And the seasons... tomatoes stuffed with orzo and feta

This is an interesting, lovely, somewhat melancholy time of year. To my opinion, the light of October, in late afternoon, in NYC, may be one of the most beautiful things ever. You need to pay attention: it doesn't last long, but it's worth it. If you happen to have some violin music playing in the background too, preferably Strauss, even better. In the markets, ah, so much and such hard choices. Peaches? Yes, but they're not as good as they were. Do you buy those, or the pears that are reaching their peak? Shall I bring home quinces, just starting, and try to make something new with them? Which apple? Or do I get the raspberries that I KNOW aren't as sweet as they were, but... And in vegetables: the corn. No, it won't be as good. Are there REALLY still green beans? Squash? Big and wet but it's squash. Or how about the cabbage, or the root vegetables, or something with carrots. Maybe chard. Oh, so difficult.
So, too, with tomatoes. It's mid October and they are not as wonderful and ripe and sunny as they were in July. You shouldn't expect them to be. But, but... in a little while, they won't be there at all. So, I said yes I will, yes yes, and brought home bages of the not quite ripe beauties. And fortunately, just as I had them home, Joanne Weir was posting what has become one of my favorite recipes for those not perfect tomatoes.

Sometimes, a little bit of cooking will bring out the flavor of a not perfect vegetable. And a "little" bit of cooking can be just a TEENY bit of cooking. In this case, 15 seconds. I'm serious, 15 seconds. This is a recipe where the tomatoes are cooked for just fifteen seconds. Don't believe me? Well, you try it, and see what you think

First, you need orzo pasta. I don't think this would work with another type, so search it out. "Orzo" means barley in Italian, and it's such an Italian thing to name one grain after another. Orzo has an interesting texture, and you can use it to make a risotto, a pastina, and as here, a stuffing. So, here's what you do. But first...

Let's save some water. You're going to have two boiling steps here, so let's save some water by using one pot for both steps. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, and while that's happening, get a bowl filled with ice and water. When the pot of water has come to the boil, put in six-eight medium sized tomatoes, and take them out AFTER FIFTEEN SECONDS and drop them in the ice water.

You're not going to peel these, although the skin will loosen. Hence I was puzzled, until I ate one. That very little bit of cooking seemed to bring more tomato flavor out. So don't omit it.

Now, into that same water, add a big pinch of salt and a cup and a half of orzo. Don't cook it for more than fifteen seconds. Drain it. If you're planning to make a pot of soup, save the water for that. Get the drained pasta into a bowl, add a tablespoon of olive oil, and put it into the fridge for a few hours.

Turn back to those tomatoes now, and cut a nice sized slice off the top. A horizontal cut. Then, with a spoon, carefully cut the innards out and put them to a bowl. You want the shells here, and I'll show ya how to use those innards below. As you hollow out the tomatoes, turn them cut side down onto a paper towel lined sheet. Leave them there until you're ready to use them.

When you are, get that pasta out of the fridge. It will have clumped up. No big thing, break it up with your hands. Now add about 1/2 cup of diced cucumber, any type, and a half cup of diced red onion. Use the red onion. It's sweeter. Then, break up about half a pound of feta cheese, any type you like. Mix it all up, and then add some fresh herbs. I have done this with oregano and with dill. Both are good. The herb MAKES the dish. Oregano makes it taste "Italian," the dill, "Greek."

Your filling is ready except... Taste it. You may not think you need salt because of the feta, but you probably will. And add some pepper too.

Be generous in stuffing those hollow tomatoes. You'd be surprised how much filling you have, and you'll probably have extra. It makes a good snack, or a good late breakfast. It really does.

But to the point: you're now done. If you are in the mood for a cold supper, or something to vary the sandwich routine, you've got it. These are REALLY good.

Now, remember those tomato innards? Well, we are NOT going to waste them. We are going to make a very quick tomato sauce that goes off the beaten path. We're going to use butter, rather than olive oil. And whole cloves of garlic. Peel about four of them, and put them in a sauce pan, with about 3-4 tablespoons of unsalted butter. When the butter has nearly melted, add the tomatoes. Mash them a bit with a fork, and cook them at medium heat. Add a bit of salt and, if you were using oregano, add a few sprigs of that, or whatever else you like. You'll watch as the tomatoes first give up their water, and then dry out. That's what you want: a sauce that is halfway between wet and dry. You'll know what I mean when you do it. It will take about 20 minutes. Taste it.

Not your usual tomato sauce, huh? And, if you REALLY want to go over into new territory, instead of using that oregano, use a stick of sinnamon, and pull it out when you store the sauce.

Now, wasn't that easy? And you've got two dishes: a nice stuffed tomato, and then some sauce for your pasta the next day.

If you think you're wonderful, well, you are.