Gastroanthropology

Roasted Tomato + Fresh Garlic Soup

I spent this morning at Borough Market. I love going on Thursdays - not all the stalls are open, but the Saturday crowds are nowhere to be seen. I went with a mission to procure some lovage, a new herb I fell in love with earlier this week. I was hoping to recreate a carrot + lovage soup that I had at Lumen Cafe, a new social enterprise committed to serving local, seasonal and sustainable food. Unfortunately, my trusty herb man did not have any lovage today! Fingers crossed he has some next week so I can share you the wonders of lovage.

I was a little miffed I didn't get any love-age so I was tempted to grab some lunch and go. At first, I ignored the tomatoes because its just a little to early for them to be any good. But as I walked by, their scent lured me in. If I can smell a tomato from a few feet away, I know that something good must be going on. 

I got a bunch of tomatoes and roasted them in a hot oven (400F) for about 30 minutes till their skins split and their juices started oozing and browning. Then I broiled them for a few minutes to gently char their skin. Before they went in the oven I food-processed parsley, basil, squirt of lemon, salt + pepper, a few cloves of raw garlic, and lots of olive oil to make a loose pesto. Gently toss the tomatoes in this runny pesto before putting in a baking dish. This is a trick I learned from a fellow chef friend of mine and it really gives great flavor to roasted tomatoes. You could eat them like this as a side, but while I had the oven on I decided to roast this fresh garlic as well.

For the fresh garlic - cut the tops off, douse in olive oil and wrap in foil. They were in the oven the entire time the tomatoes were, so about 40 minutes. What comes out is amazing - the garlic turns into a smooth, mellow, paste that can be scooped out and spread on crusty bread, or literally just sprinkled with a touch of salt and eaten plain.

I roasted multiple bulbs. You can literally squeeze all the insides out of the garlic once they cool enough to handle. Some went in the tomato soup and some went on a lovely pugliese bread that I toasted under the broiler after liberally spreading olive oil and sprinkling sea salt over. The tomato soup was simple...just heat up the roasted tomatoes in a soup pan with the roasted fresh garlic and some chicken (or veg) stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and make smooth with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a bit of raw fresh garlic (it is mild enough to eat raw), parsley, and good olive oil. Serve with roasted fresh garlic bread and little vino. I don't have rules for this goes with red or white - I just drink what tastes good.

If you can't be bothered to make the soup, just smush roasted tomatoes and roasted fresh garlic onto toasted pugliese or similar bread. Just remember add salt and lots of good olive oil. 

Summer is a comin'.

Dalmatian Coast

A visit to Croatia has been top on our list for years and finally this past week we took the much anticipated trip. What would you rather do than cruise clear Mediterranean waters in a canopied boat, jump overboard to cool off from hot Dalmatian sun, and dock for grilled squid?

While famous towns like Dubrovnik have their charm and never-ending histories ...

we've learned from our travels we much prefer a little bit off the beaten path, and in this case a bay perfect for a snorkel, swim, and sunbathe on the island of Korcula.

We rented a scooter and weaved our way down, certain that I'd be walking back up because we had the teeniest of engines, but the gods were in our favor and after a glorious afternoon we scooted up the mountain and around the island to Korcula's Old Town.

If the 3-masted sailing vessel in the port looks familiar, it might be because its the famous Le Ponant, which was seized by Somali pirates last April. Korcula's Old Town is leaf shaped and the streets run from the center outwards, like the ribs. The island of Korcula also claims to be the birthplace of Marko Polo. It would make sense that we has, but there is little evidence that proves or refutes the claim. 

Our days were spent on or in the water and when the sun said goodbye in the most glorious of sunsets, we roamed the Old Town under a massive moon, searching for local specialities. While Croatian cuisine didn't wow us, we did have some amazingly tasty grilled squid.

And some smaller ones, grilled and then smothered in olive oil, garlic, lemon and parsley.

It doesn't need much alongside, but maybe some fresh Croatian tomatoes and cucumbers. Good, crusty bread isn't easy to come by in Croatia, but we did get lucky one time. It helps to sop up all the delicious squid juices and garlicky olive oil.

Hot days mean smaller appetites so just a little ice cream or chilled Rozata (Croatian creme caramel) to finish off the perfect summer meal.

If you've got a grill at home, try grilling whole squid, its absolutely more delicious than fried calamari. Finish with good olive oil, garlic, parsley, and lemon wedges. 

Croatia is an amazing place and a must. Less than twelve hours after leaving we're already planning a return visit.

Love Apple Farm + Tomatoes

I find that tomatoes are one of the best vegetables to plant in a home garden. They are relatively easy to grow and have so many uses. At our home garden in the South Bay of the San Francisco area the tomatoes grow like weeds and all summer long they produce. First, we start by eating them fresh, just plain like an apple. Then, we chop them up and add them to salads, sandwiches, and quick pasta sauces. After a few months of tomatoes they still seem to keep coming, so they get burred up as an addition to homemade fruit + veg juices. Lastly, they are chopped and frozen, canned, or made into tomato sauce. There are always so many, but never too many. I'm not sure I can say the same for the zucchini that seems to grow in overabundance as well...

At my recent visit to Love Apple Farm I was totally wowed by the selection of baby tomato plants for sale. I wanted to buy one of each, but there seemed to be nearly a hundred varieties. 

It can get cool in the Santa Cruz mountains so these little plants are protected by the greenhouse.

Cynthia Sandberg, owner of Love Apple Farm, is famous for her delicious tomatoes and her growing methods are no secret! 

You can check this link for more detailed tomato growing instructions, but here is an illustrated version...

So I bet your wondering what I picked... I got some of my favorite Brandywines and some that were new to me. I got a Gary O'Sena tomato, which is a cross between a Cherokee Purple and Brandywine. It will grow to be a round, black tomato. I know bigger isn't always better, but I found a Chyornyi Tarasenko that I had to have. It hails from Belarus and is rumored to be one of the biggest tomatoes around. I also found a Boar's Hoof tomato plant, a rare find and will be a deep brown tomato. Lastly, the one I'm most looking forward too - German Red Strawberry. I was told it would grow to be baseball size and look like a giant oxheart strawberry. Say goodbye to those tasteless, boring, red tomatoes your find at the grocers all year long! 

My mother will be tending to these for the next few months. I probably won't get to enjoy these off the vine as I will be returning to London later this week and don't have plans to return till after the summer. But, that's the great thing about tomatoes... they can be canned, frozen, or sauced... and I know I'll be enjoying them in some form.