Scripps Howard News Service
These recipes show the versatility of tomatoes in the home kitchen, with an emphasis on quick-cooking or no cooking at all.
BLT Pizza
Ingredients:
1 (10-oz.) thin pre-baked pizza shell
4 ounces (1/2 pkg.) cream cheese, softened
3/4 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (or mixed bagged lettuces)
1 cup (4 ounces) finely shredded Co-Jack cheese
3/4 cup chopped fresh tomato
7 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, chopped
olives, sliced, optional
Preparation:
Heat oven or lidded gas grill to 400 degrees. Place pizza shell on baking sheet for oven heating. Heat 5 minutes or until slightly crisp. Remove and let pizza shell cool slightly.
For toppings: Combine cream cheese, Italian herbs and pepper. Spread on pizza shell to within 1/2-inch of edge. Scatter evenly with lettuce, Co-Jack cheese, tomato and bacon. Top with sliced olives, black or green, or both. Cut pizza into 12 wedges and serve.
Yield: 12 servings
— Adapted from a recipe from the American Dairy Association
Spicy-Hot Pork Chops with Mexican Salad
Ingredients:
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups diced tomatoes mixed with chopped mild green chilies (may be canned)
2 cobs sweet corn, kernels sliced off
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. hot sauce, depending on brand, or to taste
3/4 cup chopped onion
vegetable oil or olive oil
Preparation:
In a medium bowl, combine black beans, tomatoes, green chilies, raw corn kernels, cilantro, garlic, cumin, red pepper and hot sauce. Set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and brown on each side. Remove from pan. Add onion to skillet. Cook, stirring often, until onion is tender but not brown. Stir in bean mixture; bring to boiling. Return chops to skillet. Cover tightly and cook over low heat 5 minutes or until chops are just done. Serve bean mixture with chops.
Yield: 4 servings
— Adapted from a recipe from the National Pork Producers Council
Tomato Bruschetta Appetizers
Ingredients:
8 to 10 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
3 or 5 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 cup chopped leafy green lettuce
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. milled pepper
Toasted Bread Rounds:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 package (16-oz.) twin french bread loaves, cut in 1/4-inch slices
Preparation:
In a medium bowl, stir together the crisp bacon crumbles, chopped plum tomatoes, lettuce, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Brush olive oil on both sides of the bread slices. Place on baking sheet or grill and toast at 400 degrees, turning once, for about 7 minutes per side, depending on distance from heat. Make the bread crisp and golden. Cool.
Spoon about 1 tbsp. tomato-bacon topping on each toast round. Or serve topping in a small bowl surrounded by the toast rounds. For best flavor and texture, stir together topping ingredients just before serving.
Yield: 24 appetizers
&#!51; From the National Pork Producers Council
Steak House Tomato and Blue Cheese Salad
2 cups mixed salad greens
4 large or 6 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/2 medium sweet onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt; milled pepper to taste
warm croutons (see directions)
Preparation:
Place mixed greens on salad plates. Arrange overlapping tomato and cucumber slices on top. Scatter onion over the tomatoes. Top with blue cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar (whisk together first, if desired). Season with salt and pepper.
To make warm croutons: Lightly toast large bread cubes cut from thick Italian bread slices or sourdough bread in a skillet or saute pan with a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir constantly.
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
— From tomato canner Muir Glen
