Summer tasty tips by Tina Terpko
June 18, 2010
Some people had the type of parents that would take pictures of their every move. From the time they were born they have a photo montage of every adorable thing they have ever done. I was six years old before I realized that the picture of the baby in my parents room was my cousin Lydia and not me. I was a cute baby…honest. I was also my mother’s only child so you would have thought she would have wanted to capture a few special moments. There are maybe 10 pictures of me from birth to first grade while there are a ton of pictures of the huge trout my Dad caught back in the day. I will give him credit. At one point it held the title as the biggest trout in PA and was featured in Field and Stream.
Then came my school years. Every picture I had taken for special events such as my First Holy Communion, 8th grade graduation and proms were taken in front of my Dad’s garden, . More specifically, in front of his tomato plants. He grew “Big Boy” tomatoes that he nurtured from seeds in the basement. By the time they were ready to be picked they were huge and meaty. We use to pull them off of the vine and eat them like an apple. No one touched the first ripe tomato because that honor went to my Grandma. So on those special occasions when we did pull out the pictures to walk down memory lane you would see in the background the garage he built and this beautifully manicured garden then half of some girl with big hair carrying a bouquet of flowers.
A lesser woman may have been scarred by this but fortunately I enjoyed the fruit of his labor. I appreciated the time and effort that went into nurturing the seedlings, weeding and watering, and then harvesting. I also helped my Mother and my Grandmother can the tomatoes so in the winter we could have vine ripe tomatoes to make homemade tomato sauce. Just thinking about that smell makes my mouth water.
So in honor of my father I would like to share a couple tomato recipes for you to enjoy!
Tomato Pie
Ingredients
1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust
4 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 pound bacon - cooked, drained and chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In alternating layers, fill pastry shell with tomatoes, basil, scallions, bacon, garlic powder, oregano and red pepper. In a small bowl, mix cheese with mayonnaise. Spread mixture over top of pie. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil from top of pie and bake an additional 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Baked Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
6 medium tomatoes
1/2 pound ground beef
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 cups uncooked instant rice
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tblsp butter melted
2 tblsp water
Directions:
1. Cut a thin slice off the top of each tomato. Leaving a 1/2-in-thick shell, scoop out and reserve pulp. Invert tomato onto paper towels to drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, bown beef, drain. Add tomato pulp, chili powder, sugar, salt, pepper and oregano; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; simmer 45-50 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Add rice, mix well. Simmer 5-6 minutes longer or until rice is tender. Stuff tomatoes and place on a greased 13 in x 9 in x 2 in baking dish. Combine bread crumbs an butter; sprinkle over tomatoes. Add water to baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bread crumbs are lightly browned.
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