By Marci Lutsky
If you don’t have an appreciation for Jersey tomatoes, can you really call yourself a Garden State resident? I’m going to say no. We are at the peak of tomato season and if you haven’t gotten your hands on some good local ones, now is the time. There are so many ways to enjoy tomatoes including eating them like an apple like my kids do. Find some local tomatoes immediately and give some of these ideas a try.
My absolute favorite way to enjoy tomatoes is in caprese salad. Slice tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. If you visit one of the local farmers markets, find Tony Boloney’s food truck and buy sea salt mozzarella. Layer the tomatoes and mozzarella, top with fresh chopped basil, drizzle with olive oil and top with salt and pepper. I could seriously eat this for every meal. Okay, maybe not breakfast but definitely for lunch and dinner every day.
Are you doing some outdoor entertaining this summer? Bruschetta is one of the easiest appetizers to prepare that your guests will love. Chop tomatoes and add them to a bowl with chopped garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Slice up some good bread like a baguette, rub each piece with garlic and top each slice with the tomato mixture. If you have fresh basil in your garden, chop some and add it on top. I recommend making a lot because this is always a crowd pleaser.
Are you growing a variety of cherry tomatoes? You can’t go wrong with a pasta salad or panzanella salad. For pasta salad, add tomatoes and bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) to your favorite pasta that has been cooked and cooled. Top it with a basil vinaigrette, either store-bought or homemade. Equally good is panzanella salad which basically swaps out the pasta for toasted bread cubes. This is one of my favorite summer dishes. Want to make this panzanella salad even better? Add some diced Jersey peaches. You’re welcome.
If you have an abundance of tomatoes and don’t intend to eat them immediately, consider making tomato sauce to can or freeze for the winter. My favorite method for making tomato sauce is in the Instant Pot (I never miss an opportunity to profess my love for the Instant Pot). To the pot add 4 quartered tomatoes, 2 quartered onions, 2 carrots cut into large chunks, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons dried basil, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Let that pressure cook for 20 minutes and release pressure for 10 minutes. Then add 6 oz of tomato pasta and stir it with an immersion blender. I promise this will be some of the easiest and most delicious tomato sauce that you can enjoy all winter long.
Summer will be over before you know it and we will move on to talking about all things pumpkin. Take advantage of Jersey tomatoes while they are at their peak of perfection in some of these delicious recipes!
Marci Lutsky is a food blogger at Vegging at the Shore, www.veggingattheshore.com and can be reached at veggingattheshore@gmail.com.
Mozzarella Panzanella Salad
When it comes to music, you know how there is always a summer hit that you can’t get out of your head? Consider this recipe for mozzarella panzanella salad your summer hit that you won’t be able to stop thinking about. Made with Stella mozzarella cheese, farm fresh tomatoes and cucumbers and rustic bread, it will be the side dish you want to make whenever you entertain this summer. As soon as we finished our first batch, I started thinking about when I could make it again. With the 4th of July coming up this week, it is the perfect recipe to round out your holiday menu.
Ingredients
- 6 cups day old rustic bread cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chopped roma tomatoes
- 2 cups chopped cucumbers
- 8 oz Stella mozzarella cheese, cubed
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss bread cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes. Let cool. Add tomatoes, cucumbers and mozzarella to a big bowl and set aside. Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients (remaining olive oil through pepper). Once bread cubes are cooled, add them to the bowl with cucumbers. Add vinaigrette and toss. Top with basil. Let sit for 30 minutes and then serve.
Pasta Salad Perfect For A Bbq
I love entertaining in summer. There is something about firing up the grill and the sound of kids playing outside that just makes me want to invite people over. When I entertain I try to keep things as simple as possible by preparing easy dishes in advance so that when friends come over all we need to do is grill. One staple when I host a bbq is pasta salad. This recipe is very simple, fresh-tasting and always a crowd pleaser.
The first thing you want to do is cook the pasta. I like gemelli in pasta salad but you can use whatever kind you want. For the last few minutes of pasta cooking, add some spinach to the boiling pot so that it wilts down.
Making your own vinaigrette just takes a few minutes. For this recipe I mix together lemon juice, olive oil, agave nectar, golden balsamic vinegar, shallot, salt and pepper. Easy, right?
So you have your cooked pasta and vinaigrette, now you just need your add-ins. Mezzetta deli-sliced roasted bell peppers work great in this recipe. They are delicious and save so much time since you don’t have to roast or cook the peppers yourself.
Another favorite are bocconcini, bite-sized mozzarella cheeses. These are also a time-saver since you don’t have to cut up the cheese and they are the perfect size.
Toss together the pasta with spinach, roasted peppers, bocconcini and vinaigrette and you have yourself the perfect pasta salad. Next time you entertain, spend time preparing before your guests arrive so that you can enjoy their company. No one wants to be stuck in the kitchen!
Make sure to enter the Mezzetta Bold, Bright Summer Giveaway for a chance to win a Weber grill, grill tools, Mezzetta peppers and a summer entertaining kit!
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta, gemelli or your pasta of choice
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon golden balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 oz jar Mezzetta Deli-Sliced Roasted Bell Pepper Strips
- 1 cup bocconcini, drained
Instructions
Cook pasta according to package. For last three minutes of cooking, add spinach. Drain and remove excess water from spinach. Chop up any big chunks of spinach.
To make vinaigrette combine lemon juice through pepper in a food processor until blended.
Toss pasta and spinach, roasted peppers, bocconcini and vinaigrette. Chill until ready to serve.
