Texas Toast With Roasted Tomatoes And Parsley Food

TEXAS TOAST WITH ROASTED TOMATOES AND PARSLEY

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Arrange tomatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt. Broil tomatoes until tender and beginning to burst, 4-5 minutes. Gently smash tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
• Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until light golden, 30-60 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and 1/2 tsp. salt.
• Brush toasts with garlic butter and top with smashed tomatoes. Serve hot.

BACON-TOMATO CHEESE TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Core the tomatoes and thinly slice. Place in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let drain for at least 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off and reserve the drippings, leaving 1 tablespoon in the skillet; toast the bread on one side in the drippings until golden (do this in batches, adding more drippings as needed). Place the bread, toasted-side down, on a baking sheet.
• Combine the cheeses with the mayonnaise, scallions and parsley in a bowl. Spread the cheese mixture on the toasts, reserving about 1/3 cup. Crumble the bacon on top. Shake any excess liquid from the tomatoes; distribute the zucchini and tomatoes among the toasts. Dot with the reserved cheese mixture and season with pepper. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

TEXAS TOMATO TOAST WITH ROASTED GARLIC SPREAD AND HOMEMADE RICOTTA

Steps:

• For the roasted garlic spread: Combine the oil and garlic in a small saucepot, turn the heat on to low and let sit until the garlic floats, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Remove the garlic from the oil and place in a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the cooked olive oil and a pinch of salt to the bowl and mash with a fork until coarsely mixed. Reserve the remaining oil for other uses (including griddling the Texas toast).
• For the ricotta: Combine the milk and buttermilk in a heavy saucepot, turn the heat on to medium-low. Stirring very occasionally, check the temperature until the mixture reaches 180 degrees F. (If you do not have a thermometer, watch for curds to begin forming, turn the heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes.)
• Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture sit for 1 hour to let the curds fully develop. Do not stir the mixture during this time.
• Line a colander or other large strainer with cheesecloth and set over a large bowl. Gently ladle or pour the mixture over the cheesecloth. Allow the whey to drain from the curds and collect in the bowl below. (Whey can be saved for other uses, mostly anything buttermilk can be used for). After about 1 hour of draining, transfer the curds to a small bowl and season with salt. (If a creamier consistency is preferred, a few tablespoons of cream can be added to the ricotta to loosen it)
• For the Texas toast: Heat a heavy skillet or pan over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of reserved roasted garlic olive oil to the skillet, then add a slice of bread. When the one side has reached a deep golden brown color, remove the slice from the skillet. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the skillet and proceed to griddle the other side of bread. When it has reached a deep golden brown, remove from the skillet and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining slices.
• Slice the tomatoes into thick slices and sprinkle with salt.
• Smear the Texas toast with 2 tablespoons roasted garlic spread. Assemble tomato slices on top of a slice of toast (1 tomato per slice). Place several small dollops of ricotta on top of the tomatoes. Top with basil. Sprinkle with more salt and a twist of freshly ground black pepper. Eat.

SPICY MUSSELS IN WHITE WINE

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, fennel seeds, crushed red pepper and salt; sauté until onion is light brown, about 4 minutes. Add wine, lemon slices and 1/4 cup parsley; bring to boil. Add mussels. Cover pot and cook until mussel shells open, stirring once to rearrange mussels, about 6 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open. Using slotted spoon, transfer mussels to large shallow bowl. Boil broth in pot until reduced to 1 cup, about 3 minutes; season to taste with pepper. Pour broth over mussels. Sprinkle tomatoes and remaining parsley over.