Cook Now

Marinated Tomatoes

Marinated tomatoes is a great way to use this juicy, seasonal produce! Heighten the flavors with olive oil, balsamic, garlic and herbs.

Want a secret for making tomatoes taste incredible in minutes? Try Marinated Tomatoes! Mix this juicy seasonal produce with olive oil, balsamic, garlic and basil, then let it stand for 30 minutes while you go about your business. The flavor that’s infused is unreal: zingy, garlicky, sweet and salty, with a hint of heat on the finish. These are pure gold: use them as an appetizer for crostini, serve as a salad, spoon over chicken or fish, or eat over toast for a simple lunch!

Ingredients for marinated tomatoes

It’s high tomato season here in the Midwest. What to do with an excess of fresh tomatoes? Make marinated tomatoes! They work as a side dish, appetizer, or condiment. You can use any type of tomatoes you like or have on hand. We love the shape and flavor of cherry tomatoes, but you could also use larger tomatoes depending on what you have on hand. Here’s what you’ll need:

Cherry tomatoes or ripe heirloom tomatoes: A mix of colors looks nice, but is not required! Use either 2 pints cherry tomatoes or 1 ½ pounds of any variety of tomato you have on hand. The only requirement: make sure they are ripe and juicy!
Basil or other herbs of choice (see below)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Garlic
Salt and pepper
Calabrian chili paste or red pepper flakes, optional

How long to marinate tomatoes?

How long to marinate tomatoes? Honestly, they taste good right away! So you can get away with mixing the ingredients above and eating immediately. But for best flavor, let them stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can also go even longer to intensify the flavors: up to 2 hours of marinating heightens the flavors.

One thing to avoid: don’t place the tomatoes in the refrigerator! Chilling tomatoes dulls the flavors. However, you can store leftovers of the marinated tomatoes refrigerated: just let them come to room temperature for about 20 minutes prior to serving. Keep in mind that the olive oil solidifies in the refrigerator.

Other herbs to pair

Basil and tomatoes are an obvious pairing: but there are lots of other great fresh herbs to use here! One downside of basil is it turns dark in the refrigerator, so it’s not as bright green for leftovers. If you’d like some herbs that stay green longer, some good fresh herb options are:

Chives
Thyme
Parsley
Oregano
Rosemary (but use a small amount; it can be overpowering)

Ways to use marinated tomatoes

Once you’ve made up a batch of marinated tomatoes, how to use them? There are infinite ways! Here are some serving suggestions:

On a cheese board
As an appetizer on crostini or bruschetta
On toast with whipped ricotta or whipped goat cheese
On avocado toast
Over baked fish or baked salmon
As a side dish
In a salad with butter lettuce and ranch dressing

How do you plan to use it? Let us know in the comments below!

More fresh tomato recipes

When it’s tomato season, make all the fresh tomato recipes! Here are a few more of our favorites we make every season:

Try Cherry Tomato Pasta
Go for Caprese Salad
Opt for Easy Bruschetta
Try showy Amazing Tomato Pie or a Savory Tomato Galette
Whiz up Classic Gazpacho

Easy Bruschetta

Cherry Tomato Pasta

Savory Tomato Galette

Classic Gazpacho

This marinated tomatoes recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

Marinated Tomatoes

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 5 minutes (+30 minutes marinade)
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4cups

Print Recipe

Description

Marinated tomatoes is a great way to use this juicy, seasonal produce! Heighten the flavors with olive oil, balsamic, garlic and herbs.

Ingredients

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved (or 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes of any kind, sliced into bite-sized pieces)
1 small handful chopped basil (or other chopped herbs of choice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 small garlic clove, grated
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon Calabrian chili paste (or 1 pinch red pepper flakes), optional

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir gently to combine.
Cover and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to 2 hours before serving.

Category: Appetizer
Method: Marinated
Cuisine: Vegetables
Diet: Vegan

Keywords: Marinated tomatoes

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/JmjOMcg

0 comments

Cacio e Pepe

This Cacio e Pepe recipe makes the perfect creamy, cozy dish of that classic Roman “cheese and pepper” pasta!

There’s something intoxicating about this shallow bowl of steaming pasta covered in salty, creamy sauce, black pepper and fluffy bits of Pecorino Cheese. Yes, it’s cacio e pepe, that famous Roman pasta that’s blown up in world-wide popularity. Years ago, we tasted a bowl on a trip to Rome, Italy that was so divine we never wanted it to end. Anthony Bourdain once said that cacio e pepe “could be the greatest thing in the history of the world”: and we’re inclined to agree with him. Turns out, this pasta is beyond simple to whip up at home: it’s got a short ingredient list and takes just minutes to whip up. Here’s our spin on this Italian classic!

What is cacio e pepe?

Cacio e pepe is a Roman pasta dish that translates to “cheese and pepper,” referring the simple sauce made of Pecorino Romano cheese and pepper. The sauce is made simply with hot pasta water and freshly grated cheese, which combine to form a luscious, creamy coating to the pasta noodles. According to legend, the dish was invented by shepherds who needed a simple meal with easy to carry staple ingredients. The modern Cacio e pepe was likely invented in the 1800’s, when eating pasta became popular in Rome.

Ingredients in cacio e pepe

Restaurants in Rome each have their own version of cacio e pepe, and we’ve been lucky enough to sample quite a few (we prefer the version at Roscioli if you’re planning a trip!). Here’s what you’ll need for this spin on the classic:

Spaghetti or bucatini pasta: Spaghetti is most traditional. We also like bucatini (pictured), which is like hollow spaghetti
Pecorino Romano cheese: This sharp, salty aged cheese is what carries the flavor of cacio e pepe. There’s absolutely no substitute for it! Try to buy it in a block if you can (see below).
Parmesan cheese: Using this secondary, ore popular cheese helps to round out the flavors. Don’t want to buy two cheeses? Substitute more Pecorino (it’s just as authentic).
Butter: This extra ingredient helps the sauce to come together.
Black pepper: A generous helping of pepper rounds out the dish.

Tips for cooking pasta to al dente

With cacio e pepe and any Italian pasta recipe, it’s important to cook the pasta to the perfect al dente. Al dente means “to the bite” in Italian: pasta that’s tender with a firm center. Overcooked pasta turns out rubbery and unappetizing. Interestingly, it also has less nutrients and makes you less full. Here’s how to cook pasta to al dente:

Set your timer a few minutes before the package instructions indicate. Often, the timing on the pasta package makes overcooked pasta. Start taste testing a few minutes before the package says to.
Look for small white fleck at the core. You want to catch it right when there’s a small white fleck at the core, or just as it disappears. Move quickly: there’s no remedy for overcooked pasta!

How to make cacio e pepe (with a smooth sauce)

The biggest issue you’ll find with a homemade cacio e pepe recipe? The sauce comes out clumpy and globby. The sauce is made with hot pasta water, and often when you add the cheese and stir it will glob to the spoon and the pasta instead of integrating into a smooth sauce. Here are a few ways to ensure a creamy sauce:

Freshly grate the cheese from a block instead of buying grated. Buy blocks of Pecorino Romano and Parmesan cheese and grate them yourself. Pre-grated cheese can contain anti-caking agents and additives that can make the cheese stick together instead of incorporating into a creamy sauce.
Don’t drain the pasta: transfer it to the sauce using tongs. Add any pasta water that clings to the noodles right into the sauce.
Add additional pasta water and keep stirring. If it starts to clump, add additional pasta water and keep stirring until the cheese incorporates.

What to serve alongside

With such a simple pasta dish, you can go either pared back or elegant: either work! Here are a few Italian-style side dishes to serve with cacio e pepe:

Try this Easy Arugula Salad
Go for Sauteed Rainbow Chard with pine nuts and Parmesan
Grab elegant Endive Salad with Parmesan & Orange

What do you plan to serve it with? Let us know in the comments below.

More Italian pasta recipes

Love a great Italian-style pasta? Us too! Here are a few more great pasta recipes:

Go for Vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta
Make bold and zingy Pasta Puttanesca
Try Pasta with Vodka Sauce
Bake up a pan of Baked Ziti

Vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta

Easy Pasta Puttanesca Recipe

Pasta with Vodka Sauce

Baked Ziti

This cacio e pepe recipe is…

Vegetarian.