I had thought I would be traveling this week, but instead I have more time to cook through this week’s veggies. Here’s what I have on the menu:
I’m also planning to make pimento cheese and pear scones. Together with a bunch more tomatoes from our garden, the roma tomatoes will become tomato sauce that I will can for later.
Clockwise from left: Red Radishes, Broccoli, Red Seedless Watermelon, Green Beans (in a bag), Red Pimento Peppers, Bartlett Pears, Rainbow Chard, Roma Tomatoes, Italian Eggplant, Kiwiberries, Thumbelina Carrots
Hearty, one-pot meals are my go-to during these season, both to cook up during the cool evenings and as microwaved leftovers to warm me up from my typical popsicle-like state in my office. This has pasta and chicken and uses s many of the peppers I’ve been receiving, along with the tomato sauce I made previously. It’s great served with a nice green salad on the side, along with some crusty garlic bread.
There’s a bit of chopping involved, but afterwards, the meal comes together pretty easily. The chicken is cut into tenderloin-sized strips and orzo should be cooked and kept hot. Half of the chicken is cooked in the skillet, then removed and set aside. The remaining chicken, along with some peppers, shallot, and garlic are added and cooked until the chicken is done and the peppers have softened. The reserved chicken is added back and given a toss with the cooked orzo, tomato sauce, and basil. Once the mixture is hot, season it with salt, pepper, and cheese and serve.
Sorry the cheese is in the way of the actual dish, but that shouldn’t be surprising by now…
Detailed instructions follow.
My freezer is constantly stocked with a few staples: pork chops, homemade chicken stock, and ice cream. (Just being honest here!) I also try to freeze servings of soups or stews I make for quick meals when the fridge is empty and there’s no time to cook, like the dumplings I made previously. With the abundance of roma tomatoes, I decided to add another item to the freezer stash. Whether heated over spaghetti and meatballs or used in place of canned sauce, this is great to have on hand. The fact that it’s based on a recipe from my Grandma guarantees that it’s going to taste great, though not as good as she would have made it!
Start by dunking the fresh roma tomatoes in boiling water until the skins split. After they cool, the skins can be removed. Afterwards, add to a big pot with some onion, green peppers, tomato paste, garlic, and some herbs and simmer for a few hours.
Not the most photo-friendly dish, but trust me when I say it tastes better than it looks.
If you’re looking for a meat sauce, simply brown the ground meat of your choice in the pot along with peppers and onions in the second step below!
CSA in the Suburbs 