Avocado, Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad

This salad made up part of a family and friends dinner for easter. We had been given a heap of avocados. I managed to stop myself gobbling some to save for this salad. The salad is great and has been just as good over the next couple of days for lunches and dinners. Yes, I may have over catered AGAIN.
A great easy salad that can be made in advance (except the avo) and then put together at the last minute.
My avocados were is bit soft but it was still great.









Avocado, Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad

Ingredients 
2 cans (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained 
1 can (17 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained 
2 large tomatoes, chopped 
1 or 2 large avocados, peeled and diced 
1/2 red onion, chopped 
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing 
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 
3-4 Tbsp. lime juice 
2 Tbsp. olive oil 
1 tsp. salt 
1/2 tsp. pepper 

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  
Cover and chill.

Tomato and Cheese Tart

There is a little French cafe near our home and very near a park that Isabella loved when she was smaller called Pyrenees that has the most yummy food. Healthy - no, but very very tasty.
Isabella is obsessed with their macaroons but I am most tempted by their savoury offerings. One of the regular features is savoury tarts, usually simple ingredients that combine to form a flavour sensation.

When I saw a Ray McVinnie recipe recently for a French tart I had to make it.

I still need to work on my blind making. I can never seem to get the pastry well cooked.
I think in this recipe the oven tray you place the baking dish on needs to be heated in the oven first.



Tomato and Cheese Tart

300g Flour
150g cold butter cut into cubes
5-6 tomatoes, sliced 1cm thick
3 Tbs Dijon or wholegrain mustard (I used whole grain and it was great...not over powering)
1 eg beatten
200g Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup pitted black olives
Basil leaves for serving

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees C
• Butter a shallow tin or over proof dish abut 25cm by 35cm.
• Put the flour, butter and a large pinch of salt into the food processor and process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
• Continue processing and add just enough iced water to make the mixture stick together. Do not over process or the pastry will be tough.
• alternatively, rub the butter into the flour and alt with finger tips until it s like bread crumbs, then as enough water to make a stiff dough.
• Turn out onto a clean surface and press together into a flattened ball.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the tomato slices on a cake rack side by side.
• Sprinkle with salt and set aside for 30 minutes to drain. Tilt the rack so the water can drain effectively.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge and alto soften enough to be rollable,
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and use it to line the time.
• Cover with foil or baking paper and fill with baking weights or dried beans or rice.
• Place in the oven on a tray and bake 15-20 minutes until well cooked and browned.
• Remove from the oven.
• Brush the mustard over the bottom of the pastry shell.
• Pour in the egg and sprinkle with grated cheese evenly on top.
• Place the drained tomato slices slightly overlapping on the cheese.
• Put olives in between the tomato slices.
• Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until well cooked and browned.
• Remove from the oven and cool to warm.
• Sprinkle with the basil leaves and serve in rectangles.

Cheesy Tomato and Basil Pie

The gardens are producing a lot of tomatoes at the moment. Most of them have been dried in the dehydrator kindly given to us by my mother-in-law and then stored in olive oil for eating later.
This recipe looked good and seemed like a good weekend dinner with salad.

I had to mess with the recipe a bit. I added an egg to the cheesy topping and used the last of a couple of mayonnaise type dressings I had in the fridge (a feta and garlic mayo and some tartare sauce).

The tomato and basil flavours came through well and it was really nice hot and pretty good cold too.
I think if I make it again I'll add a few other vegetables - capsicum, spring onion and maybe mushrooms.

My pastry could have down with more blind baking - I baked it until the top edges of the pie crust started browning. I might try totally covering the pasty with baking paper and cooking longer next time.

It is really important to get as much moisture out of the tomatoes as possible. I chopped them in the morning and stirred them occasionally throughout the day.

Cheesy Tomato and Basil Pie

Ingredients

• 4-5 fresh tomatoes, cut in half horizontally and squeezed to remove seeds and excess juices, and chopped into 1-inch pieces (yield approximately 3 cups)I didn't take out the seeds but a lot trained away.
• Salt
• 1 partially-baked 9-inch pie crust (see instructions here)
• ½ cup finely diced sweet onion (about ½ a medium onion)
• ¼ cup finely sliced basil (8 leaves)
• 2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (or other cheeses of your choice)
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon chilli sauce (or other hot sauce of your choice – adjust amount according to your tastes)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. About 4-6 hours before baking (or overnight), place the diced tomatoes in a sieve or strainer over a bowl and sprinkle generously with the salt. Stir to combine. Allow the tomatoes to drain of their liquid, stirring occasionally and gently pressing down on the tomatoes (use a large spoon or a small flat bowl to press the tomatoes against the sieve), until the tomatoes are very well drained. Blot with a paper towel if necessary to remove extra moisture.
2. While the tomatoes are draining, pre-bake your pie crust. (See instructions here
3. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
4. Spread the diced onion in the bottom of the pie crust. Spread the well-drained tomatoes over the onions, then sprinkle the basil over the tomatoes.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the grated cheese, mayonnaise, sriracha and a generous grind of black pepper. Mix to combine (the mixture will be very thick). Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes in the pie plate.
6. Bake in the oven until golden brown and bubbly – approximately 25-35 minutes.
7. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to firm up before serving.

Preserved Tomato Pasta Sauce

I'm feeling very virtuous today. The tomatoes in my garden have gone crazy and a huge number are ripe or almost ripe.
I picked a supermarket bag full and preserved them as a chunky pasta sauce. This is roughly based on something my mother made (and still makes). The best thing about today's efforts is that I know the tomatoes have been grown with no sprays in a really healthy natural environment.

The sauce is incredibly versatile and really handy to have when you need a meal in a hurry...anything from blended as a soup to added to mince to make a quick bolognese sauce.

The sauce started with sweated onions and garlic.
The tomatoes are skinned (score a cross across the top of tomato and dip in boiling water, then plunge into ice cold water - the skin just comes away), chopped and added to onion and garlic with a little bit of sugar and salt to season.

My other reasons to feel virtuous are firstly bagging frozen cubes of pesto that I made last weekend. I use these cubes in bread, pasta sauces or just stirred through cooked pasta.
Secondly was my first attempt at making mozzarella cheese. But that's another post!

Mexican spiced tomato and lentil soup - recipe

I know its not really soup weather and that if I'm really honest we are too close to summer for soup but I have been craving this one for ages. To be honest I'm not even sure I made it over winter.

The recipe comes from Sophie Gray's (also known as the Destitute Gourmet) 'Enjoy'. I love the fact that it is vegetarian but has lentils in it for protein.

It uses Mexican Seasoning which is a recipe included in the book alone with a number of others that I make regularly to have on hand to quickly add to meals. (I'll include a couple soon).

I served it with toasted home made breads - focaccia, garlic and herb and basic white bread.

Mexican spiced tomato and lentil soup

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

3 tsp Mexican seasoning (cumin, chilli, sugar, oregano, salt)

2 x 400g chopped canned tomatos

6 cups stock (I used beef but vege or chicken is fine)

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 1/2 cups red lentils

1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander

sour cream to garnish

In large saucepan, heat oil and add onion and garlic. Cook until light golden.

Mix in the Mexican seasoning, then add tomato, stock, tomato paste, lentils and sugar. Bring to boil and stir, then reduce temp and simmer for 45 minutes. Add chopped fresh herbs and garnish with a dollop of sour cream.