As the golden light of early September tease us into Fall, there is still the gorgeous bounty of luscious tomatoes. I always think of August as tomato month. Probably because my brother was born on the 10th of August, the day my mother also remembers as when her first home grown tomato was ripe enough to eat. Unfortunately her untimely labor forced her to delay indulging in her ruby red tomato for a few days, something that she held onto for years.

However that aside, in September the farm stands and markets start lining up pints of tiny gem colored cherry tomatoes. Such beauties deserve more than just being sliced into a salad.

I make this Tomato confit as a way of not only preserving some of the golden days, but it’s an astounding way to treat your guests to garden fresh tomatoes other than a Caprese Salad. Slow cooking the tomatoes in oil and garlic creates a flavor bomb that I like to pair with whipped feta, or garlicky thick yogurt. A quick spritz of lemon over all makes everything even brighter.

Aside from this crowd pleasing dippy dish, a jar of this kept in the fridge is always ready to be warmed, and serve salongside meats and fish.

Cherry Tomato Confit

Gail Watson As the golden light of early September tease us into Fall, there is still the gorgeous bounty of luscious tomatoes. I always think of August as tomato month. Probably because… Recipe index tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, confit, appetizer, party food, European Print This

Serves: 6

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 3.8/5

( 4 voted )

Ingredients

• 2 lbs cherry tomatoes, rinsed and dried
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon pepper corns
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• a small bulb of garlic cloves, peeled and left whole.

Instructions

In a small pan combine everything together. Be sure the pan is small enough so that the tomatoes sit in a bath of oil. Over very low heat, warm the tomatoes and simmer for about an hour. The garlic will start to slowly become more golden, and the tomatoes will soften. Before the garlic can get too dark, remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Serve warm with whipped feta, or store in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.    

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When slow roasted sweet potatoes turn into a caramelized candy like delight. You might not think of sweet potatoes as a “butter” or a “jam”, but all the flavors of deep Fall are here. Added to a toasty cheese melty sandwich, or to a seasonal charcouterie board, you will be delighted in this flavor bomb. Don’t forget breakfast though! Top your oatmeal with a dollop of this fragrant butter, or spread onto a nice seeded sourdough toast.

Gingery Sweet Potato Butter

Gail Watson When slow roasted sweet potatoes turn into a caramelized candy like delight. You might not think of sweet potatoes as a “butter” or a “jam”, but all the flavors of… Holiday Dishes sweet potato, appetizer, holiday dishes, high fiber, gluten free European Print This

Serves: 6 Cooking Time: 2 hours 2 hours

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

• 3 cups slow roasted sweet potatoes cut in half, until deflated and giving off their sugary juice
• 1 large granny smith apple, peeled and chopped into small pieces
• Juice of one large grapefruit
• 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmet
• 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

Place the cooled sweet potatoes, apple, grapefruit and lemon juice into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend again until smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a large bottomed saucepan. Over low heat cook the mash for about 40 minutes, stirring every now and then. This will sweeten the potatoes and bit more, and meld the flavors together. Take care not to scorch the mixture.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a clean jar. Allow to cool and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

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Salad dressings in general don’t get big wows, except for this one. One of my favorite ways to serve this is over grilled eggplant during a dinner party. It never fails that there is a cry for the recipe, or threats of taking the rest of the jar home. Aside from the gorgeous color, the balance of cumin, turmeric, lemon juice and garlic give this dressing the hint of a Middle Eastern vibe, but in the most seductive way. Aside from the eggplant the Turmeric Tahini Dressing pairs beautifully with pretty much any sturdy roasted vegetable- even beets! Note* this recipe is included in my book No Oil Dressings and Sauces.

Turmeric Tahini Dressing

Gail Watson Salad dressings in general don’t get big wows, except for this one. One of my favorite ways to serve this is over grilled eggplant during a dinner party. It never… Recipe index turmeric tahini, tahini, cumin, ginger, middle eastern, no oil dressing European Print This

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 5 tablespoons water
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.

Take the time to taste and balance to your liking. I tend to like a lot of salt, and depending on your tahini the dressing might be thick. Feel free to add more water to get a pouring consistency.

 

Store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

The post Turmeric Tahini Dressing with Roasted Vegetables appeared first on A Healthy Hunger.

At the end of the Summer growing season I always end up with big bunches of fresh basil from my garden. Although basil can be dried for future use, making some herbaceous oil is a way to get the bright basil taste when you need it. I make my Basil Oil and store it into small jars that I like to gift along with a cheese platter. Not only do you end up with the most incredible bright green color, but the aroma and flavor is magical.

I prefer to use this oil to finish off a dish. Drizzle some over the obvious mozzarella and tomatoes, but try over grilled fish, over Spaghetti Marinara, use instead of mayonnaise in a sandwich, or add to a salad dressing along with your olive oil.

Basil Oil

Gail Watson At the end of the Summer growing season I always end up with big bunches of fresh basil from my garden. Although basil can be dried for future use, making… Recipe index Basil oil, dressing, basil European Print This

Serves: 1 cup Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 2 hours 2 hours

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 1 cups of washed and dried fresh basil leaves
• 3 cups of avocado or vegetable oil
• generous pinch of salt
• You will need a fine meshed sieve and a coffee filter, or paper towel for the straining.

Instructions

In a high powered blender combine the leaves, oil and salt. Place the lid on the blender and  blitz for 3 minutes, or until the oil looks "broken". You need to go past the point of emulsification. This will break down the all the fibers and release all the aromatics, and color, into the oil. Note: the oil will get warm from the high speed blending, and  this is ok. I don't recommend a food processor for this, a blender does a much better job.

In batches strain the oil through a fine meshed sieve into a measuring cup or jar. You may gently stir to speed up the process, but not too aggressively, you want to keep as much fine solids out of the oil.

Set the jar aside for an hour or so to let any solids settle. Fit a jar with a coffee filter. I rig my jars up by cutting a small slit an inch down from the edge of the filter and thread a chopstick though as support for suspending over the jar.

Carefully pour over the top layer of oil and allow to strain. This will take time, so set it and forget it, returning every now and then to add more oil to the filter. In the end add the remains of the far and allow that to sit overnight.

You will end up with a gorgeous emerald green oil.

Store in the fridge for several months.

 

Notes

Drizzle over anything you can think of. Eggs, fish, add a flair to any type of pasta, and of course, mozzarella and tomatoes. A tablespoon added to your salad dressing is a fantastic flavor bomb too.

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