Showing posts with label Food Security Partners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food Security Partners. Show all posts

Friday, October 9, 2009

Plum tomatoed

The weather is nasty in Nashville tonight, so I’m relishing in the final days of tomato season with a spicy roasted tomato and red pepper soup.

So easy (recipe below.) And it fills my little hut with the sweet aroma of slow-roasting vegetables.

And speaking of tomatoes, I meant to post about the Tomato Art Fest, my favorite festival in the ‘hood that takes place every August. But in the super-speedy world of cyberspace, August was practically the Reagan era, so I won’t dwell. Just the highlights…

It was hot. This man has ice in his beer.

This guy is dressed like a tomato.

Tiny tomato?

The Tomato Art Fest is a prime example of how food can bring people together. Lots of non-East Nashvillians even risked robbery to cross the river and hang with us! I shared these cupcakes with two strangers at 3 Crow Bar. Sanitary? No. But a lovely moment over cake and beer.


But my favorite parts actually happened leading up to the festival. A tomato and wine tasting at Rumours East



My friend Jaime perfecting her bloody mary recipe for 3 Crow’s Bloody Mary contest.

And then the tasting...

Jaime's Miso Merry had an Asian vibe – sassy ginger (among other secret ingredients) with a black sesame seed rim. BRILLIANT! But since she won last year, the judges totally caved for a subpar entry. Talk about robbery!

I made these Green Tomato and Gruyere tartlets, adapted from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook for a Food Security Partners bake sale.



"Eat a delicious tomato and dance with me." So says the song...



Spicy Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup
(adapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson)

Coat a roasting pan with some olive oil. Add some quartered tomatoes, onions and red pepper (Cooking for one, I like this ratio: 2 tomatoes, 1/2 a pepper, 3/4 an onion.) Throw in a couple cloves of garlic. S&P. Then roast for about 40 minutes on 350 degrees (I have to go a little longer at a lower temp on the toaster oven). Then puree with vegetable stock and add spices to your liking. Heidi calls for smoked paprika, but I'm not a huge fan of that spice. So I go with red pepper flakes.