You say “Tomato”, I say “Kumato”

The thing about dogs is that they don’t understand when you say “it’s too hot for a walk.”

When I tell him that, I’m met with a head-tilt to the right and then to the left.

So off we go. I wear the only shoes I can bear to wear in this heat. Much better for walks than flip-flops but not as hot as sneakers. Yes, they are TOMS. Yes, they are kind of ugly. But they are stupidly comfortable and I suppose I’m almost approaching that point in life where I accept comfort over style. Almost.

I read this face to say “come on lady, quit taking pictures… let’s go!”

Of course we stop at every hydrant/telephone pole/STOP sign for a sniff around.

When we made it home, both panting, I needed sustenance and remembered these “brown tomatoes” I picked up the other day.

Kind of weird or kind of cool? A Kumato, developed in Spain, is often referred to as a “gourmet tomato”. It is sweeter than a regular tomato due to a higher level fructose. The Kumato also has a longer shelf-life than a regular tomato.

Buying these on a whim, I had no idea how I was going to use them. After some consideration, I went with a simple salad.

I couldn’t have picked a better way to showcase these tomatoes, I mean “kumatoes”.

{Cold Kumato Salad}

• 6 Kumatoes, quartered and then quarters cut in half
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 2 oz goat cheese crumbles

Whisk olive oil and vinegar together. Add Kumatoes and scallions to a bowl. Pour olive oil and vinegar mixture over them. Mix together. Gently mix in goat cheese crumbles. Chill salad for at least 30 minutes before enjoying.

*Serves 2-4 as a small side

Have you ever seen/cooked with Kumatoes before? How are your pets fairing in this heat wave?

Socca Pizza & Keeping Cool

Hey hey. I hope everyone is keeping cool, wherever you may be. From the looks of it most of the country is experiencing some pretty toasty weather. I honestly can’t really complain because I drive to work, work in an office with AC and have AC at home. But if you don’t have those luxuries in this heat wave, I suggest you go jump in a body of water and then eat an ice cream cone, k?

Last night for dinner I made some Socca. Don’t know what it is? It’s pretty much a bread made with chickpea flour. This was my second attempt at making it, the first was a complete failure, and I’d say I’ve almost figured it out. In any case, it was mighty delicious topped with Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, goat cheese and fresh Basil.

{Socca}

• 3/4 chickpea flour
• 3/4 c water
• 2 T olive oil (I used only 2 t which may have contributed to the slight pan stickage I encountered)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Oil round cake pan very well.

Mix chickpea flour, water and olive oil with a wire whisk. Pour batter into round pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes until cracks form on top.

Carefully remove from pan by running knife along edges then flipping pan onto another plate. (Hopefully yours doesn’t stick!)

Serves 1-2

Like I said, I topped mine with tomatoes, goat cheese and fresh basil. I stuck it under the broiler for a few minutes to warm the tomatoes and cheese. Aside from the Socca being a bit under seasoned (next time I’ll add a touch of salt and perhaps some herbs), it was delicious! It had a bit of chew yet crumbled and held up to the toppings when sliced.

To celebrate my mostly successful Socca making attempt, I whipped up some banana soft serve.

I’m sure most know what banana soft serve is and how it’s made but if you don’t, it’s simply frozen chunks of ripe bananas pureed in the food processor until they achieve a soft-serve like consistency. It’s easy, tasty and the perfect solution for a lazy girl who wants ice cream but doesn’t want to go get it.

Plop some fresh berries on top and you have a cheap, frosty dessert to enjoy while watching:

I’m not ashamed.

Have you ever made/had Socca before? How did you prepare/eat it?

Heirlooms in the Air…

Tomatoes that is. If I could somehow find a way to transmit the INCREDIBLE smell wafting from my kitchen so that readers could experience it… Sigh, but I can’t so I’ll just tell you about tonight’s dinner.

I’m not going to lie, I have a love-hate relationship with corn on the cob. I LOVE the way it tastes, I just don’t enjoy any other part of it. I don’t enjoy the husking, cooking (too many burned fingers), or even eating it off the cob. Back in the day, when I had a mouth full of braces, this was completely impossible. For one, I risked breaking a bracket and setting my parents back the cost of a replacement and fix. Secondly, and perhaps more important to my 7th grade self, it was highly likely I’d get corn stuck in my braces and have to excuse myself to the bathroom to pluck it out with my special wire toothbrush. WAY too much effort. But back to the part where I LOVE corn…

I do enjoy it tremendously. I like it in fresh salsas, in my burritos and even by itself (when either cut off the cob for me or yes, even frozen). I don’t even mind it canned, nope, I really don’t. So when I picked up a can at Trader Joe’s today and recalled a bag of frozen white corn in the freezer, I set my mind to work deciding what I’d do with it. Then, I spotted the heirloom tomatoes… they were just sitting there in the midst of all the other tomatoes, looking beautiful and ready to jump into my basket. Come home pretty little tomatoes.

Then I thought, hmmm, what about a salad with corn and the heirloom tomatoes? Oh and some green onions and garlic? I was salivating right there in Trader Joe’s. What? Feta, too? YES.

I will admit that I did have inspiration from other bloggers and recipe sites. I know that the idea of a tomato and corn salad with or without feta is not something my little mind invented. But here is my version:

Note: I didn’t really use any formal measurements, so if you decide to recreate it, I invite you to use the quantities you would like.

Heirloom Corn Feta Onion Salad

1 can yellow whole kernel sweet corn, drained

cup or so of white corn (thawed if previously frozen)

2 chopped bunches of green onion

1 tbsp chopped garlic

2 tbsp butter or butter flavored spread (I used Brummel & Brown… I love that stuff)

Crumbled feta

Extra Virgin Olive Oil   (I used Gustare’s Persian Lime EVOO… you can use regular EVOO and add lime juice if you wish)

Directions: Heat olive oil in pan with medium-high heat. Add butter. When melted and olive oil/butter starts to bubble slightly add corn. Move it around in the pan for a few minutes, add green onions and garlic. Continue to move it all around in the pan. Note: always be careful with hot oil! If it starts to spit, turn it down. Remove from heat. When cooled a bit, put in heat-safe bowl in the refrigerator. While that’s cooling, cut tomatoes in half. I used about 1.5 cups but that can be increased or decreased. Remove corn from refrigerator, add tomatoes and feta. Season with salt and pepper if you wish. Mix with a spoon and serve.

I had my still slightly warm but that’s because it smelled too good for me to wait. I did let the whole salad chill for a bit while I cooked up some spicy chicken sausages to have with it. What a fabulous, fresh Sunday night dinner! Now I plan on enjoying the rest of my Sunday evening by relaxing on the couch with Griffy and possibly catching the premiere of Shark Week. Night!