Bruschetta
Prep time - 20 minutes Cook time - 5 minutes Total time -25 minutes Yields: 6 slices Ingredients 4 medium ripe heirloom tomatoes Salt Ground black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 6 basil leaves, thinly sliced Six 1/2-inch thick slices French bread 3 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole Instructions Chop tomatoes into 1/4-inch chunks, removing as many seeds as possible. Add these to a bowl with a generous pinch of salt, small pinch of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, vinegar and basil. Stir and let stand 15 minutes. Lightly dust one side of bread with garlic. (As a summer treat, you can grill the bread on the BBQ for 2 - 3 minutes and serve warm) Spoon a generous amount of the tomato mixture onto each bread slice.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Prep time - 15 min Cook time - 15 min Total time - 30 min Yields: 4 servings Ingredients 4 green tomatoes cut into 1/4" rings 3/4 cup all purpose flour 1 tbsp garlic powder 4 eggs salt and pepper 2 tbsp milk 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs pinch cayenne pepper pinch paprika Instructions In a frying pan or deep fryer, preheat oil to 350 degrees F. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper. In one shallow dish mix flour and garlic powder. In a second shallow dish, beat eggs and milk. In a third shallow dish, mix bread crumbs, cayenne and paprika. Dredge tomatoes through each dish, in order. Place in the pan/fryer. Cook 2 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve.
Cucumber Relish
Prep time - 45 mins Cook time - 4 hours 20 mins Total time- 5 hours 5 mins Yields: 5 - 6 pints Ingredients 4 cups cucumber (unpeeled, ground) - about 4 1 cup green pepper (ground) - about 2 1/2 cup red pepper (ground) - about 1 1 tablespoon celery seed 3 cups onions (ground) 1/4 cup salt 3 1/2 cups sugar 2 cups white vinegar 1 tablespoon mustard seed Instructions Use food processor to combine all vegetables. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with cold water and let stand 4 hours. Drain thoroughly and press out all excess liquid. Combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed and mustard seed. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in drained vegetables. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pack into jars and leave 1/2" headspace. Put on cap and screw band firmly tight. Process in water bath for 10 minutes. (Recipe adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/cucumber-relish-11147)
Greek Salad
Prep time - 20 minutes Cook time - 0 minutes Total time -20 minutes Yields: 6 servings Ingredients 3 large Roma tomatoes 1 long English cucumbers 1 green pepper 3/4 cup Feta Cheese (cubed) 6 tablespoons Greek Feta dressing Instructions Chop tomatoes into 1/4-inch chunks, removing as many seeds as possible. Peel the cucumber and coarsely chop. Remove the seeds from the pepper and cut into thin rings. Add all ingredients together and serve immediately. Recipe submitted by Nicole. Adapted to include quantities, yield and time.