Tomato Basil Soup

 

 

Nothing tastes like summer to me more than a bowl of tomato basil soup (except maybe Stuffed Zucchini). And no better tomato to make it with than Jersey's finest. Anyone from New Jersey knows that there is nothing better than late August Jersey tomatoes (and corn!). No sooner have they ripened on their vines than I make this soup...over and over and over, until alas they disappear for another year.

 

We grew an abundance of tomatoes in our garden growing up. I used to love eating them right off the vine or in a cold gazpacho or creamy, crunchy BLT - pleasures reserved for the way-too-short tomato season. The nice thing about this soup is that it can be frozen before adding the broth and thus enjoyed all year-round.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. margarine
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 large ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup packed basil
salt to taste
3/4 tsp sugar
14 1/2 can of chicken broth
1 tbsp. Pastina

 

Start by preparing the tomatoes. Score the bottom of each tomato with a cross. This will make removing the skin much easier.

 

 

 

Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water until you see the skin beginning to pull away (3-5 minutes).

 

 

 

 

Remove the tomatoes and rinse under cold water or let cool until you can handle them. Remove the skins and then coarsely chop.

 

 

 

 

In a large pot, melt the margarine and sauté the onions and carrot until the onion is limp.

 

 

 

 

Stir in the tomatoes, basil, salt and sugar.

 

 

 

 

Bring to a boil and simmer until tomatoes are mushy - about 20 min.

 

 

 

 

Cool and puree in blender.

 

(This is the point at which you can freeze the mixture)

 

 

 

To serve: boil 1 can of chicken broth, add the Pastina and cook until pasta is done.

 

 

 



Stir in the tomato mixture and heat (do not boil).

 

 

Eat while dreaming about summer....its only 279 days away.

Stuffed Clams

 

 

The Martorana siblings were not the only ones who did some cooking up at Cape Cod this summer. After my aunts and uncle left and the house quieted down a little I spent a few more days with my parents doing are usual Cape Cod summer rituals like shopping, going to the beach, biking, waterside dining and of course, eating some clams.

 

We always get steamers at Cape Cod in the summer and this year I added a special request for my father's stuffed clams.

 

My father and his family spent their summers in Breezy Point, NY. In the late 1940's, the water in Jamaica Bay had not yet become polluted as it is today. My father and his sisters would walk along the tidal flats at low tide looking for little air holes and then dig up the unsuspecting clams below with their shovels, bringing home a pail full of them for my grandfather to steam.

 

Breezy Point, 1940's
(Mary, Ann Marie, Edward and Margaret Schmitt)

 

Cape Cod, 1970's
(Me and my brother, Ed)

 

 

We still eat them the same way they did back in their bungalow, rinsed in clam broth to remove any sand, dipped in butter and then eaten with a bite of buttered toast.

 

 

 

 

Stuffed clams are made with the larger, hard-shelled cherrystones. Though any hard-shelled clam will work, you probably don't want to try stuffing those little guys on the right.

 

 

 

 

My dad's family often made the recipe that follows, reminiscent of the baked clams they would get as takeout from Lundy's in Sheepshead Bay. My father enjoyed making the trip with his dad and sitting at the bar waiting for their order to be ready, a beer for grandpa, a ginger ale with a cherry for dad. Likewise, I enjoyed making and eating these with him.

 

 

That's not Opie, it's my Dad!
(and my grandfather, Henry Schmitt)

 

 

Ingredients:

24 Cherrystone Clams

1/2 cup onions, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup green pepper, diced

1/4 cup pimentos, chopped

1 stack Ritz crackers

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup butter, melted

bacon, cooked halfway (optional)

 

 

Steam clams in a large pot until the shells pop open. Remove from shells and chop. Reserve the shells and some of the residual clam water.

 

 

 

 

Pulse the Ritz crackers in a food processor to turn them into crumbs.

 

 

 

 

 

Mix with the clams and the other remaining ingredients and enough of the clam juice to moisten.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spoon the mixture into the clam shells and top with a bacon strip.

 

 

 

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Enjoy on the back deck with a nice cold beer (or a Ginger Ale and cherry).

 







Peasant Food

  

 

My mom and I always joke that some of our favorite dishes are mere peasant foods.

 

Peasant foods, or Cucina Povera in Italian (meaning poor or frugal cooking), are those dishes made from humble ingredients but hearty enough to be called a meal. Usually one-pot dishes, they were popular during hard economic times in many countries including during the Great Depression here in the United States.  Every nationality has their own version of peasant foods such as tacos in Latin America or succotash here in North America. In Italy, meat was often reserved for Sunday's meal and so during the week, dishes made from accessible and inexpensive ingredients filled the menu. Panzanella made great use of leftover bread and Minestrone cleaned out the vegetable bin.

 

 

The funny thing about peasant foods is that even during better times, they are still enjoyed as representatives of the cultures that gave birth to them.

 

A visit to my parents house is always an excuse for my mom to whip up some of our family's favorites: macaroni and anything - like macaroni and peas (above) or Broccoli and Macaroni - or String Beans and Franks.

The latter two were enjoyed during the The Martorana Cooking Weekend despite times being good....and I mean very, very good.

String Beans and Frankfurters

 

 

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

1 pkg beef hot dogs (can substitute turkey or veggie)

1 lb string beans, ends snapped off

1 large can plum tomatoes

1 cup basil (whole leaves)

 

 

My mother used to make this in a pressure cooker. Today, we both use our crock pots but it can also be made in a regular, large pot.

 

Saute the onions until translucent.

 

Add the remaining ingredients.

 

 

 

Cook until string beans are nice and soft (about 4 hours in a crock pot).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Broccoli and Macaroni

Ingredients:
1/2 lb Ditalini pasta
1 large head of broccoli, cut into small pieces
Garlic salt

Begin by cooking the pasta according to directions.

When its about half way done, add the broccoli and cook until pasta is done.

Spoon into serving bowls including some of the cooking water.

Season with garlic salt.


Squash Blossom Pancakes

 

 

I love the sight of the first zucchini blossoms blooming. It means that summer is in full swing, local vegetables are on their way and I can make one of my favorite summer snacks.

 

On a trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast with my parents back in 2004, I was so excited to see squash blossoms or 'fiori di zucca' on so many menus. I had it sauteed in pasta and stuffed with cheese and deep fried. The latter is how you will find it on most menus in the US (hopefully with an anchovy tucked inside!).

 

I remember another time, visiting my younger sister in Maine. We spent the day hiking in Acadia National Park and then stopped for a nice dinner outside of Bar Harbor, changing out of our sweaty clothes in the back of her car. Most people would probably look forward to something hearty after a long, hot strenuous day of hiking but we immediately began to salivate at the sight of stuffed squash blossoms on the menu.

 

If you search the web, you will find endless recipes for stuffed blossoms but I prefer these pancakes, a recipe from my Aunt Marian, as they highlight the nutty flavor of the blossoms rather than masking it with a blob of cheese (though that's good too). These were enjoyed as a side dish to our Mixed Hamburgers on Friday night of our cooking weekend.

 

 

Ingredients:

20 squash blossoms cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup water

1 egg

grated cheese

1 can chopped anchovies (optional - omit salt if using)

 

 

When picking squash blossoms, make sure to do so early in the morning and try to only pick the males. For those of you who slept through biology, the female flowers will yield the fruit, or in this case, the squash. The males (useless once they do their pollinating - ha!) will be attached to a long, skinny stem as opposed to the females who will be attached to a bulb or the beginning of a squash.

 

If you don't have access to a garden, I have seen squash blossoms at larger farmer's markets and at Whole Foods, usually in July.

 

The boys

 

 

To prepare, cut of the stems, slice open and remove anything inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, (salt) and pepper. Add egg and water and beat with a fork until smooth. Add flowers, anchovies, and grated cheese. Mix well.

 

 

Batter

 

 

Fry in oil, using a serving spoon to place batter in frying pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When edges brown and bubbles break on top (like pancakes), turn, and brown on other side.

 

Serve immediately and enjoy !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mixed Hamburgers

 

Every Saturday night, my Grandfather made Mixed Hamburgers. These mini burgers are basically meatballs made into patties. Little did my grandfather know but he was way ahead of his time. These days you find "sliders" on many menus from pubs to fine dining and that is essentially what these are - meatball sliders.

Incidentally, he also liked to serve them alongside a can of Chef Boyardee. This was in no disrespect to his Italian roots I'm sure but rather his solution to "Dad's Night To Cook" while still having time to spend with the family after a long week working in the city.

And so, Mixed Hamburgers made an encore appearance at Friday night dinner during our cooking weekend at Cape Cod. Unfortunately, Chef Boyardee couldn't make it.

 

 

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3 slices of white bread
1 egg
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

 

Place the bread in a food processor and pulse to make fresh bread crumbs.

 

Combine with the remaining ingredients and mix well - hands work best.

 

 

 

Form into mini hamburger patties (or make a meatball and then smash it flat !)

 

 

Smashing!

 

 

Smashed

 

Fry on the stove or electric frying pan or grill.

 

 

Jane showing her frying skills (Martha supervising?)

 

Serve on mini buns with toppings of your choice.

 

************************************************

 

(.......and from the cutting room floor......)

 

My mom explaining why the heck she bought such a large jar of pickles.