It seems that lately all we have in abundance from our local organic farm co-op is tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes! And, I have to tell you that my kids (and us) are pretty sick and tired of the same old tomato sauce spaghetti dish.... argh! So, I pulled out some old recipes and this is certainly one of my favorites from martha stewart (yes, I love her!) I made a few changes but I think this is easy and really fun and a good thing to bring to parties. The kids, and my husband, couldn't get enough of the stuff! So, next time you are up to your ears in simple pasta dishes - give this one a try.... it doesn't take long - promise!Ingredients:
1 head of garlic (or crushed garlic if you don't have the time to bake it beforehand)
Some olive oil to hand
All-Purpose Flour, for dusting (organic unbleached if possible)
Pie Dough (see pate brisee below you only have to use half, use the other half for an apple pie!)
2 ounces or half cup (more if you like very cheesy) grated Fontina Cheese
1 1/2 pounds of ripe tomatoes (about 4-5 decent sized) cored and sliced up
Salt and Pepper (some oregano if you like)
Directions:
1. If you are going to bake the garlic then allow for about 45 minutes to pre-prepare in oven at 350 degrees. After garlic is
cooled off enough to handle squeeze garlic out of skins and into a cup or bowl - mash it up for later use. Otherwise, what I do if I don't have the time is use crushed garlic that I cook a bit in a skillet with some oil (and chopped onion if you like).
2. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick circle (or to fit your cooking pan) - mine is about 12 inches diameter. Line the pan with dough
and trim so that there is no overhang - cool it off for about 20-30 minutes in fridge or outside while you prepare other ingredients.
3. Spread garlic evenly on chilled dough in pan. Sprinkle with half of cheese. Arrange tomatoes evenly out over the cheese and garlic - slightly overlapping. Salt and Pepper to your liking. Sprinkle the rest of your cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Put in oven and bake at 400 degrees until crust is golden brown and tomatoes are soft but still in shape - usually about 45 minutes at most. Cool it off a bit before serving..... if anyone can wait!
Delicious and fairly simple - and a nice change from the normal! I serve mine with a salad and everyone gobbles it up!
Let me know if you have any questions.
Pate Brisee:
I love her recipe for pate brisee and I use it for everything! its easy and made with just basic ingredients, I also don't use a food proccessor, I just use my hands...it all works the same!
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
Directions
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.
Pate Brisee:
I love her recipe for pate brisee and I use it for everything! its easy and made with just basic ingredients, I also don't use a food proccessor, I just use my hands...it all works the same!
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
Directions
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.
