Baby Tomato Kofta with Smoky Tomato Sauce

So how is your weekend going?!

The part of Wales i live in is in another lockdown.  Not as severe as the first as peopleare still able to go out and about, and moreso to the supermarket, but within regional boundaries.  It is NOW mandatory to wear a face mask which i think should have been the case in the first place, but hey the local government thinks it knows best.  I think in not too long, the whole of Wales will be in lockdown.  Not much for me has changed since the first lockdown, but that does not mean i have got used to it, far from it - we are all managing and coping in our own way. I am finding distractions at home - I have been doing a lot of reading, and attending on-line learning sessions - but there is only so much a person can take staring at the computer and zoom calls.  So I am always thankful for the garden space that is still feeding us well.

I've not ventured very far - that is the honest truth.  I have been out of my area three times to see family and friends and that is all and it was all socially distanced unable to kiss and hug.  And on those days went to the supermarket with D.  D has been doing the weekly shopping.

Anyway i made this Cypriot recipe called Domatokeftethes - Baby Tomato Kofta some time last week. The cookbook author writes ' this is kind of based on a Lenten Cypriot recipe. But it's got a splosh of Armenian ad a sprinkle of Turkey in there too'. 

On recommendation of the cookbook author I served it over pasta.

Then smothered with smoky paprika tomato sauce. The recipe i bookmarked from Sally Butcher's Veggiestan: A Vegetable Lover's tour of the Middle East.

It was my first time shallow frying tomatoes.  I must admit i was a bit nervous because of the liquid content in tomatoes, as i had expected some spluttering. But the not so pretty  batter above, benefited from sitting the fridge to firm up. I guess this also absorbs some of the liquid content. 

The Domatokeftethes - Baby Tomato Kofta  are shallow fried in oil and were a little reminisce of South Asian onion bhaji's minus the spices.  

We had plenty left over to eat the following day - cold.  I am sharing this Cypriot Baby Tomato Kofta with Smoky Tomato sauce with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Feasting on Tomatoes for the week

Its nearly the end of the weekend and i am trying hard not to think too much about the working week ahead, it's going to be a busy one.  

Since Covid-19 - work has been a roller coaster and there still no calm in sight, with a Second Wave being ushered in slowly.  I am tired.  I have taken annual leave (twice) to recharge, rather than enjoy. The weekends come and i try to recharge and catch up with neglected house chores.  I thought working from home, I would be up-to-date with household things, not at all.  

Thank goodness the garden has been a little more easier this year, I think the time and work we put in March has made it so.  It's been a rather therapeutic weeding!

Tomatoes are starting to dwindle, but a i say that - we have had loads of Tomato based dishes in the last couple of weeks. 

I made this Tomato Tarte Tartin with a Black Olive Scone Dough. It was very different from the Tart Tartin that I make with puff pastry. The pastry was sturdy. 

Bowl of colourful tomatoes.  

Tomato Tart - the base is smothered with pesto, then topped with cherry tomatoes and black olives. Simplicity.  

Another Tomato tart this time topped with Feta cheese - honestly, its a different tart! 

I've only ever enjoyed eating Greek-Cypriot Salad on holidays.  I come back to the UK, hope to evoke those memories, but the tomatoes we get from the supermarket disappoint. So I don't make Greek -Cypriot Salad at home, but I did twice this week with homegrown tomatoes.  The first time it was delicious, the lettuce was crisp with crunch. The second time (photographed above), I messed up, as i made it in advance and the lettuce went limp and soggy from the tomato juices.  It was still one of the best Greek Salads I have made at home. 

I am sharing this Greek-Cypriot Salad with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

I also made a  Cypriot recipe called Baby Tomato Kofta with tomato sauce served over pasta.  The tomato kofta were very reminisce of onion bhaji's minus the spice.  

We still have some more tomatoes growing.  

D is thinking about clearing them out of the greenhouse in readiness for winter, but I am going to try and persuade him to leave it until mid October.  

I can always make Green Tomato Chutney.

Tomato Tarte Tartin

For the topping

60g butter, plus extra for greasing 

30g soft brown sugar

Enough tomatoes, to cover base of baking tin or pan

For the scone dough

110g self raisin flour

Pinch of baking powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 black olives, stones removed and minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg 1-2 tablespoons milk

Method

For the topping: grease a 8 inch ovenproof pan with butter.

Melt the butter in the pan with the sugar and cook over low heat until the mixture begins to caramelize.

Cut the tomatoes in half lengthways.

arrange the tomatoes, cut side down, to cover the base of the pan completely.

Preheat oven to gas mark 7/220oC.

Make the scone dough: Sift the flour with the baking powder and cayenne pepper into a large mixing bowl.

Add the oil and mix together into a large bowl.

Add the oil and mix with a palette knife until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

St in the olives and season with salt and pepper.

Bind to a dough with the egg and milk.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.

Roll out to a circle to fit the top of the pan.

Lay it on top of the tomatoes and press down lightly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes until the scone dough feels firm and golden.

Loosen the edged with a knife, cover with a serving plate and invert to turn out.

Serve immediately

Adapted from Leith's Vegetarian Bible

Oh I also made Spiced Tomato Coconut Curry also from Leith's Vegetarian Bible. This Tomato Coconut Curry did not photograph well. Partly my fault, i chucked in a whole can of coconut milk, when it should have been just 225, so the tomatoes were a bit drowned - soup like, but enjoyable, nonetheless. By the way if you are looking for further Tomato recipe inspiration check out this link. 

I am sharing this blog post with Harvest Monday hosted by Dave from Happy Acres.  

And please do come back next week, when i will be harvesting and cooking with homegrown carrots.

Fresh Beans and Tomato Couscous Salad

I am making the most of my weekend before the working week begins all over again. August was a manic month, with so many things on the edge of happening but then not happening for one reason - leaving me both exhausted and disappointed.  I was hoping September would be a bit quieter and a little kinder in comparison, but not so much, so you just make the most of what you do have and march on. 

We had this Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad early on in the week when i time to extract myself away from the computer screen to potter a little longer in the kitchen to make lunch.

It was not really much work, as couscous from a jar is effortless.  I am adoring the pop of colours coming from the cherry tomatoes from the garden.

The couscous also has the last of the runner beans, broad beans,  green beans and peas.  There is no recipe for this.  It simply cooked beans stirred into Ainsley Harriot's  Spice Sensation Couscous and topped off with some fresh tomatoes. 

D is not much of a couscous fan, but i didn't mind this at all. I teased him that i would be making it again, but its unlikely as the beans in the garden are coming the end.

I am sharing this Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Mish Mash of a Harvest Monday

It's a bit of a mish mash of a harvest this week.

The courgettes have been poor this year, i think because of the rain as many of them rotted before i even got to harvest them. 

The kohlrabi is small, I do have some more growing so will see how they contrast. 

A pear from the neighbours tree had fallen on our side.  Some Neckargold beans under the courgettes and a Chantenay carrot.  We have more to harvest, but i don't want to pull the carrots out yet, especially as i have all this other veg to use up first.  Picked some autumn raspberries too. 

Some more neckargold beans and beetroot

The first red Zebra Tomatoes, the translucent pale ones are called Lotos and yellow Galina Cherry tomatoes and Chocolate Cherry tomatoes.

Some of the cherry tomatoes went into this Tomato Pilau with Coconut and Cashew Nuts. 

Plums are still tumbling.

I've made more Cinnamon Plum Cake, but also Plum Dumplings bookmarked from Meat Free Any Day that was encased in suet pastry then steamed and smothered in spiced buttery sauce. 

Also the first Feo di Riogordo Tomato.  I am not expecting many more sadly.  

I am sharing this blog post with Harvest Monday hosted by Dave from Happy Acres.  

Courgette Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

It's been a bit of an unusual week.

The first part of the week I was really unwell.  I don't know what the cause was, but i was suddenly struck with feeling of being nauseas. I can only pinpoint it to going out to the supermarket for the first time and being surrounded by so many people in a way that i have not been accustomed to the past four months, so perhaps I may have picked something.  I could not remains off work for the rest of the week though, as I had a number of deadlines, priorities to meet and that may have also impacted on my stress levels. So who knows, what it was.  I am feeling much better, but still tender and as always thankful for restful weekend for a sleep in and recharging.

Again, i had planned to spend some of the time in the vegetable garden plot, but I am not kidding you - the weekends seem to bring rain. 

We have small patch in the vegetable plot where we sowed some wild flower seeds.  Poppies are coming up, but they're fragility to the elements mean they don't last long and the delicate red tissue papery petals crumple.

Food at home this week has been light and simple all this week, because of my sensitive belly. 
The natural flavours from the vegetables and  fresh herbs came through in this Courgette and Tomato Pasta.  I also liked that the courgettes retained a bit of crunch.  Even though I was enjoying this colourful plate, I was struggling to eat everything on the plate, so the remainder was decanted into a tub and put in the fridge, either for later in the evening if I got hungry again or for the following day for lunch. 

So how has your week been?! And what have you been eating for lunch?

I am sharing this Courgette Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce  with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Courgette Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium courgettes, diced small
3 - 4 cloves garlic, crushed
12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
2 tablespoons basil, thinly sliced
Salt to taste
4 medium courgettes, halved then sliced lengthways
Method
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. In the last 3 minutes, add in the sliced courgettes, bring to a boil. then drain well and set aside.
Heat the oil in a side pan, over medium heat.  
Add the diced courgette and coo k until browned. 
Then stir in the garlic and cook for a minute.  
Stir in the tomatoes and herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
Carefully toss the cooked pasta and courgette slices, stir gently to combine.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve. 
Adapted from A Well-Seasoned Appetite: Recipes from an American Kitchen by Molly O'Neill..

Celia Brooks SuperVeg and Baked Mexican Eggs

Yesterday, I spent much of it in the garden greenhouse up-potting vegetable plants, whilst D made wigwam frames for climbing beans and peas.  I have said it before and I will say it again that we are very fortunate to have a garden in these challenging times, as many people do not have this outdoor green space.

I will share progress in the vegetable garden plot tomorrow, today I want to share what I made for brunch a few weeks back with what I had in the house - Baked Mexican Eggs. 

We don't normally have a cooked breakfast during the working week, often only munching on a oatmeal flapjack.  Cooked vegetarian breakfast is reserved for weekends, but since the lockdown and working from the safety of our homes, we have been having breakfast, or rather brunch quite a lot.  

The recipe for these Baked Mexican Eggs comes from Celia Brooks, but don't ask me which cookbook - I can't remember as I have all 9 of them - Yes, I am a fan. I think it may be Entertaining Vegetarians also called Vegetarian Party Food. 

The eggs are baked into a tortilla, beneath the egg either harissa or chipotles in adobo is smeared. The cracked egg is then topped with grated cheese and spring onions, with a little dusting of paprika.  These are really good and I recommend them.

Those of you who read my blog, may remember the name Celia Brooks.  She is one of my favourite vegetarian food writers and chefs. I have featured many of her recipes on my blog over the years from Rhubarb Lentil Curry  and Avocado Soup with Tortilla Cheese Topping .  See bottom of blog post for further recipes.

Her last cookbook is called SuperVeg:  Over 100 Recipes Celebrating the Joy and Power of the 25 Healthiest Vegetables on the Planet.

Tomato Pilau with Coconut and Cashew Nuts

I have had Tarla Dalal Tomato Rice bookmarked for a little while, to make use of my homegrown tomatoes, but once again I was tempted by a tomato recipe that I came across in the Guardian's food section.  Tarla Dalal was a famous Indian chef, cookbook author, food writer and host of cookery shows.  her first cookbook 'The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking' was published in 1974.  Since then Tarla Dalal wrote over 100 cookbooks, of which I own some, but like I said I was tempted by another modern recipe. The recipe in question this time is for Summer Pilau with Tomato, Coconut and Cashew Nuts and once again comes from Meera Sodha, the food is well presented and captured wonderfully by the photographs .  The recipes are also accessible, which is good for any home cook.  Some of you will remember that recently I made her Lebanese Green Beans and Vermicelli Rice , so I knew this was going to be a good one to make and eat too.

I stuck to Meera Sodha's recipe for the Tomato Pilau, the only two things that were different.  I used dried curry leaves as I am not easily able to find fresh where I live; and secondly, this was due to my impatience - I did not brown the onions well, hence why my Pilau is not as golden, but let me tell you it was still delicious, moreso because of my homegrown tomatoes!  

D loved it and said I should make this for our American guests when they come in September.  Hopefully we will still have tomatoes coming from the greenhouse, in which case I shall be making it again.  

Meera suggests serving it with a fresh green salad.  I told my husband this and he rolled his eyes and suggested that I should have thrown in some of our homegrown green beans to the Pilau.  Instead he had his with a dollop of mango chutney, I think it was a good decision. If I have tempted you once again, then please check out the full recipe. 

Other Pilau Recipes you may like
Broad Beans Pilau with Mint
 Butter Bean and Kale Curried Turmeric  Rice
Cauliflower Pilau
Fenugreek and Radish Rice
Rainbow Carrot Rice Pilau
Savoury Jerusalem Artichoke Rice
Savoy Cabbage and Lentil Rice
Wild Garlic and peas Rice

Meera Sodha's Lebanese Tomato and Bean and Stew

Well homegrown tasty tomatoes keep on coming and some of you may have seem my link to some of my homemade tomato recipes, but I have also been seeking inspiration elsewhere and it came recently whilst browsing The Guardian's New Vegan food and drink section.  

The recipe for Lebanese Green Beans and Vermicelli Rice comes from Meera Sodha. It not only gave me the opportunity to use my homegrown tomatoes which are plentiful, but also green beans and runner beans that are coming by the bucket load.  

I did tweak the recipe just a little as I did not have vermicelli to hand, so used small star shaped pasta that I use in soups in place of the vermicelli for the rice.  I also kept some tomatoes back and added them in towards the end mostly for aesthetic reasons, and would you not agree it look darn delicious?! and it really was - really, really flavourful.  I served it with a generous dollop of labneh doused in za'atar.

I f I have tempted you, then please check out the full recipe by Meera Sodha's Lebanese Green Beans and Vermicelli Rice from her new cookbook East  which may go on my Birthday or Christmas wish list (not that I need more cookbooks), otherwise I'd be more than happy to borrow it from the library.

Bakers Dozen: Best Tomato Recipes

We have been growing our own tomatoes for nearly fifteen years, whether it was on our window sill at home, our greenhouse at the allotment plot  in Scotland or here, in our back garden in Wales, the passion for trying to grow some of our own, continues.   

This year the tomatoes are not as plentiful, but they are still tasty and bit like the courgettes, every year I wonder what am I going to do with all these tomatoes, other than making the usual soups , chilli red tomato chutneys, sauces and lasagne.  So if you are looking for some inspiration and are looking for something different than you have come to the right place.

First up is Rosemary Elliot's vegan Bloody Mary Jelly 

Next we have an Oven Baked Za'atar Tomato and Potato Frittata

Something light to snack on Pan Con Tomate - Catalan Tomato Bread

Something light to eat for lunch Red Pepper and  HarissaTomato Potatoes , the vegan  with VPud Black Pudding is optional. 

How about this Red Tomato, Fenugreek, Paneer Coconut Curry

Something to impressive your dinner guests with - Savoury Cherry Tomato Clafoutis

Savoury  Cherry Tomato, Paprika Mozzarella Muffins

Slow Cooked Balsamic Tomatoes and Butter Beans 

Sweet and Savoury Tomato Spring Rolls

Tomato Farinata with roasted aubergines and black olives

Tomato, Potato and Rosemary Bake

Vietnamese Tofu in Tomato and Black Pepper Sauce

Green Tomato Chutney

Do you have a favourite tomato recipe that you make year on year, please let me know.

I am also sharing 12 tomato recipes from my co-host of Eat Your Greens Veg Hog, as well as linking to the Guardian celebrity chef and food writer tomato recipes. 
The Guardian Part 1
The Guardian Part 2
The Guardian Part 3
The Guardian Part 4