SKA MOM'S
TOMATOFEST

Now that's a tomato!

Tuscan Chicken

I'm thinking about naming some of these recipes after famous ska people, kind of like deli sandwiches ("I'll have the Mayor Giuliani with extra mayo"). Let Ska Mom know what you think of this idea, and, if you like it, send in some suggestions.

This one goes into the "tomato recipes" file because when you have a LOT of plum tomatoes, you can heap a LOT of plum tomatoes on top of the chicken.

(Notice that this is a pretty laid-back recipe. If you have a little casserole for 1 person, get as many potatoes, tomatoes, and chicken as you think you would eat. Love garlic? Use a ton of it. Hate rosemary? Substitute basil (but first, rethink whether you truly "hate" rosemary, or merely just dislike it.)

  1. Use some olive oil to lightly grease the bottom of a pan/casserole dish.
  2. Layer the sliced potatoes in the pan.
  3. Place the chicken on top.
  4. Quarter the tomatoes and arrange them around the chicken.
  5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  6. Combine olive oil, garlic, parsley, and rosemary and brush over the chicken and tomatoes.
  7. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes; reduce the heat to 350, and continue cooking until the potatoes are brown around the edges and the chicken is cooked through.

Makes excellent leftovers the next day.

Now that's a tomato!

Buffy's Killer Bruschetta with Garlic

It's August. It's tomato season. Ska Mom's garden is bursting with plum, beefsteak, and cherry tomatoes. If I have to figure out a way to use up all those tomatoes, you can bet that you'll eventually hear about every recipe I try. (I've named this version after Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Those vampires who not only appreciate Ska but also frequent this part of the Web site may skip this recipe.)

Ingredients

A note about italian bread. If you go into the grocery store and see something that calls itself "italian bread" and you pick up that long loaf and hold it at one end and point it up in the air, and it sags over like someone who has been in one too many mosh pits, you probably want to put the bread down and walk away slowly. You need a bread with character for this recipe. Flour, yeast, water. A peasant loaf. A Tuscan loaf.

  1. Slice the bread thickly, at an extreme angle (expose lots of surface area.)
  2. Toast the bread on both sides. If you have a grill going, that's the best (nice char marks and smoky flavor). If you have a gas stove, toast it over the burner. Or, toast it in the oven.
  3. Rub a whole clove of garlic on one of the toasted surfaces. (The crispy surface of the bread rubs off the garlic.)
  4. Pile on the tomatoes.
  5. Drizzle on some olive oil.

You can add basil if you want, or a grating of parmesan.

p.s. Garlic is good for you. This will really be garlicky! Eat it with friends.

Now that's a tomato!

Farmer Mom's Excellent Summer Pasta

There's a song (not a ska song, unfortunately), that goes like this:

There's only two things that money can't buy
And that's true love, and home-grown tomatoes.

So, if you were lucky enough to grow your own tomatoes in a little pot on the back of the fire escape, this is the recipe for you. And if you didn't grown your own, hie yourself to your favorite Farmer's Market and get some nice real tomatoes and make this recipe. (You'll also find fresh basil at the same farmer's market, I would hope.)

(p.s. this recipe may set all-time ease-of-recipe and fastest recipe, even for Ska Mom!)

Ingredients

Mix together the tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil and let them hang out together and get acquainted (anywhere from 15 minutes to a couple of hours). Pour over freshly cooked pasta, like capellini, linguine, fettucine, and spaghettini. (But if you like the little wagonwheel shaped pasta or chicken shapes, go for it!)

Top it off with some nice freshly-grated parmesan or other cheese, and enjoy!

Now that's a tomato!

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