Pico de Gallo and Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce

Heirloom tomatoes from Happy Boy and Fogline Farms

      October’s Harvest of the Month is tomatoes.  Students in nutrition have been observing a variety of tomatoes.  Over the last two weeks, students learned about heirloom seeds and explored giant heirloom tomatoes generously donated from Happy Boy and Fogline Farms.  For many students, it was their first time seeing giant sized and different colored tomatoes.   Students were also introduced to the nutrition knives and nutrition knife safety.  Student’s practiced their knife safety while cutting cherry tomatoes for Pico de Gallo (2^nd-4^th) and Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce (5^th).   Both recipes were huge hits with the kids.  I invite you to try the recipes at home!

  Pico De Gallo

Ingredients:

*1 basket ripe cherry tomatoes

*1/4 cups diced onion

*1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

*2 padron peppers seeded and diced

*2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime

*2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

*1/4 teaspoon salt

*Blue corn chips for dipping

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Serve with blue corn chips.

 

Students chopping cherry tomatoes for Pico De Gallo.

Padron pepper growing in the garden.

Student enjoying Pico De Gallo with blue corn chips.

Garden Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

*4 baskets of cherry tomatoes

*1 lbs of whole-wheat pasta cooked

*12 large basil leaves

*2 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced

*1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

*1/4 cup diced onion

*1 teaspoon of salt to taste

*Parmesan cheese to taste

Preparation

1. Wash basil and tomatoes.

2. Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat.  Add in garlic and onion.  Cook for 3 minutes.

3. Remove tops of tomatoes and chop cherry tomatoes

4. Rip basil into small pieces.

5. Add in tomatoes and basil and cook for 8 minutes or until tomatoes become saucey.

6. Serve sauce over warm pasta.

7. Shred fresh Parmesan cheese on top of pasta to taste.

Chopped tomatoes and ripped basil.

Tomato sauce cooking.

The finished product!