Summer Tomato Tart Appetizer

Summer tomatoes are essential to the success of this delicious make-ahead  appetizer. The original recipe uses phyllo, with romano sprinkled between the thin layers, but it seems I never have phyllo when I have an abundance of tomatoes, whereas there's often a tube of pizza crust lurking in my fridge door. The tart  travels well, tart is just as good at room temperature  as warm, it's good for tailgating and other times when you don't want to be concerned about short-term refrigeration issues. A perfect side with soups or salads too. ,

Dry ( with paper towels) and slice  about 5 Roma or other small very ripe plum tomatoes about 1/4" thick. The diameter of the tomatoes will determine how many pieces of tart you will have, and the size of the squares...somewhere between 20 and 25, probably.    Preheat the oven to 375. Very lightly spray a 15" cookie sheet with sides, then stretch/pat a roll of refrigerated  thin-style pizza crust into the pan and bake as directed, until it's crisp and golden. Cool, then spread with a thin layer of softened cream cheese.   Plain is fine, or use a flavored version such as artichoke-spinach , or chive.  The last time I made it. used a sundried tomato version  that was good.  Just don't get too heavily into the cream cheese- an 8 oz. tub is  too much and the tomatoes will slide around. 

Sprinkle the cream cheese layer with a small amount - let's say 2 tablespoons - of fresh chopped basil, 1/3 c. romano or parmesan cheese, and 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese. Arrange the tomato slices in rows for easy cutting. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil, 3 Tb more grated  romano cheese.

Bake for about 7 minutes, just until the mozzarella layer has melted and the tomatoes are warm. Don't brown it, cook  or overcook!    Just get it warm to  be sure the mozzarella has softened & will hold the tomatoes in position, so the tomatoes don't slide off when served.  Sprinkle with a tiny bit more basil for color. Cool a bit and cut into squares.

Using freshly grated Pecorino or other fresh Romano or Parm makes a huge difference in flavor. If you must use the  prepared cheese in the round green can, choose the shredded version rather than powdery type.  Now and then I'll add some finely chopped prosciutto or  thin shreds of hard salami between the cream cheese and mozzarella.  A  scant cup,  max. Really.   A little goes a long way.   Using too much, or  using  thicker/bigger  pieces of meat  will  make  clean cuts difficult , messy, and result in unwanted grease...  which will spoil  this yummy dish.    

Ooey Gooey Italian Wontons, with a Mexican option

Serve these  appetizers with  a red pasta sauce, pesto, or a hot mustard sauce if you like.   With all the oozing cheese and Italian sausage,  a dip isn't  really  necessary.   They're best made as you need them,  but in a pinch, fry 'em up, cool completely, then  wrap well in foil for  up to 2 weeks before reheating  in the oven, on the opened-flat  foil  at about 400  until they're  hot and crisp again. You'll lose  a bit of the crispness. Don't  use a microwave, you'll  have soggy  wrappers. An air-fryer works best if you have one.. melty and crisp as  they began.

Cook (but don’t brown) ¾ lb sweet or hot (or mixed) Italian bulk sausage with 1 medium onion, chopped finely.  Cool and drain.  Mix with 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese , 1 tsp dry oregano and 2 Tb dried parsley. Use to fill 1 lb. wonton wrappers…the larger size is easier to handle than than the small.  Don't overfill....they'll pop open.    Moisten 2 edges with water, add filling. and fold over into triangles, press edges together so they are sealed, otherwise it's pointless, all the filling will escape.   Leave in a triangle or fold  the  pointed corners up into a tradtional wonton shape. 

Heat 2” peanut  or canola oil in large pan to about 370.  Fry about 6 at a time.  Cook & turn in deep hot oil just briefly, til golden brown – keep temperature  even  and watch carefully. Drain on paper towels ...watch for any dribbles of oil to  come out anywhere you didn't seal well... Serve hot.   Makes about 4 dozen using small wrappers ,  2 1/2 doz.  with bigger ones.

For Mexican Wontons: use crumbled cooked chorizo sausage and  'taco' or jack & cheddar cheese or pepper jack)

Saucy Italian Beef Braciole

Tender steak rolls wrapped around Italian salami, Romano cheese, raisins and pine nuts....traditional  everyday Italian food.  Don't be tempted to use a bottled pasta sauce, for  very simple reasons:  taste, and tradition.  Braciole is a  family dish, and the sauce is just as important as the meat.  In the past, when families couldn't afford  much meat, the sauce would have been even more important, because the family members  would have enjoyed the bite or two of meat that was their  allotment, and satisfied their hunger by mopping up the sauce with their bread. The sauce  requires no precooking so it is not at all labor-intensive.  It's only as involved as  putting the ingredients  in a pot.

While I  usually serve these delicious beef rolls with pasta, it is just as often served in Italy with potatoes.  I think it's uniquely  American to assume everything Italian  is or comes with pasta but  I do like it with bucatini (very thick hollow spaghetti), cavatappi,  or spaghetti....pasta with a lot of chewy substance  seems right with the sauce and steak.    Like meatloaf, every Italian family has their preferred version of  what they use to  stuff braciole, and I've tried many of them; some use   Parmesan,  variations on the chosen  Italian hams ( capicola, etc);  even cooked Italian sausage, the list is endless. This is the one I prefer.

First, the rich, quick sauce:
Italian Gravy:  Just put all the following  ingredients in a large, heavy pot  (remember to allow space for the meat later). Bring it to boiling,  lower the heat and  simmer for 30 minutes or until thick and rich. That's the point where you'll add the meat unless you plan to cook  it together for an extra 30 minutes.    

2  29-oz cans tomato  puree, 3 cloves minced garlic,  1/2 c. chopped onion, 1/2 c. chopped parsley, 1-2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced, 3/4 c. Burgundy or Cabernet  wine, 2 TB dry basil,  1 TB dry oregano, 2 tsp. salt, 1 TB sugar, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 1/2 c water.  This freezes well, and makes about 8 cups.

Back to the beef....
Be sure  the beef is sliced quite thin....by the time it gets  rolled up it will be thick on its own accord, and we want it to  be fork-tender without cooking off the sauce or spending all day simmering.   Start  with the most vital step: choosing the beef.    Buy  4  (full-size)  slices of top round steak.....1/4" thick.    Call a day ahead and  ask the meat department to cut the slices for you and emphasize the thinness.  Tell them you actually want it 1/8" thick, like scallopini.  If  not, when you get it home, put it between  pieces of plastic wrap and  pound the hell out of them til they are about 1/8" , which is pretty much un-measurable. I think I figure at least 1/3 lb per person. In summary, it's not  too thin unless you can read through it! If you're using  really big pieces, you'll cut them into 2 or 3 rolls before browning.  Using small pieces you may just make one roll each,  about 4-5" long.  

Leave the steak on the bottom piece of plastic.  Season each piece with salt and pepper, and  garlic salt.    Then on  each,  sprinkle  2-3 TB.  grated romano cheese, preferably fresh,   a thin layer of prosciutto  and/or  very thinly sliced  hard or genoa salami,  about 2 TB  dark raisins, 1 TB pine nuts,  and  1 TB chopped flat-leaf  parsley.

Lift the edges of  the plastic wrap and let it help you get the roll started...roll up  tightly, jellyroll fashion, and tie each roll  every 2" or so with cotton string. Let the ends dnagle after you tie the knot, it will help  locate the string later so you can  remove it before serving.   Brown the rolls  on all sides in  a little hot olive oil, then cover with Italian gravy ( that's 'sauce' to us) and simmer until the meat is tender, somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes, it should be very tender.   The length of time will depend on the thickness of the rolls. If  unsure, cut a roll in half and check  the tenderness of an inside edge.  It should be fork-tender.   Or if they seem to be getting tender too slowly, ( probably because the beef was too thick) cut  bigger rolls in half to speed it up just a bit.

With pasta this  may serve 8 or more.   Cut the strings, serve with  the sauce and sprinkle a little parlsey on top for color.