Tomatoes Like You’ve Never Had Them Before

It’s the height of tomato season.  For all of you who have home gardens with bumper crops of tomatoes (and by now are tired anything remotely tomato-like), I have the perfect dish.  First, you’ll never know there are even tomatoes in it.  Most importantly, it may become one of your favorite appetizers or side dishes.

I was introduced to “tomato balls” on the island of Santorini where the recipe originated.  Santorini is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.  The island was created 3,500 years ago from one of the world’s largest volcanic eruptions---so powerful that it sent a layer of ash hundreds of meters deep to the island of Crete (>than 100 miles away).  Santorini’s volcanic origin has created the perfect situation for tomatoes.  

The island’s mineral-rich soil produces deliciously complex cherry tomatoes.  Prior to the 1956 earthquake, these very sweet tomatoes played an important part in its economy. There were >10 tomato canning factories on the small island that supplied mainland Greece before the devastating quake destroyed them.  While the island turned its focus from tomatoes to tourism post-quake, its tomatoes are still grown---but now they feed tourists as well as locals.  (The world’s other great tomatoes are also grown in volcanic soil----San Marzano tomatoes from Mt Vesuvius near Naples).   

So what exactly are tomato balls?  They are a yummy fritter.  For all of you naysayers for fried foods, stop!  These are sautéed in olive oil…and you’re bound to fall in love (every one of our clients on the 2013 private yacht trip to the Greek Islands adored them).

Below is the recipe.  Consider pairing them with one of Santorini’s famous bone dry white wines laced with citrus, mineral and smoky nuances (suggest Boutari, Gaia or Sigalas).  BTW…the island’s volcanic soil is also responsible for creating some enticing mineral-laced wines.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped (or equivalent of cherry tomatoes)
• ½ red onion finely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons chopped mint
• 1 teaspoons oregano
• 1 tablespoon dill chopped
• 1 cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• Olive Oil for frying
• Salt/Pepper

DIRECTIONS (makes small 20 fritters)

1. Chop the tomatoes (do not remove seeds) and place in a bowl. 

2.  Add onion and all spices/herbs (including salt and pepper).  Mix well.

3.   Add the above mixture to the flour and baking soda.  Mix well but do not over-mix or fritters will be tough.

4. Let the mixture sit for a couple of hours. The mixture should be soft and fall off the spoon when tilted.

5.  Heat the olive oil at medium high heat (make sure at 375 degrees, otherwise it will not be hot enough and the fritters will absorb too much oil).  Drop by heaping teaspoons, flattening out a little after a minute so that the inside will cook.  Turn over after browned and cook til browned on both sides. Total cooking time should be 2-3 minutes.

8. Place on paper towels, then transfer to serving dish and serve immediately.

Sicily’s Fall Harvest—a Bounty for Wine & Food Lovers

Fall's plethora in Palermo's most famous outdoor market

October is idyllic in Sicily.   While summer is Dante’s inferno-hot and mega-crowded---especially in popular tourist spots---October brings cooler temperatures, as well as significantly fewer crowds.  The grape harvest begins in August and the picking continues through September.  In October wineries are in full swing with the new vintage—for an oenophile, it’s the perfect time to visit.  If you’re coming on the 2014 October tour we’ll be staying at one of Sicily’s most revered wine estates and we’ll have ample opportunity to watch up close all of the processes involved in making a wine.  But, wine is just one of the many culinary abundances of Sicily in the fall months.

Sea salt from Sicily is highly-prized.  The harvest begins in August and continues through early October.  Fall also is the season for Sicily’s pistachio and hazelnut harvest...these nuts frequently appear in Sicily’s traditional handed-down-over- generations dessert recipes.   But, perhaps the most famous of all of the Sicilian food products produced during the fall months is its olive oil.  The group visiting Sicily with Wine-Knows next year will be staying on an olive estate, and you will have the option to participate in the harvest and make the oil.

Sicily’s fall vegetables read like a who’s who of its gastronomic world.  Eggplants, onions and an array of peppers in red, oranges and yellow compose the holy trinity of fall dining.  One of the island’s most famous dishes is caponata (the Sicilian version of ratatouille.)   Sicily’s rendition includes capers, another jewel in the island’s culinary crown.  Sicilian capers, preserved in local sea salt, are coveted by Michelin star chefs around the globe.   Last, we can’t discuss Sicilian cooking without discussing tomatoes.  Early fall brings over-flowing market stalls full of vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes.  Late fall ushers in the year’s crop of sun-dried tomatoes that are used throughout the other seasons in many of Sicily’s classical dishes.

Stay tuned for the upcoming blog posting on Sicily’s capers.…once you’ve tasted their salted version, you’ll never return to the brined capers popular in the US.

Viva Sicilia!

The Ferrari & Maserati of Tomatoes

From my apartment on the island of Capri I have a panorama of the Bay of Naples with the majestic Mt Vesuvius looming in the background.  Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. spewing volcanic ash throughout the area.  This volcanic debris now creates superlative soil for growing what may be the world’s best tomato, the highly prized San Marzano.  Protected by stringent Italian laws, this special varietal can only be grown in this unique volcanic earth near Mt Vesuvius.   Knock-offs are not allowed and carry a stiff penalty (including prison and a lofty fine) for those attempting to masquerade other tomatoes for the beloved San Marzano.

Although used raw, San Marazanos are often canned as used as the basis for Italy’s most flavorful sauces.   I have heard many prominent chefs around the globe say that unless it’s the height of the tomato season, that they would rather use a canned San Marzano than a fresh tomato not in its prime.  Last night for dinner I had a spaghetti with clams at a tiny place within walking distance of Capri’s  main square.  In the pasta was small dices of tomato.  If this were August I would swear it had just been plucked from the garden as it was flavor-chocked, sweet and succulent.  As it’s early February, I know it’s a canned San Marzano.

In San Diego where I live fresh San Marzano’s are popping up in many of the Farmers Markets during the summer.  Naturally, without the volcanic soil and micro-climate of the Amalfi Coast, California renditions are only a mere imitation of the original.  The good news is that canned San Marzano’s are widely available in high-end US grocery stores, and can easily be purchased on the Internet.  Be mindful, however, that there are Chinese knockoffs.  Be sure you buy only those from Italy called San Marzano DOP (which authenticates their origin from Mt Vesuvius soils).

You say tomato…and I say San Marzano.