By David Harbilas

Olives are not the most forgiving of foods, and it seems that most either love them or hate them.

They are, however, very good companions to tomatoes, mostly due to how the salt plays off the tomato’s sweetness.

This sauce can be made a number of different ways, with stewed, roasted, or even raw tomatoes.

This version is very similar to a putanesca sauce, minus the spice and capers. Serve it with chicken, lamb, or fish.

Makes about 4 cups of sauce

• 6 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Growing up my mom would always make a great bowl of chili to go with the Sunday football games on T.V.

I have carried this tradition with my family to not only celebrate football season but also NASCAR and other sporting events.

We even have a chili cook off the first Sunday of every month to try new chili recipes and decide who is the chili champ for the month.

The winner of this competition even gets the valued chili stained apron that my mom wore during those special chili moments.

To get the chili brain cells flowing and help start a chili tradition of your own I have included a simple chili recipe.

Basic Chili Recipe

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 32 ounces of whole tomatoes with juice Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

My mother never had a name for this dish, but we knew that it contained a lot of tomatoes and a lot of garlic.

In fact, this can be made with nothing more than those two ingredients.

I prefer it with a little chopped parsley and some white wine to add some sweetness.

Ripe tomatoes are best, but the slow-cooking makes it friendly to the harder, winter tomatoes available now.

Serves 4

• 3 large chicken breasts, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

This dish can be made a number of different ways–with fresh tomatoes, canned, roasted, diced, or peeled and seeded tomatoes.

I opt for peeled and seeded tomatoes, as you get a balance between all the ingredients.

Skin-on chicken breasts provide a bit of crunch, and fresh herbs added at the end, like basil, add a slight kick.

Serves 4

• 4 skin-on chicken breasts
• 1 head of garlic
• 4 red globe variety tomatoes
• 1 shallot, minced Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Sherlock Holmes has always impressed me with his uncanny ability to put pieces together that did not seem to have any relationship to each other.

While on the surface this may seem only entertaining the ability to form relationships where there does not seem to be any is an invaluable skill in life, and in science.

Horticulture is one of those unique disciplines that mundane, and unconnected relationships go hand in hand when it comes to searching for the Holy Grail of Tomatoes.

Roger Chetelat the Director of C. M. Rick Tomato Genetics Resource Center at the University of California, Davis is one of those individuals trying to find the ancestors of the common tomato. He is a cross between Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

Fennel is one of the most underappreciated and versatile vegetables available.

Its spectrum of flavors runs from bitter to sweet to mild to almost offensive, depending on how it’s used.

I prefer it on the sweet side, which usually means cooking slowly.

This sauce, like many featured here, is very simple in that it requires little more than the three ingredients in its title.

The trick, however, is to combine them in a way that highlights their inherent qualities. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, roasting is often the best way to concentrate sweetness while also creating a tender mixture that lends itself to a silky puree. This sauce is best used with fish, pork, and chicken.

Yields about 4 cups of sauce

• 4 fennel bulbs
• 6 globe tomatoes Read the rest of this entry »