COOK AT HOME

savor tomato season

Tomato season is never long enough. When those first colorful orbs of summer start to ripen, it’s best to have a game plan for everything you want to make before the season ends. Let these recipes be your guide. With concoctions from some of the region’s best farmers, bakers, and distillers, there’s something here for everyone.

Ghost Pepper Beef & Tomatoes

The founders of Local Nosh Box, know just the way to eat the season’s first fresh tomatoes:sautéed with aromatics, ground beef, summer herbs, and oyster sauce.

Serves 4 - 6 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons olive oil 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or crushed 1 stalk lemongrass, minced 2-3 ounces ginger, peeled and finely sliced or matchstick style 1 pound ground beef ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper, fine or course 2 tablespoons oyster sauce (we recommend Lee Kum Kee – Panda Brand) 1 pound fresh tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces 3 to 6 Thai basil leaves ½ teaspoon minced ghost pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes) Cooked rice or quinoa

Recipe by Johnny Vang of Forenoon Market

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a wok or large skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add garlic, lemongrass, and ginger, and sauté until softened, about 2-3 minutes. 2. Add ground beef, stirring and breaking up meat as it cooks. Add salt, black pepper, and oyster sauce.

Cook thoroughly, about 5-8 minutes. 3. Add tomatoes and cook until heated thoroughly, about 2 minutes. 4. Turn off heat. Add Thai basil and ghost pepper. Stir and set aside. 5. Serve warm over rice or quinoa.

Spicy Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

A spicy, chilled summer soup that uses a little of everything from the garden, or an out-of-the-summer CSA box? Don’t mind if we do.

Serves 4-6 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes

Recipe by Lauren Rudersdorf of The Leek & The Carrot

INGREDIENTS

2 medium red Italian frying peppers (or 1 large red bell pepper), seeded and cut into large chunks 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into large chunks 1 jalapeño, quartered 1/2 small yellow onion, peeled and halved 1 shallot, peeled and halved 3 pounds very ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges (about 9 cups) 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut 1/2 of a frying pepper and 1/3 of a cucumber into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside to garnish. 2. Combine remaining pepper and cucumber pieces with jalapeño, onion, shallot, tomatoes, vinegar and salt in a large bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes, then transfer to a food processor or a blender (in batches if necessary) and process until smooth. Chill until cool. 3. Stir in olive oil right before serving. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. 4. Divide into bowls and garnish with cherry tomatoes and reserved minced pepper and cucumber.

Savory (Or Sweet!) Cherry Tomato & Goat Cheese Galette

Rhythm Bakery is a sourdough bakery in Viroqua, Wisconsin, where owner and bakers Lauralyn and Mason love to play with local grains and produce, explore their curiosities, and share the fruits of that play with all their friends. Taste the flavors of Rhythm Bakery with this decadent savory (or sweet) galette.

Makes 6 galettes Prep time: 45 minutes, plus more time to chill the dough Cook time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour 1 ¼ cup bolted pastry flour ¾ teaspoon salt 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed and chilled ⅓ cup cold water 1 ½ teaspoon maple syrup ¼ cup sourdough* 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved 1 cup fresh goat cheese 1 handful fresh herbs ⅓ cup maple syrup, optional 1 egg *The sourdough in this recipe does not provide any leavening, just acidity and flavor, so don’t worry about using sourdough that is perfectly ripe. You can use a waste starter if you have some! If you don’t, just swap the sourdough out for equal parts flour and liquid. Some of this liquid should be acidic, so a nice vinegar or fruit juice works well.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine flours and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender. Chill the entire bowl in the fridge or freezer for at least 15 minutes. 2. In a small pitcher, combine water, maple syrup, and sourdough starter. Place in the fridge or freezer. 3. While liquids are chilling, dump butter-flour mixture onto a clean, sturdy countertop. Use a rolling pin to flatten the butter pads into flat, floury sheets. Use plenty of the loose flour to keep the countertop, butter, and rolling pin from sticking. If the butter is too melty, chill it in the fridge. When all butter pieces are flattened, return mixture to bowl and return to fridge to chill again. 4. Pour liquids into the bowl with dry ingredients, tossing loosely with gentle fingers to disperse the liquid around, without squeezing or kneading. The idea is to keep the butter incorporated, yet distinct. 5. Turn the loose, chunky, floury dough out onto the countertop. Use a bench scraper to cut the dough in half and pile on top of the other half. Use your hands to flatten. Cut the dough in half again, stack it up, and flatten. Cut, stack, and flatten once more for a total of 3 times, gathering up loose pieces of flour and butter that are escaping and making sure they are smushed in. Scrape the countertop as needed to keep the bottom of the dough from sticking too much. Work fast so the dough doesn’t melt. Dough should be able to loosely hold together in one scraggly ball. Put into tupperware or a covered bowl and chill in the fridge for 3 hours, or overnight. 6. When ready to prepare your galettes, let the dough warm at room temperature for 15 minutes and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 7. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to firmly flatten the dough to ¼-inch-thick rectangle.

Use a bench scraper to cut dough into 6 rectangular galette crusts. 8. Place crusts on baking sheets. Top each with a generous spoonful of goat cheese, and smooth with a spoon or spatula to ½ inch from the edge of the galettes. 9. Top with cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and fresh summer herbs. To make it sweet: drizzle maple syrup over the tomatoes. 10. Fold up the four edges of the galette crusts over the outer portion of the topping, leaving most of the center topping still visible. 11. Brush top of crusts with egg wash (one egg whisked with a fork). 12. Bake for 30 minutes, turning halfway, or until the edges are dark brown and the bottom crust is crisp.

Recipe by Lauralyn Rosenberger of Rhythm Bakery

Tomato Toast with Scallion Cream Cheese & Everything Spice

One of the best things about tomato season is the ease with which you can create a fresh snack or meal with only a couple of ingredients. During tomato season, this 10-minute breakfast is our go-to way to enjoy tomatoes still vwarm from the garden or field.

Serves 2 Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes

Recipe by Lauren Rudersdorf of The Leek & The Carrot

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces cream cheese or other spreadable fresh cheese, softened 1/2 bunch scallions, sliced 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds 2 teaspoons minced onion flakes 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 slices sourdough toast 1 beefsteak tomato, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine cream cheese and scallions in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. 2. In a very small bowl (or prep bowl), combine sesame seeds, onion flakes, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper. 3. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on pieces of toast. Add a thick slice of tomato. Sprinkle with spice mixture.

State Line Tomato Sangrita

Local distillery owner Mike McDonald knows that every summer table needs a big batch cocktail to share with dinner guests. This spicy, sweet sangrita made with fresh tomatoes and fruit juices is sure to do the trick.

Serves 6 to 8 Prep time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

¾ pound tomatoes (~1 large or 2 medium tomatoes) 13 ounces State Line American Gin 3 ounces fresh orange juice 2.5 ounces fresh lime juice 1 ounce grenadine 1/4 ounce Dashelito’s Pineapple Lava Pinch sea salt, plus more for garnish Pinch fresh ground black pepper, plus more for garnish Lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Puree tomatoes in a food processor or blender.

Strain into a pitcher with a fine mesh sieve. Add remaining ingredients. Quickly stir and chill. 2. When ready to serve, run a lime wedge around half the rim of Collins glasses. Fill a shallow bowl or plate with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then dip the rim until it is covered with the desired amount of salt and pepper. 3. Add ice cubes to the glass. Stir the pitcher of chilled sangrita and pour over ice.

Recipe by Mike McDonald of State Line Distillery

Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce With Chicken

With so many fun varieties and colors to choose from (Pink Bumble Bee, Napa Chardonnay, Mexico Midget, Sun Gold, and Sunchocola, to name just a few), cherry tomatoes are the abundant, sweet little gems of summer. And they make the best simple tomato sauce for serving with polenta, pasta, or fresh country bread.

Serves 4-6 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes

Recipe by Lisa Buttonow of Branding Iron Roadhouse Farm-to-Fork Eatery

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil 1 small onion, roughly chopped 2-4 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup fruity white wine (Lisa loves the Peach Chardonnay from Narrows Creek Winery) 2 pounds ripe cherry tomatoes, halved ¼ to ½ cup Kalamata olives, rinsed and quartered 1 pound naturally-raised chicken breast, cut into strips Polenta, pasta, or fresh country bread 2-4 ounces feta, cotija, or other salty, crumbly cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat until glistening. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 3 minutes more. Add wine and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. 2. Add cherry tomato halves to the pan and simmer until the tomatoes begin to soften and form a sauce, about 5 minutes. 3. Add olives and chicken. Simmer until chicken is fully cooked, about 15 minutes. 4. Serve over creamy polenta, pasta, or in a bowl beside warm hearty bread for dipping. 5. Sprinkle with cheese right before serving.