lasagna with layers of eggplant, zucchini, shredded chicken and mozzarella; bowls of pasta tossed with a summer veggie sauce, olives, and Romano cheese; and tasty homemade pizzas topped with basil from the garden, roasted eggplant, and tomatoes.

Ratatouille was one of the first dishes I learned to make
when I was teaching myself the FCI textbook in 2010.
I've been making it ever since -- even on TV!

Now that we've hit the prime time for these treats, every week or so I fill my dutch oven to the top with minced herbs (parsley and basil from the garden), diced eggplant, zucchini (yellow and green), half a dozen ripe tomatoes (seeded and peeled), colorful bell peppers, a few cloves of garlic (minced) and olive oil (1/4 cup or so), and cover/let it simmer for about an hour or so, stirring every once in awhile. When it's done, I season with a bit of salt and pepper, and it's ready for use in all of my favorite dishes. I can add chicken broth for a lovely vegetable soup; blend it into a creamy dip/sandwich spread; top pizzas; fill lasagnas; stir into pastas; add to scrambled eggs; brighten up burgers -- you name it. And, if there's any left, I just eat it right out of the container, using a piece of crusty bread as my fork. Dee-lish!

And for that, Summer, I salute you.

Some Recent End of Summer Treasures:

Lasagna with layers of the eggplant/pepper/zucchini/tomato mixture, shredded chicken with chopped basil, and a cheesy filling of Greek yogurt (instead of ricotta), shredded mozzarella, garlic and herbs.

A tasty dip of my eggplant/pepper/zucchini/tomato mixture blended with mustard, vinegar, red pepper flakes, fresh herbs, and a wee dollop of mayo. Great on sandwiches, too.

Other Favorites:

Farfalle pasta with eggplant, zucchini, tomato and smoked mozzarella make this easy, smoky dish one that you'll want to keep handy all year.

Pizza! Pizza!  Eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes make the tastiest toppings ever. Add some cheese and a drizzle of olive oil, and you're done. 

What are you making with the late summer bounty?

xoxo

Perfect for Brunch: The Cobb Sandwich

Breakfast is not my favorite meal, and brunch usually just annoys me. I don't want to merge two meals into one, I really don't. Plus, I like lunch. When we have brunch, I usually order something lunchy as opposed to breakfasty, anyway. Like a tuna melt, or a salad. One of my favorites? The Cobb Salad. I mean, who doesn't love bacon and cheese in their salad? It goes against everything a salad should be (i.e. healthy), and it's so darn good.

But, back to brunch. I guess there is something fun about drinking cocktails before noon and it does  make lunchtime seem a bit more festive...okay, brunch is starting to grow on me. Especially, because I've started making the best sandwich ever, and it is perfect for brunch. Ladies and gents, I give you, The Cobb Sandwich:

Gourmess Cobb Sandwich 
Makes 2 sandwiches
Ingredients:

8 slices bacon

1/4 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese

2 eggs
1 firm avocado
2 tomatoes
3 TBS mayonnaise
1 TBS crumbled bleu cheese
Kosher salt/ground black pepper
4 slices crusty bread, toasted

Minimal MESS/ingredients/clean-up Category 1

To Do:

• Cook bacon, drain, and set aside.
• Make your egg: In a small microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the two eggs and the shredded cheese. Add a pinch of salt/ pepper. Cover the bowl with a paper towel and microwave for about 2 minutes, until cooked through.  Gently remove the eggs from the bowl and let cool slightly. (The eggs will be fluffy and molded into a circular shape that makes sandwich building easier.)

• Slice the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. Then, slice the avocado. (An easy way to slice the avocado is to cut it in half, twist to separate, then take a half and hold it in your palm and carefully slice lengthwise into long pieces with a knife, then gently remove from the peel.

• Toast your bread. Mix the mayo and the bleu cheese together in a bowl and  then spread each slice with a bit of the mayo mixture. 
• Build your sandwich. Cover the mayoed bottom piece with avocado slices and then four pieces of the bacon. On the top, a layer of tomatoes, followed by the half of the egg.

• Close the sandwich, and then sink your teeth into one tasty treat.
• Serve with Bloody Marys for the ultimate brunch.

xoxo

Eat Your Vegetables: Great Gazpacho

I know you're tired of hearing it, but I'm tired of living it, so I'll say it again: It's hot.

We're having a summer for the record books over here on the East Coast. More 90+ degree days than the past 11 years combined, or something like that. I don't pay much attention to the weather forecast anymore. It's too depressing.  But, if there's one great thing about the heat, it's that it puts the focus on tasty food that doesn't have to go anywhere near the oven.

Chris and I have been noshing on summer delights like cold chicken, crusty bread, olives, ripe tomatoes, creamy avocados -- and my favorite summer soup: Gazpacho.

I like making gazpacho, because it turns out a little bit different each time I make it, depending on the ingredients. This time, I had some V-8 in the fridge from a brunch batch of Bloody Marys, and the blender was still  out, so I just grabbed a few things from the fridge, and in literally 10 minutes, had a batch of bright, zingy gazpacho. I let it chill for an hour or so before Chris came home, and that was it. Easy as pie...mmm, now I'm thinking about pie. And you probably are too. Sorry!

Great Gazpacho
Ingredients:
12 oz. V-8 juice
1 cup baby carrots, chopped
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 large slices of roasted red pepper, drained and chopped
1 TBS diced jalapeño, stemmed and seeded
1 bunch each of mint, parsley and basil leaves, chopped
Red wine vinegar
Olive oil
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced

Minimal MESS/ingredients/clean-up Category 1

To Do:

• Add 1/4 cup of V-8 to the blender cup along with the carrots and finely chop.
• Transfer to a large bowl.
• Do the same with the cucumber and tomatoes (chop each in the blender with a bit of juice, separately), then add to the bowl of carrots and stir together.
• Reserve about 11/4 cup of the cucumber, tomato and carrot mixture, then return the rest to the blender.
• Add the roasted pepper slices, jalapeno, herbs, and the rest of the V-8 and puree until you have the consistency you like (I like mine a bit chunky).
• Pour over the reserved veggies and stir.  Season to taste with vinegar and olive oil, and a few pinches of salt/pepper.
• Let chill at least 1 hour so flavors can merge. Adjust seasonings before eating.
• To serve: place avocado slices in the bottom of each bowl and ladle soup over them. Garnish with fresh herbs and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with crusty bread.

Mmmm.

xoxo

Tomato Pie

Pie.

You can't read that word without smiling, right? 

Cakes are gorgeous and cookies are tasty portable treats, but pie? Can we please have a moment of respectful silence for pie? [Insert silence for pie here.] Buttery dough baked until crisp and flaky, filled to bursting with tart fruits or a sweet, custardy filling. You can dress it up with a dollop of whipped cream or eat it with a spoon via a melty a la mode. I mean, really -- is it not the perfect dessert? And not just dessert. Don't get me started on chicken pot pie. I've had grown men beg for a taste of mine. And there's shepherd's pie, meat pie, vegetable pie, even quiche can count as pie. Savory pies are magical -- it's like having dessert for dinner and still getting to have dessert afterwards, too. Plus, you can't really match the lovely, homey smell of a pie baking in the oven. Mmmmmm.

I was at a loss for something to make for dinner (I'm behind on my grocery restocking) and started searching for a dish that would utilize what I did have left in the kitchen (besides kale). For some reason (blame it on all of the Moroccan cooking), I had a ton of tomatoes. Luckily, I stumbled upon this piece by the wonderful Ruth Reichl and decided that "James Beard's Tomato Pie" would be perfect. It sounded like just the thing to make a cold March day feel like a warm, breezy day in June. And it is. One bite and you think maybe, just maybe you can make it through the winter. 

James Beard's Tomato Pie 
via Ruth Reichl, slightly adapted by Gourmess
Ingredients:
1 batch biscuit mix
1-2 tsp dried Italian Herb seasoning mix (optional)
4-6 large tomatoes or 1-2 pkg Campari tomatoes, seeded and sliced thick
Salt/pepper
2 TBS finely chopped fresh parsley or basil
1 heaping cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise 
Note: Ruth's recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of mayo, but I've found it is just as tasty and less soupy with 1/2 cup less of the mayo, so have adjusted accordingly. Also, going forward, I will seed the tomatoes to reduce extra liquid, and so I've adjusted the recipe for that as well. Just ignore my pictures with non-seeded tomatoes below. (Live and learn.)

To Do:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Make your own buttermilk biscuit dough (Ruth gives a great recipe for buttermilk biscuits in her piece) or use any packaged biscuit mix or even the pre-made dough in your freezer case. If you make your own dough or use a mix (I used Bisquick Complete Buttermilk Biscuit mix), fold in the dried herbs. If the dough is already made, you can skip.
• Spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray, then press the biscuit dough into the bottom and sides.

• Slice/seed the tomatoes, sprinkle lightly with salt, and let rest in a colander for 5-10 minutes to get rid of excess liquid, then cover the biscuit dough with the sliced tomatoes. (In the summer, I will use huge, fat ripe tomatoes. This time around, I used Campari tomatoes which I think are the most flavorful of winter options. They are smaller, but worked in a pinch.)

• Sprinkle the layered tomatoes with a bit more salt, cracked pepper, and the chopped parsley. (Basil would be perfect -- I didn't have any, so I used parsley and it was still delicious.) 

• Mix together the cheese and mayo, and any parsley/basil you may have left over (optional), and spread over the tomatoes.

• Bake for about 30-35 minutes until biscuit dough is firm and the topping is browned/bubbly. Let cool for about 10 minutes if you can stand it, and serve.

Not quite.

Done!

Chris said he thinks tomato pie would be a perfect for brunch served with a warm spinach and bacon salad. (It's ideas like that, that make me say, "Yep. He's my soul mate.")  

I'm going to add this pie to my repertoire for sure, and play around with it now that I have the general idea of the proportions, baking time, etc. How about a drizzle of balsamic vinegar before serving? Would it be tasty with shredded cheese mixed into the dough? Or, what if I used 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup goat cheese or cream cheese, or even crème fraîche? Chopped bacon might be good mixed into the mayo topping, too (BLT, anyone?), or how about smoked cheddar or even mozzarella? What if I used sun dried tomatoes and stirred feta into the mayo? So many ideas! Of course, there's something to be said for leaving a great, classic recipe the way it is. But, this could be fun....

Please make this pie. It's fantastic now, but by the time summer rolls around, you'll be able to use big fat tomatoes still warm from the garden and it will change everything. I bet this pie will become your go-to dish for parties, potluck, and more. It's that good, and a breeze to make (but don't tell anyone). You're going to love it.

Sunny, warm days will be here soon, folks. 
We just have to hang in a bit longer. After all, there's pie to get us through. 

xoxo

P.S. Looking for more pie? Try one of these tasty treats: Venison Pie, Shepherd's Pie, Peanut Butter Pie, Apple-Pear-Cranberry Pie with Pecan Crumble, and Apple Pie Cookies.

Charming Charmoula

Meet me in Morocco...

Chris and I have a tradition -- we go away on vacation every year for the holidays, just the two of us. We usually head off to the Caribbean for a couple weeks of sun and sand, but this time, we've decided to do something a bit different. This year, we're going to Morocco! We'll be spending our Christmas in North Africa, enjoying the "Kingdom of Morocco" and its people, culture and history.  We'll also be taking some cooking classes, which I'm super excited about.

December is not too far away, so Chris has started thumbing through guide books and we're going to start brushing up on our French soon. It's so exciting! I mean, C'est tellement excitant! 

And, we've started cooking like Moroccans as well.

We had some lovely Haddock fillets and I wanted to try something new with them, so when I came across a recipe for "Charmoula" -- a traditional Moroccan cilantro-pesto used as a marinade for fish and vegetable dishes -- I thought it sounded perfect. We had all the ingredients, and it was super easy to make. I tweaked it a bit, using smoked paprika instead of sweet paprika to add a lovely, smoky element to the dish. It was delicious and I will definitely make it again! 

Chris made some brown rice and I sautéed up some baby spinach with olive oil, garlic powder and a couple pieces of bacon (diced) as our sides. The charmoula was very garlicky/spicy when I tested it before pouring over the fish. But, after baking for about 20-25 minutes, the garlic had mellowed and the marinade tasted terrific.

Charming Charmoula

2-4 Haddock filets

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

5-6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

Juice of 1 large lemon (about 1/3 cup)

1/4 tsp cayenne or chili pepper

1 1/2 tsp cumin

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tomato, seeded, cored and chopped
2 TBS sun-dried tomato, chopped (optional) 
1 TBS butter, diced 

To Do

• Pat fillets dry and place in an oven-safe dish that's been lightly greased. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Chop the cilantro and parsley and add to a food processor or blender. 
• Mince the garlic and add it and the spices to the cilantro/parsley mixture.
• Add the lemon juice and olive oil and blend/process until you have sauce/marinade texture.
• Chop up the juiced/seeded lemon and add to the fish, along with the sun-dried tomatoes.
• Pour the charmoula over the fish and top with the chopped fresh tomato.

• Bake for 20-25 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
• During the last 10 minutes of baking, top the fish with the butter.
• Serve with mounded brown rice and wilted greens, spooning sauce from the hot pan over the fish and rice. 

Yum!
xoxo

Summer Lovin'

In case you haven't been outside in a few days or hours, I just wanted to let you know that we're now in the hot, sweaty middle of summer. Which means, sunshine, shorts, flip flops -- and spectacular fruits -- abound! I love summer fruits. Berries, melons, tomatoes, oh-my!

Speaking of--here are some favorite recipes to try. Enjoy. (I'm off to make myself a watermelon cocktail!)

Mixed Berry Coffee Cake
This lovely mixed berry coffee cake that can be eaten for breakfast, brunch or dessert, or all three....

Another coffee cake, this time, blueberries are the star.

Summer Shortcake
Featuring Mama's Plain Butter Cake recipe.

Summer Fruit Salad with Ricotta and Tupelo Honey
A treat on the lighter side.

Raspberry Sorbet and Frozen Mango Soufflé

Two lovely ways to beat the heat ... courtesy of my FCI days.

As for tomatoes (yes, they are technically a fruit), beefsteak, plum, cherry, Heirloom, right off the vine -- I can't get enough of them this time of year. 

A simple tomato, basil and mozzarella salad with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar makes for an easy summer dish.  

Here are a few other ways to use them:

Hurricane Pie

A great way to use up leftovers from  your steak and veggie barbecue from the night before.

Fettuccine, Tomatoes, Basil and Goat Cheese

Simple and delish.

Oven-Roasted Cod with Tomatoes, Olives, Capers, Garlic and Lemon

A household favorite. And a great way to make the most of summer's fresh-caught fish.

I heart Summer.
xoxox

Hurricane Pie

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child

Chris and I survived Hurricane Irene.  Luckily, living in Northern New Jersey, we were spared the brunt of the storm. We have some branches down and the wind and rain were relentless all through the night, but we woke to sunshine and the sound of birds chirping outside our window.  

Last night as we hunkered down with the kitties and sipped on Dark & Stormy cocktails (basically dark rum and ginger beer) I decided to use up our produce and clear out the fridge, just in case we lost power. (We didn't.) I thought a tomato pie would be great, but we had made a lovely London Broil and grilled veggies on Friday, so those leftovers went into the pie, too.

Thus, Hurricane Pie was born:

1 9-inch pie crust

1/4 cup corn meal

4 ripe tomatoes (sliced thin and drained on paper towels for at least 30 minutes)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)

1 cup diced grilled veggies (red onions, peppers, squash, cabbage, carrots, etc.) 

1/2 cup diced steak (ham or bacon would be great, too.)

6 large eggs

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

2 TBS of heavy cream

Parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

To Do:

Place the crust in a deep pie pan and top with cornmeal (keeps bottom crust from getting soggy).  Layer tomatoes on top of the cornmeal and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese.  Then, add the veggies.  Whisk the eggs, mayo and cream together, stir in the parsley, salt & pepper and pour over the  veggie mixture. Top with the remaining cheese and bake in 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until set.

Wait for hurricane to pass before eating.

xoxoxo

Fettuccine with Tomatoes, Basil and Goat Cheese

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child

Living in the Garden State means luscious, organic produce, all summer long.

A mountain of tomatoes (large ones, cherry-sized, plum) arrived in my most recent box from Boxed Organics. I also ordered 10 oz. of fresh, hand-rolled goat cheese fresh from the farm: "goat chèvre made from happy milk from happy goats frolicking in the pastures, looking out over fields and generally having a jolly good time at Apple Tree Dairy in rural Pennsylvania." It is the best goat cheese I've ever had. You can and should eat it by the spoonful--just ask Chris. In addition, my basil plants are thriving in the August sunshine, so I decided to put all these summer riches together into a lovely, bowl of pasta.

I added a box of fettuccine and a few generous handfuls of salt to a pot of water and brought to a boil. (Boiling in "sea water" makes for a better-tasting pasta.) I also added a clove of smashed garlic to the water, for a little kick. When it was just about done/al dente, I drained it, reserving about a cup of the pasta water and tossing the garlic. DO NOT RINSE.

While the pasta was boiling, I chopped up a handful of basil leaves and a dozen of the cherry tomatoes. I set the tomatoes in a colander to drain and sprinkled some salt on them to get rid of excess liquid. I also toasted some thinly sliced garlic in a bit of olive oil. 

I put the drained pasta in a large pan on the stove and set on medium-low heat. I drizzled in a bit of olive oil and 1/4 cup of the pasta water and stirred with tongs until the pasta was heated through and not sticking together.  Then, I added in the tomatoes and toasted garlic and about 3 TBS of the goat cheese, gently mixing it all together.  The basil went in at the very end so it would stay lovely and bright green.

To serve, I used the tongs to put a heaping portion in each bowl, then added a small dollop of goat cheese and a few grinds of the pepper mill.  A delish dish.

Yum!

xoxoxo