Summer at Last

I love warm weather and the content feeling of relaxation that comes with the summertime, but to me, this satisfaction is never really complete until I have enjoyed a real tomato. The tomatoes I am referring to are juicy and flavorful at their best; hardly resembling the pale, pulpy specimens one might find languishing on a salad in the middle of winter.

When my coworkers decided to organize a pot luck office party last week, I saw this as a good opportunity to make my fist batch of tomato bruschetta of the season. Sean doesn't like tomatoes (the foods that Sean won't eat are a common theme in my writing, I know), so it always seems like a waste to make it just for myself. And so, like a number of my other favorite dishes, I often look for excuses to make this recipe. I foist it on practically everyone, so it was only a matter of time before I posted it on here. It's just that good.

Tomato Bruschetta

Serves six as a substantial first-course, or a good-sized group (twenty or thirty), when served with other snacks.

Adapted from Dining Out , by Mary Engelbreit

You may initially find it a bit odd that I have added a good amount of fresh mint to my bruschetta. However, please don't let that stop you from making it; read this article before you decide against it. And if the mint still seems like it isn't for you, try the recipe without. It's still very flavorful and delicious.

-Four or five small to medium-sized stem tomatoes, the riper the better
-One tablespoon kosher salt
-1/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive-Oil
-Four tablespoons chopped, pitted Mediterranean olives, or a tapenade from your grocery store's olive bar
-Three tablespoons fresh, slivered basil, torn, not cut, to preserve green color
-Three tablespoons chopped, fresh mint leaves
-Two tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
-Two or three garlic cloves, chopped, plus two slightly crushed cloves for the bread
-Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
-Twelve 1/2 inch thick slices of bread (a baguette or some nice Italian bread works well), grilled, toasted, or broiled

Directions:

Peel, seed and finely dice the tomatoes. Ripe tomatoes are easiest to peel; however, this step may take a little time and patience. You will get better with practice!

In a large colander, season the tomatoes with the kosher salt. Stir and let drain in the sink for 45 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile, chop the additional ingredients.

In a medium bowl, combine oil, olives, basil, mint,parsley and chopped garlic. Stir until well-mixed, then season with salt and pepper. When the tomatoes are ready, add them to this mixture and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Slice and toast/grill/broil the bread. Use the remaining crushed garlic to lightly flavor the bread, being careful with the hot bread. Serve immediately with the refrigerated tomato mixture. Is especially satisfying when enjoyed outside with a glass of white wine or Champagne.

Roast Chicken

I've been feeling nostalgic lately for some of the foods I first learned to prepare while in high school and college. One of my favorite dishes to make was a roasted chicken with garlic, lemon, honey and herbs. It was originally printed in Yankee Magazine, sometime around 1996. The recipe is not available on the magazine's online archives, so I decided to reproduce it from memory.
While the chicken I made is not not exactly as I remember it, the result is a warm-tasting, savory-sweet chicken dish. It is surprisingly flavorful, given the relatively small number of ingredients used. Below is my version of Honey and Lemon Roasted Chicken.

Honey Lemon Roasted Chicken
Adapted from Yankee Magazine
-1 4 to 5 pound roasting chicken, preferably organic or kosher
-1 lemon half, juiced; the lemon reserved
-2 or 3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
-1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic (I used garlic from the jar), or about three medium-sized cloves
-1/8 cup honey
-1/8 cup olive oil, plus more, for rubbing the chicken
-salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
-Four springs fresh rosemary or thyme (optional, or to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse the inside and outside of the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Trim any excess fat. Place the chicken in a large glass pan. Place the whole garlic cloves and juiced lemon half inside the cavity of the bird. Drizzle olive oil on the outside of the bird, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and rub into the skin. Place in the oven and allow to roast for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the rest of the olive oil with the honey and lemon juice, then add the chopped garlic, salt and pepper. After the chicken has been in the oven for 20 minutes, remove from oven and baste with the lemon and honey mixture.
After basting, place back in the oven for another 20 minutes, then remove and baste with the lemon and honey mixture. Spoon the juices on the bottom of the pan over the chicken. Continue this pattern until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Roasting chickens typically require 18 to 20 minutes per pound for cooking when there is no stuffing inside the cavity. Allow the chicken to rest 15 minutes before carving.
If desired, use the extra pan juices to make a gravy to spoon over the meat.