Tomato Porn: II

The tomatoes in my life these days are so juicy and fresh, they border on explicit. First, we have the fleeting drunken make-out, one night stand type of tomato. Market Basket, 99 cents. Sweet, tangy, perfect for the Mario Batali pomodoro recipe I've been looking to try (will advise should this happen).

Then, there's a whole 'nother world. The farmers' market heirlooms that I picked up today might be the most amazing I've ever encountered. Not only are they exotic and intriguing on the outside, but the flavor is unique with a balance of sweetness and acidity. I chose these three for pure aesthetics, as the descriptions of the difference varieties are generally useless. (That pepper on the lower left is a groupie.) I'd like to cleverly continue to describe them in porn terms, but I'm exhausted, and there's just one place to go -- the money shot.

Organized Religion Got One Thing Very Right

Throughout my life, religion has been something of a confusing topic. My father was Greek Orthodox and left his church when he married the tow-headed, blue-eyed Queen WASP (that would be my mother). I was baptized in a Congregationalist church. My family has been known to frequent the Sermon on the Mount. No, I'm not talking about Jesus and his faithful disciples, instead I refer to a priest named Skip who practically wears full ecclesiastic robes and an acoustic guitar while on skis; the service starts at the top of the mountain and concludes at the chairlift after various scenic vistas and sing-a-longs. As if this weren't strange enough, my high school was Episcopalian and mandated chapel twice a week for all students. You have never seen 250 teenagers look so unenthused. After all of this divine exposure, I still find little solace or joy in organized religion. What I can support that rose as a result of religion--no not just Jesus-- is Sunday brunch. It's the meal that one eats after the Sunday service is over.

This past Sunday, Liz came by my place for brunch preparations and consumption. On the menu? Stuffed mushrooms and potato latkes. The mushrooms were standard stuffing mushrooms. In Liz's travels she has come across the most inexpensive and fresh butcher in all of New England and perhaps the country at large. The hole in the wall is right in Davis Square in Somerville, and Liz picked up a pound of sweet Italian sausage for $1.10. As if this weren't incredible enough, my co-conspirator reached into her canvas satchel and then produced the most gargantuan potato I have ever seen. Think Russett, think two and a half pounds. In a word, spudtacular. After shredding only half of this (the whole thing would have provided food for 1/2 of Ireland during famine) with a standard grater, the potato was drained and then fried into pancake form. The sausage was also pan-fried along with sweet onions. This concoction was then generously stuffed into the mushrooms with a blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. The remaining meat and cheese were tossed into the pyrex baking dish alongside the mushrooms for bonus snacking material. Accompanied by an oversized cup of coffee, the result of our Sunday morning ritual was nothing short of spiritual.

Tomato porn

Oh-so-sexy heirlooms at the Amateur Gourmet. With tomorrow being Farmers' Market Day as it is, I'm inspired.

Also looking forward to the grilled veggie lunch that Redbones is putting on with farmers' market goods tomorrow. Maybe I'll photograph.

Tuesday 2:32pm

Current thoughts:

Item: Did you know that Boston has its own gay rugby club?
Food: Longest recipe I've ever seen: Homemade vermouth
Quote: "The rain is good for many things. You can make out in the rain. You can make love in the rain, with one or more consenting partners." - Dave Matthews

The Greening of the Curry

Betsy and I have now had two successful forays into homemade green curry. We first tried this recipe a few months ago chez Pantazelos de Framingham, but the texture was a little off given that we couldn't get the paste to the right consistency in a small electric chopper; it was a little stringy from the lemongrass and ginger. I will note that the Mumm blanc de noirs, silver, and china made the experience stand out far beyond the "meh" curry.

This past Friday, we went in for round 2. Given my recent realization that my microplane grater is not just for parmesan and chocolate, I used it to create a very even-textured pulp from the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, lime zest, and jalapeño. This was much more paste-y, in a good way.

We used sweet potato, onion, and purple carrots (suspend disbelief, it's true -- even the world carrot museum can back me up) as our veggies, and chicken (for laziness' sake). I find that I never order green curry in restaurants because of the poor choice of veggie inclusion, such as eggplant, green beans, and bell peppers. Yellow and masaman seem so much more inviting with their onion, potato, pineapple, and the like.

We also had a coconut milk tasting (anything to bring myself closer to America's Test Kitchen). We favored the slightly sweeter and more creamy Wild Oats light coconut milk over its Whole Foods counterpart.

The finished product was lovely, and involved second helpings.


The recipe below is a good starting point; I encourage experimentation in the paste mixture (I added lime zest) and the vegetables/meat you include. We sauteed the onions along with the curry paste so they would caramelize a bit. I'll also note that this did not keep well in the fridge overnight, mostly due to the purple carrots. The color kind of bled into the coconut milk, and the lavender hue was slightly less than appetizing. Reminded me of the strange chocolates I had that were flavored with flowers. In any case; worth a try. You'll either swear off or really appreciate your local thai restaurant.
~ESN

Green Coconut and Pork Curry
from Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen
serves 2-4

1 teaspoon whole coriander
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon whole black pepper
3 jalapenos, chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, minced
2 inches peeled fresh ginger, grated
8 cloves garlic, smashed

1 pound stewing pork, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 cans coconut milk
2 zucchini, chopped
Cilantro for garnish
Jasmine rice, for serving

In a heavy skillet over medium heat, toast the coriander, cumin, and
black pepper until fragrant - just about a minute. Remove from the
heat and grind in a food processor then add jalapenos, lemongrass,
ginger and garlic and grind to as fine a paste as possible.

Heat a heavy stockpot over medium heat and fry the paste until
fragrant - about 2 minutes, then add the pork and fry lightly until
just golden. Add the heavy, thick part from one can of coconut milk
and fry until the oil separates. Add the rest of the coconut milk and
simmer at low heat until the pork is cooked through. Add the zucchini
at the end and simmer for a few minutes or until just tender. Serve
immediately.