Summer Squash & Ricotta Tart

Need a perfect dish that would work as a brunch item, or dinner?  Well, I’ve got one for you!  I know recently I’ve done some tarts and frittatas (such as: gluten-free tomato tart, tomato leek & brie tart, squash blossom & bacon frittata), but they are so easy in the summer!

And now that it’s (slowly) cooling off, don’t spend too much time in the kitchen and enjoy the last of the summer vegetables.  Make this tart!  If you’re not a fan of squash or zucchini, feel free to swap for anything else that’s colorful!

Summer Squash & Ricotta Tart
Adapted from: Cooking Light (July 2012, pg 180)

Crust:
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water

Filling:
1 zucchini, sliced thick
1 yellow squash, sliced thick
1 tbsp olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp & pinch of salt
1/4 tsp & pinch of pepper
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup basil, chopped

Add the flour, salt, and baking powder into a food processor.  Pulse about 2 times to mix the ingredients.  In a small glass mix together the olive oil and water, then slowly pour it into the flour mixture with the food processor on.  Process until the dough is crumble.  Take it out, and knead it for about 1 minute on a floured surface.  Then shape it into a disk and wrap it up with parchment paper.  Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

In a large bowl combine the yellow squash and zucchini with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, stir together ricotta, thyme, lemon juice, egg, black pepper, and salt.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  After the dough is chilled, unwrap it and press it into a 9 inch tart pan.  Spread the ricotta mixture over the dough.  Then arrange the zucchini and squash slices over the tart (there will be a couple of layers).  Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Allow to cool, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil.  Cut into wedges and serve.

Tomato Tuesday: Gluten-free Tomato Tart

Today, July 24th, 2012, bloggers are donating their posts to the fight for slave-free tomatoes.  Check out participating bloggers here.   A special thanks to Nicole, of The Giving Table, for putting this call to action together!

This event was created by The Giving Table to support the International Justice Mission‘s summer campaign- Recipe for Change.  IMJ is a human rights agency committed to fighting modern day slavery and exploitation around the world.  Forced labor is happening on U.S. tomato fields.  Check out Tomatoland if you’d like an inside story (a great book!).

This summer, IMJ has partnered with The Coalition of Immokalee Workers and The Fair Food Standards Council to sponsor a campaign to raise awareness about the treatment of workers on U.S. tomato fields.  In addition, the campaign is asking CEO’s of large supermarket chains to endorse The Fair Food Program, ensuring that tomatoes sold in their stores are slave-free.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is a community-based organization of migrant workers that advocates for rights of farmworkers in Immokalee, FL.  The program was developed to protect Florida’s tomato pickers from exploitation.  The corporations that join the Fair Food Program agree to pay a small price increase for harvested tomatoes (1.5 cents more per pound) and shift purchases to Florida tomato growers who abide by the higher standards.  The 3 supermarket chains targeted this summer are: Ahold (Giant, Peapod, Martin’s, Albert), Publix, and Kroger.

Where can you find slave-free tomatoes?
CSA’s
Farmer’s Markets (DC’s FreshFarm Markets)
Whole Foods
Trader Joe’s

Please join Evi and Sam in signing the petition- Recipe for Change Letter.

Gluten-Free Tomato Tart
Adapted from: Anja’s Food 4 Thought & Simply Whole Kitchen

The best tomatoes for this tart are the juiciest, and most colorful one’s.  Find a heirloom variety at your local farmer’s market and slice them.  If there are any leftover tomato slices, enjoy them with some fresh mozzarella, salt, pepper and olive oil!

Crust:
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
3 tbsp whole-grain oat flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz cold butter, cut into cubes
1 tbsp ice cold water
1 egg, lightly beaten

Filling:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1/4 cup basil, finely chopped

In a food processor combine buckwheat flour, almond flour, whole grain oat flour, and salt.  Once it’s mixed well, add in the butter and pulse under the mixture is crumbly.  Next, add in the water and egg.  Keep pulsing until the mixture turns into a ball (it might be a bit sticky).  Shape it into a disk, then wrap it with parchment paper, keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  With cooking spray, grease a 9-inch tart pan.

Roll out the dough, and press all of it into the tart pan.  Bake it for 15 minutes.  Allow to cool off for at least 20 minutes.

To make the filling, heat olive oil in a saute pan.  Once the olive oil is hot, add in the onion.  Cook it until it is translucent, then add in the garlic.  Stir in the onion, garlic and cheese in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper.  Then pour the mixture into the cooled-off tart.  Arrange the tomato slices on top of the tart.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Bake the tart for 20 minutes, or until the cheese melts.  Allow to cool off before sprinkling basil over the top.  Divide into pieces, share with friends!

Want to learn more about this topic?  Check out some of these books and articles:
Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit (Barry Estabrook)
Join Michael Pollan in Ending Slavery of Tomato Workers
Did a Slave Grow Your Tomato?
Slavery in the Tomato Fields

June Review

It seemed like a lot of people liked the May review, so I think I might make this a regular post each month.  So what photos did I capture on my iPhone this month?

As I’m sure everyone has seen on Pinterest, drinks in jars are the cool new thing!  My friend Carrie loves this idea, and we cooled off with mimosas one night (grapefruit juice & prosecco)!

Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market finds!  My favorite from that week were the peas- could not stop eating them!

Blueberry picking at Butler’s Orchard with friends, what a great way to spend a Saturday!  Also, it’s a great excuse to make a blueberry-oat crumble!

Another week of deliciousness from the Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market!  This weeks favorites were the squash blossoms for a frittata and more peas!

Sam and I were dog and cat sitting one weekend.  We tried out an new coffee place, Pound the Hill and made a blueberry-oat crumble!

An amazing dinner at Hank’s Oyster Bar!  They have 2 locations- Dupont & Alexandria!  We went sailing that afternoon, so the oysters were a perfect finish to a great Sunday!

We went to a fabulous dinner at Jose Andres Zaytinya with a friend who is spending 2 months in Turkey!  This is one of the top 10 restaurants in DC, should be on everyone’s list to try!

More goodies from the Penn Quarter Farmers Market!  The delicious tart cherries were made into a pie, just like last year!  We devoured the green beans dipped in hummus, a perfect snack!

We celebrated my friend Becky’s birthday with a Cherry-Chocolate Birthday Cake in Baltimore!

Jessica–  friend and fellow blogger– is fostering kittens!  At the time I was there, all 4 still needed a home- I almost wanted to bring one home with me!

Last weeks goodies from the Penn Quarter Farmers Market.  Check out what I made with the beets– a perfect mid-day snack!  Tomatoes, peaches and nectarines are finally here!

Finally, while visiting Williamsburg, VA for a weekend we spotted these lemon ball cucumbers at the Williamsburg Farmers Market!  They taste just like a cucumber, but in a fun shape and color!

Food Matters Project #18: Tomato, Leek & Brie Tart

One of the things I love about the Food Matters Project is how you can adapt the recipes and make them your own.  This weeks focus was on tomatoes, but here in DC they are not yet in season.  So I pondered how we could make changes to the recipe (from other bloggers, and Pinterest!).

This weeks recipe was chosen by Nicole, from The Giving Table.  Nicole’s previous blog, Cooking After Five, was one of the first that I ever read.  Although Cooking After Five has been archived, she now focuses on The Giving Table and Eat This Poem.  She has a wonderful voice and inspiring recipes.  Most of all, she encourages her readers to stay informed on sustainable farming, healthy eating, food policy and hunger.  Finally, her beautiful pictures are not to be missed!

Nicole chose Mark Bittman’s recipe- Savory Tomato Crisp- from The Food Matters Cookbook.  Check out Nicole’s Savory Tomato Crisp, or all other bloggers posts here.

In this recipe Mark Bittman suggested to roast tomatoes, and then add a topping of bread crumbs, rolled oats and cheese.  I will definitely have to try this recipe, although it might have to wait a couple more weeks.  I still wanted to do something with tomatoes- we bought some greenhouse grown Farmer’s Market grape tomatoes.  So a tart became my inspiration, we could still have the baked tomato, along with some cheesey flavor.

 

Tomato, Leek & Brie Tart
Inspired from: The Food Matters Cookbook (page 423) & SweetSugarBean

This recipe is great because you can add the vegetables that you want- so if there are no leeks or tomatoes around, add in what you have in your fridge.  This is perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner!

Crust
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
½ stick of butter
2-3 tbsp cold water.

Filling
3/4 cup chopped Brie cheese
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped leeks
3 eggs
1 jalapeño, minced (optional)
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

Combine the flour, butter and salt in a food processor.  While it’s mixing the ingredients, slowly add water by the tablespoon.  Once it starts forming a ball, do not add any more water.  Place it in parchment paper and keep it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

When the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface.  Once it’s the size of your baking dish, place it gently inside.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Chop or break apart the brie cheese, sprinkle it onto the tart crust.

In a bowl mix together garlic, leeks, eggs, jalapeño, whipping cream, salt and pepper.  Once it’s all mixed together, pour over the brie cheese into the tart.  Sprinkle tomatoes on top.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top of the tart is lightly browned.

Spring Vegetable Tart

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, many of you have already ordered flowers or presents for their mothers.  But for those of you who might be making brunch for them, I’ve got the perfect dish.

A couple of weeks back I was strolling through the Penn Quarter Farmers Market when I saw these giant and gorgeous spring onions:

Spring onions are are bigger than green onions.  The bulb is more defined (very round), and the flavor is a little stronger.  While green onions are available year-round (you can even grow them in your window sill), spring onions are only available in the spring (now)- find them and cook them, you won’t be disappointed!  They can be added to salads, roasted whole, or simmered with meat.

Although Sam and I ate this for dinner, this dish is perfect at any brunch table- it can be a substitute for a frittata or quiche.  More vegetables and less cheese!

Spring Vegetable Tart
Adapted from: Cooking Light (April 2009)

Rather than cooking potatoes, use mashed potatoes if you have them available.  This tart can be whatever flavor you’d like to to be, some substitutes/additions can be: mushrooms, shallots, prosciutto or parsley.

1 1/2 lb potatoes (1 big, 1 small or about 3 cups mashed potatoes)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 of big onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
1 spring onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
4 cups chopped spinach
1/4 cup Half ‘n Half
1/4 cup shredded fontina cheese
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2-3 tbsp breadcrumbs
1/4 cup shredded pecorino cheese

Place peeled potatoes in a pot full of water, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Drain, allow to cool slightly.  Puree potatoes in a food processor, or mash with a potato masher.  Add to a large bowl.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, allow to cook until it is translucent.  Then add the garlic, jalapeño and spring onion; cook for another 2 minutes.  Stir in lettuce and spinach, cook for a couple of minutes until the greens wilt, stirring frequently.

Turn off the heat and pour into the bowl with the potatoes.  Then add the half and half, fontina cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper.  Stir all of the ingredients together.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  Coat an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray, then dust with breadcrumbs.  Add the potato mixture to the dish.  Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is slightly brown.  Remove from the oven, let stand for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with pecorino cheese before serving.

The first ever Fifth Floor Kitchen Giveaway winner is comment number 4- Virginia!  Her favorite kitchen appliance is the Kitchen Aid stand mixer- excellent choice!

Please send an email to: fifthfloorkitchen@gmail.com with your full name and mailing address.

Thank you to EVERYONE who entered the giveaway! Love getting comments & new readers!  Come back next week for another giveaway!