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.

Tomato Art Fest

Okay so maybe it's not quite La Tomitina, but Tomato Art Fest in East Nashville is my favorite little party in the city. Yep, I'm still a homer for my 'hood despite stolen lawn mowers and muggings.

Check out the work of Shelia B., a featured artist at the festival. Meanwhile, here's a poster from the old-fashioned letterpressers Hatch Show Print.

My friend Jaime won the Bloody Mary competition. She wouldn't divulge her recipe (and I totally don't blame her), but I suspect lime, cilantro and cucumber were involved?

She could have also won the cutest-thing-ever-in-an-apron-contest had there been one.

The 3 Crow Bar also served Bloody Mary's and clearly went all out on their sign.

Barman and guitar picker Jacob Jones made the 3 Crow version as follows:

Ice
About 1/2 a glass of vodka (no joke)
About 1/2 a glass of mix
Scoop of horseradish
Sprinkle of Tabasco
Dash of pepper

Not bad. And I don't really like Bloody Mary's.

Manning the booth.

In my personal celebration of the tomato, I made some bruschetta at home.

It’s a simple version, but here goes…
6 to 8 tomatoes, roughly chopped
about a tablespoon of olive oil
a couple healthy splashes of balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
a handful or so of chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients. Let stand or chill for an hour or so to marry flavors.

I served it over slices of Bohemian Three Seed bread from Twin Forks Farm in Primm Springs. The Sancerre went well with acidity of the tomatoes.

Dinner music: A couple of (many) fine East Nashville representatives...K.S. Rhoads and Jacob Jones.