WHAT'S COOKIN': TOMATO PESTO TART

"Cooking is both simpler and more necessary than we imagine. It has in recent years come to seem a complication to juggle against other complications, instead of what it can be--a clear path through them." ~ Tamar Adler, from An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace

I am fairly frugal by nature, and have been getting more and more perturbed by the amount of food we waste. That is why, ever since joining the Bountiful Sprout, I have be trying to train myself to cook from ingredients rather than recipes -- to survey what is at hand, and proceed from there, rather than choosing a recipe at random, then making a trip to the store to get everything I need for it. Therefore, it just tickled me no end when, upon returning from Houston and finding a bag of small tomatoes that needed to be used up a.s.a.p., I was able to thumb through the tomato section of my Serving Up the Harvest cookbook, and find a yummy sounding recipe that would also make use of an open jar of pesto and a single pie crust that sat pining away in the fridge.

Oh my, my, was it ever scrumptious. I served it with a simple cucumber salad (something else that needed to be used up) that night for dinner, and it made for a mighty tasty breakfast again this morning! It was made French-galette-style, where you just lay a store-bought refrigerated pie crust (or one of your own, if you prefer) on a baking sheet, pile the filling in the middle, then fold the edges of the pastry in over it. Easy Peasy! The first pastry in the box had been used a week or two ago in exactly the same manner, only that time it was encasing some fresh peaches that needed to be used in a hurry. My hubby was oh-so happy about that one.

Anyhoo, in light of this new passion of mine, for using what's in season and at hand, I'm sure you can understand then why I just couldn't resist purchasing this little book, which happens to be about that very thing!

Adler, who grew up in a family of avid, amateur cooks, and then spent some time in the kitchens at Chez Panisse under the tutelage of Alice Waters, believes that great meals rarely start at points that all look like beginnings. They usually pick up where something else leaves off. She feels that meals' ingredients "must be allowed to topple into one another like dominos." Such a lovely image, is it not? In her forward for the book, Alice Waters says,"She is teaching people not just how to cook, but how to love to cook...An Everlasting Meal is an important work about living fully, responsibly, and well, and gently reveals Tamar's philosophy that what we eat, and how we eat it, is inextricably linked to our happiness." I couldn't agree more.

This Curried Potato Corn Chowder, a recipe from my 30-Day Vegan class, was also on the menu this week. Though it didn't utilize a bunch of produce that was already at hand, it did fill several jars that are now tucked away in my freezer, and which will become the starting points for other meals in the weeks to come. And now, a recipe!

TOMATO PESTO TARTS

from Serving Up the Harvest: Celebrating the Goodness of Fresh Vegetables, by Andrea Chesman

The secret to using fresh tomatoes in a pizza or tart is to salt the sliced tomatoes and let the salt draw out the excess water for about 30 minutes. Then pat dry with paper towels. Serves 4-6 (I halved the recipe and just made one pie).

2 pounds tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 teaspoon salt (approximately)
2 unbaked 9- or 10-inch pastry rounds
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup grated mozzarella (I was out of both mozz. and Parm., but my jalapeno cheddar jack worked nicely, I thought)

• Cover a large work surface with a double layer of paper towels. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on the towels. Sprinkle evenly with the salt. Let stand for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place the pastry rounds on the baking sheet.
• Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, leaving a 2-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Parmesan over each pastry. Spread 1/4 cup of the pesto over the Parmesan on each pastry.
• Place a double layer of paper towels over the tomatoes and press firmly to dry. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the pesto in overlapping circles. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the tomatoes. Fold the dough up to partially cover the filling and crimp to finish the edges.
• Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

•