Summer Sides: Carmelized Tomato Salad with Smoked Gouda

One of my most favorite things about summer is delicious tomatoes. I am absolutely head over heels for fresh tomatoes that are best at the peak of summer. They are delicious in a tomato sandwich which I'm pretty sure my mom enjoys at least once a day all summer long. And by tomato sandwich I mean just that... soft fresh bread (toasted if you wish), tomatoes, mayo (or miracle whip as is the case in our family), and to top it off a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and a little dill. I also love roasted tomatoes as a super simple side dish... Roma tomatoes, olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, pepper and roast in the oven for about an hour in low heat. To make a long story short, I love tomatoes because they are absolutely delicious when you let them shine and when prepared in super simple fashion.

Now that I've professed my love to tomatoes and given you a couple super simple recipes to boot, let's get to the matter at hand... a recipe with both tomatoes and cheese... my two loves (other than the hubs and the hounds of course!). Summertime makes me want to cook lots of fresh vegetables and this recipe is one that totally enhances the freshness. It screams summer to me. It was great as a side dish. I served it with sea bass topped with a super yummy cilantro, lime, jalapeno sauce (recipe will come... promise). I think this could also be great at a summer BBQ as an app. It's super easy. Toss it all together, throw it in a bowl, toast up some bread and put it on a table for your guests to pick at until it's completely demolished.  Either way it's the perfect summer side dish.

Caramelized Tomato Salad with Smoked Gouda

2 cups olive oil
1 3/4 lb cherry tomatoes, divided
1/3 cup sugar
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
8 oz smoked Gouda
8 green onions thinly sliced
baguette, cut into about 1 inch thick slices and toasted

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Place 1 1/4 tomatoes in a 8x8x2 inch metal baking dish and toss with oil, sugar, and thyme. Roast in preheated oven until tomatoes are tender, about 2 hours. Cool caramelized tomatoes in oil.

Using a slotted spoon transfer tomatoes to a large bowl. Transfer 1/2 to 3/4 cup oil from baking dish to a separate medium bowl, reserving rest of oil. Add vinegar to oil in bowl with oil. Whisk to blend oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Add reserved fresh tomatoes, cheese and dressing to bowl with caramelized tomatoes. Lightly toss just enough to combine all ingredients. Top with green onions and serve with toasted baguette slices.

Recipe adapted from epicurious 

Grillin and Chillin with Short Ribs and Bread and Tomato Salad

It's been an absolutely fabulous weekend with sunny and warm weather to boot. Friday we had yet another delicious dinner at Tavern at Lark Creek. I love it there. The food is superb but I absolutely die for the interior of this restaurant.  It is in an old Victorian home from 1888 that has been updated to cherish the farm to table style food. It has that old farmhouse feel but has been updated and is absolutely gorgeous inside- exactly how I picture my dream kitchen!

Saturday brought on an early morning exploration of SF with one of my dearest and absolute cutest friends. We perused a gorgeous succulent nursery, enjoyed some yummy coffee and finished it off with some incredible japanese inspired pastries at Sandbox Bakery in Bernal Heights.

Following the morning tour of all things cute in SF Part 1 (there is much more cute to be seen), I met up with some more dear friends and we headed to Kate Spade to meet Tim Gunn. Now, I didn't exactly meet him cuz none of us were willing to drop $100 just to get close to him, but needless to say he was 10 feet away from me and I got to enjoy a few free glasses of champagne so no complaints!

And finally it is Sunday, the end of the weekend. After spending some quality time with the hubs and the hounds, we decided to finish it all off with a delicious dinner on the grill. It was 80 degrees and sunny out today so turning on my oven did not sound fun. Cooking on the deck sounded much more appealing so I decided to make our entire dinner on the grill. And the best part about grillin and chillin is that the hubs is the grill master so it's a meal that we can make together.

On tonights menu- Grilled Short Ribs with Grilled Bread and Tomato Salad. The short ribs, which are most often braised, are easier when done on the grill and take way less time. This recipe is flavored with a super simple barbeque style rub that is totally delish. The salad, for me, was the highlight of tonight's dinner. It's so summery and fresh tasting and grilling the tomatoes bring out their sweetness. And the grilled bread adds the perfect crunch. So on the next hot day when you find that turning your oven on is the last thing you want to do, fire up the grill, pop open a bottle of beer (what's better than an ice cold beer on a hot summer day!?) and get grillin.

Grilled Short Ribs

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup paprika

2 1/2 tbsp salt

2 1/2 tbsp pepper

1 tbsp granulated onion

1/2 tsp cayenne

2 lbs boneless beef short ribs

1 cup of your fave thick bbq sauce

In a medium bowl blend together sugars, paprika, salt, pepper, granulated onion and cayenne. Sprinkle short ribs liberally with mixture on all sides. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat grill using all burners set on high with the lid closed for 10-12 minutes. Place ribs on the grill, close lid and reduce heat to medium. Turn ribs every 3-5 minutes so that every side gets slightly carmelized, 15-20 minutes total, brushing with bbq sauce a couple of times while cooking. Ribs should be about medium rare to medium. Remove to plate and let stand for 5-10 minutes, covered in foil, before serving. Makes 4-6 servings.

Grilled Bread and Tomato Salad

1/4 cup butter

1 garlic clove

4 oz day old Italian bread, cut into 3/4 inch slices

3 dead ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into quarters

2 tbsp cup minced red onion

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1/2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Place a small saucepan over medium heat and add butter. When half melted, add garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden brown. Remove from heat and brush mixture on both sides of each slice of bread.

Preheat grill set on high with lid closed for 10-12 minutes. Place bread on grill, close lid and cook, turning once until you see nice grill marks, 2-4 minutes. Place tomatoes on grill, cook a few minutes per side.

Remove bread and cut into 3/4 inch cubes. Place in large mixing bowl. Add tomatoes, onion, olive oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss gently and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve at room temperature.

Modern Housewife Tips:
1. For the bread salad, I was unable to find tarragon but had some fresh parsley on hand which is a nice substitution for this dish. I used beefsteak tomatoes but, when in season, heirloom tomatoes would be fab!
2. The recipe I found called for boneless but we could only find bone-in, which worked out ok but I think boneless could be a little more tender.
3. The rub used for the short ribs makes quite a bit more than you'll need but it can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 months and would be great on just about anything you can think of to barbeque!


Short Rib recipe courtesy of epicurious
Grilled Bread and Tomato Salad recipe courtesy of epicurious