Sandwich melt with yellow tomatoes and olive tapenade

Sandwich melt with yellow tomatoes and olive tapenade on Flickr by beFOODled.

Last week S made trés haute cuisine ;) open-faced sandwich melts with yellow tomatoes I found at the grocery store. I think the colours are beautiful — chocolate brown, bright green and fresh, lemon yellow.

Yellow tomatoes and purple carrots are a few of my favourite things about summer, when the heirloom varieties of produce become available. Often these are the original colours from when the vegetable or fruit made its Old World debut.

This sandwich melt follows the same method as my previous recipe, but is layered with different ingredients — slices of old cheddar and yellow tomatoes under a sprinkling of chopped green onions and grated parmesan. The tomato slices are seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with a couple of dollops of olive tapenade and a drizzling of olive oil, which is a very tasty combo.

Tomatoes Provençale

Tomatoes Provençale by beFOODled on Flickr.

Here's a closer look at the tomatoes Provençale that we made in Calgary. I love tomatoes, but in Canada the stuff we import in winter doesn't compare in flavour to the fresh local toms grown by our own farmers in the summer. Once again, I bow to the superior expertise of the French in matters of elevating humble ingredients to new heights (the secret is grated cheese)!

Tomatoes Provençale
serves six

3 big tomatoes
salt
pepper
fresh chopped parsley
dried basil
dried thyme
diced garlic
grated parmesan cheese
olive oil

Cut three tomatoes in half. Cut a little bit off the bottom of each half so the tomatoes sit up straight and don't roll away.

Sprinkle small amounts of each ingredient over the top of each tomato half. Drizzle over a little olive oil.

Bake at 375 degrees in the oven for half an hour, then check them and if needed, bake for another 15 minutes.


Tomatoes Provençale in the convection oven by beFOODled on Flickr.

Guest post by Ella: Italian tomato sauce

Guest post by Ella: Italian tomato sauce, originally uploaded by beFOODled.

This simple and tasty sauce is a staple in Europe. Everyone has their own little spin on it and you’ll see that it’s just so much better than store-bought tomato sauce.

Ingredients:
green onions or white onion
garlic
two cans of chopped tomatoes
bouillion cubes
olive oil
sugar
salt
bay leaf
pepper
oregano
basil

Cut up one to two small green onions (or one large, sweet white onion) and sauté over medium-high heat in a pot drizzled with one tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté for about 10 minutes until the onions turn clear. To make sure the onions are done — try a little piece, it should be sweet.

Finely mince one to two cloves of garlic (depending on how garlicky you like your sauce). Add to the onions and sauté for about two minutes.

Add two small cans of chopped tomatoes (or one large can). Make sure you buy good-quality tomatoes, such as the San Marzano brand.

Stir and add:

1/2 to one bouillion cube, depending on cube size (beef is best but vegetable or chicken works just as well)
1 bay leaf
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
1 teaspoon sugar (you may not need as much sugar if your onions and tomatoes are very sweet)
1 tsp dried oregano (you can add more or less)
1 tsp dried basil (you can add more or less)

Turn the heat down to low and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes. Stir every few minutes and remove the bay leaf when the sauce is done.

This makes a great and simple sauce for pasta! Serve the sauce with some fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

Variations:

Vodka sauce:
Add 1/2 cup cream and 1/8 cup vodka (optional) at the end. Simmer for two minutes.

Cream and herb sauce:
Add one teaspoon of herbes de Provence with the basil and oregano. At the end, add chopped basil and 1/2 cup of cream. Simmer for two minutes.

Chorizo, mushroom and red wine sauce:
Halfway through the cooking of the onions, add two finely chopped chorizo sausages and one cup of finely chopped mushrooms. Add in a few drops of hot sauce or chilli peppers and 1/4 cup of dry red wine when adding the other spices.

Roast Chicken With Garlicky Yoghurt Sauce

Here's a nice supper for two that combines lots of different flavours and textures: crispy lemon chicken, soft caramelized onions, a smooth garlicky yoghurt sauce and a marinated tomato salad.

It might seem like a lot to coordinate, but each building block is just a few easy-to-combine ingredients. I had help in the form of S who cooked the chicken part (he's a whiz with meats).

This recipe is adapted from Australian chef Bill Granger's cookbook called bills: breakfast, lunch + dinner. Actually, it's his cover recipe :). The "sublimely delicious caramelized onions" are aptly named (they rock) and are from Dana McCauley's Pantry Raid.

Yoghurt Sauce
1 cup plain yoghurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt, just a pinch
Mix together and leave for one hour in the fridge.

Marinated Tomato Salad
two small ripe tomatoes, cubed
sea salt
red wine vinegar
olive oil
Mix together and marinate for one hour before draining. Drain and mix with more olive oil and chopped parsely.

Caramelized Onions
one large sweet onion, sliced
butter
thyme, fresh or dried
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 C cooking sherry
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
Fry the onions, thyme, salt and pepper in butter until they have turned translucent, about 10 minutes. Add sugar and cook another 5 -10 minutes until the onions have browned a bit. Add the sherry and worcestershire and reduce until the onions have absorbed most of the liquids. Use as a building block in the roasted chicken recipe.

Roasted Chicken
4 chicken thighs, skin left on, deboned
sea salt
pepper
lemon, sliced into rounds
1 Tbsp oregano
5 Tbsp olive oil


Lightly oil the bottom of a casserole dish and cover with a single layer of lemon rounds. Spread the caramelized onions over the lemons. Fry the chicken on both sides in a frypan until the sides are browned and crispy. Place the chicken skin side up on the bed of onions. Sprinkle with oregano and olive oil. Cook in a 350 C oven for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with the garlic yoghurt sauce and tomato salad.