Bonnie Antonini

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GIAMBOTTA – Low Cal Doesn’t Have To Mean Low Flavor!

giabotta2-textIt’s that time of year again when spring is just beyond the horizon. Soon we’ll be able to leave the house without bulky sweaters and coats. This means, of course, we won’t be able to hide those holiday pounds anymore.

Soooo, let’s do something about it NOW!

Just because I’m slimming down doesn’t mean I’m about to sacrifice taste. There are plenty of delicious meals one can prepare to keep the calories at bay. Giambotta is one such recipe. It’s a delicious stew that’s quick to put together and makes enough to last for several days.

TIP: Don’t leave out the tomato paste – it adds flavor.  You may be reluctant to open a can for just 1 tablespoon.  As Queen Of Freeze, my advice is to spoon out 1 tablespoon mounds of the remaining tomato paste onto a piece of waxed paper and freeze.  Once frozen, roll the waxed paper around the paste blobs and place in a freezer bag.  That way you’ll have tomato paste for future recipes.

GIAMBOTTA – makes about 9 cups (I forgot to measure)

  • 1 eggplant
  • 2 tsp salt, divided
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 lb russet potatoes, chopped into 1/2″ cubes (don’t peel)
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 2 zucchinis
  • 6 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 T tomato paste
  • 2 cups water
  • 1  1/3 cup fresh basil, divided (USE FRESH!)
  • 1 T dried oregano (or 1/3 cup fresh)
  • 6 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • optional:  hard cheese such as Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan, grated

Cut unpeeled eggplant into 1/2″ cubes. Place in a sieve and sprinkle on 1½ tsp of the salt. Toss cubes and salt together with your hands. The salt will draw out some of the water from the eggplant. Let drain for about 1/2 hour.

While eggplant is draining, chop the tomatoes, discarding the stem ends and any peels or imperfections. Also, chop the onion and potato.

Into a Dutch oven, heat 2 T of the olive oil over medium/high heat. Add in the drained eggplant, onion, and potatoes. Sauté until potatoes just start to brown – about 7 minutes.

Lower flame to medium and shove the veggies to the sides of the pot, leaving the center empty. Place the tomato paste in empty center and pour 1 T olive oil over it. Cook this mixture 2 minutes in the center, stirring often. This will bring out the flavor the tomato.

After cooking the paste, stir it into the veggies. Pour in 2 cups of water, scraping up the fond (the burnt bits stuck to the bottom of the pot). Add in the tomatoes (including the juice) and bring to boil. Cover pot and lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cook 20-25 minutes, just until potatoes are done (test by poking with fork).

While this is cooking, chop the zucchinis and bell peppers. Set aside.

Chop the basil and make a paste by mixing 1/3 cup basil (save the remaining 1 cup for later) with the oregano, 2 T olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes.

In a skillet, heat 1 T olive oil over medium/high flame. Add in the zucchini, bell peppers, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook 10-12 minutes, until browned.

Shove the zucchini and peppers to sides (like with the eggplant), leaving the center clear. Place the basil paste in center and cook 1 minute. Mix the paste and zucchini/pepper mix together. Pour into a bowl until ready to use.

Add 1/4 cup water into the now empty skillet. Notice all the blackened bits. This is called ‘fond’ and it’s full of flavor!

Over medium-high heat, scrap fond off bottom. Save.

When eggplant mixture is done, add in the zucchini/red peppers and fond water from skillet. Cover pot and let sit off-heat for 20 minutes to combine flavors.

When ready to serve, stir in remaining 1 cup chopped basil. Top servings with grated cheese, if desired. (I highly recommend using the cheese!)

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KALAMATA OLIVE BREAD – Pretty As A Picture!

olive-bread1-textCompany was coming and I needed a bread – fast! I flipped through my America’s Test Kitchen cookbook and found this Kalamata Olive Bread recipe made in a cast iron skillet. (To those under 35, cookbooks are how people used to get recipes!)

I’m always looking for ways to use my cast iron skillet, so I tried it. The results? It was fast, it was beautiful, and, best of all, it was delicious.

NOTE: A cast iron skillet is imperative to producing the crisp top, side, and bottom.

IDEA FOR NEXT TIME:  Include crumbled Feta cheese in the dough.

KALAMATA OLIVE BREAD

  • 5 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 12.5 oz (2½ cups) (355g) all-purpose flour
  • 4 T fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 T baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4.5 oz (1½ cup) (130g), divided, Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 cup (250 ml) milk (I used whole milk)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (or yogurt – I’ve used both)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup (115g) Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 450º Fahrenheit.

In a 10″ cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium/high. Add in the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. You want to flavor the oil but not burn the garlic. Remove pan from heat and let cool down while preparing the rest of the recipe.

In medium bowl, mix together the flour, basil, baking powder, salt, and 3.5 oz (1 cup) Parmesan.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg to break it up. Whisk in the milk and sour cream.

Remove garlic from skillet and mince (I use a garlic press). Add the garlic to the egg mixture. Stir in all but 1 T olive oil. Pour in the dry ingredients and blend until nearly all the flour is incorporated. Add in the Kalamata olives and gently finish blending. DON’T OVERMIX OR THE BREAD WILL BE TOUGH.

Heat remaining 1 T oil in skillet. Turn off heat but leave pan on burner. Pour in batter (it will be thick), smoothing top. Sprinkle on remaining 1 oz (1/2 cup) Parmesan.

Bake at 450º F for 20 minutes, until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes in skillet. Remove to wire rack. I like to serve it as soon as it’s cool enough to eat.

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CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

banana-bread-choc-chip-textOn its own, banana bread is delicious. Add in chocolate chips and you really up your game.

So often banana breads are mushy, especially along the top. This recipe, adapted from America’s Test Kitchen, is moist, but not mushy – even days later (if it lasts that long).

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

  • 84g (6 T) butter
  • 250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 143g (3/4 cup) sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 120g (3/4 cup) milk chocolate chips (I use Nestle’s)
  • 3 bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 55g (1/4 cup) plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit.

Melt butter, then set aside to cool a bit while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Into a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. Set bowl aside.

Slice bananas, then mash them well using a fork.

Into a large bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. 

Add in the bananas, vanilla, yogurt, and melted butter to the beaten eggs. Stir together, just to blend.

Fold in the flour mixture just until incorporated – you don’t want to overmix or it will become tough.

Grease and flour a loaf pan (I use Pyrex). Line bottom with baking paper.

Pour in batter, smoothing top.

Bake at 350º F for about 55 minutes. To know is it’s done, press on the split on top. If it’s damp, continue baking a few more minutes. Continue until it’s dry in the split. Remove from oven and let rest in pan for 20 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

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JICAMA-MANGO SALAD: A Winter Fruit Salad!

jicama-salad-textOne generally associates fruit salads with summer. But sometimes a heavy winter meal needs the fresh sweetness that fruit provides.

What to do? JICAMA-MANGO SALAD, that’s what. Not only is it simple to make, but it’s brightly colored with a bit of a kick to it (thanks to red pepper flakes).

JICAMA-MANGO SALAD – makes 4 cups

  • 3 T lime juice
  • 3 T sugar
  • 1/4 tsp lime zest
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 jicama, peeled
  • 2 mangoes, peeled
  • 1 orange, peeled

NOTE: Cube the jicama one layer at a time. Slicing through a stack can cause the top layer to slip, possibly yielding a nasty cut.

Cut jicama into 1/4″ pieces. Cut mangoes and orange into 1/2″ pieces.

Into a saucepan combine lime juice, sugar, lime zest, pepper flakes, and salt. Over medium flame, bring to simmer, stirring just until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add in the jicama. Cover (off heat) and set aside for 20 minutes to soften a little.

After 20 minutes, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate, at least, half an hour.

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CHEESY “HAM” CASSEROLE – Kids Love It!

cheesy-ham-cass-textBeing the mother of picky eaters, I’ve struggled to find dishes my boys would willingly eat. CHEESY “HAM” CASSEROLE became an instant favorite in our home. A bonus is that it’s loaded with broccoli, so even if they try to pick out the larger pieces, they’re still ingesting the smaller bits. (Hey, I’ll take what I can get!)

New readers may be perplexed by a vegetarian cooking blog using ham. Well, if you look carefully you notice the quotation marks around the word “ham”. That’s my shorthand for “fake”, “faux”, or “imitation”. If the idea of fake meat makes you cringe, then just leave it out and call the dish CHEESY BROCCOLI CASSEROLE. But for those of us ex-carnivores who like meat but are choosing not to eat it, the right imitation meat keeps us from falling off the vegetarian wagon.

CHEESY “HAM” CASSEROLE is quite easy to put together, plus it can be prepared ahead of time. Half an hour before dinner, just pop the casserole in the oven to bake. Use the cooking time to make your side dishes, set the table, and get the kids to make their way into the kitchen (a feat in itself).

CHEESY “HAM” CASSEROLE

  • 7 oz (204g OR 3 cups) uncooked spiral noodles (I use Wacky Mac)
  • 7.5 oz (211g OR 2½ cups) broccoli pieces
  • 305 oz (104g) fake ham (I use Worthington frozen “Ham” loaf)
  • 7 oz (257g OR 1¼ cup) mayonnaise
  • 2/3 cup (150 ml OR 164 g) milk (any kind)
  • 3 cups (174g OR 6 oz), divided, medium Cheddar cheese, shredded

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the noodles until they are ALMOST done – they will continue to cook in the oven. Rinse with cold water in a colander to stop the cooking process.wacky-mac-cookedNOTE:  If you’re using colored pasta, such as Wacky Mac that I use, you’ll notice that the color, unfortunately, fades with cooking. (See photo below). I don’t think there’s anything that can be done.wacky-mac-raw-vs-cooked-textWhile the pasta is cooking, steam the broccoli. Like the noodles, you don’t want it overcooked or it will be mushy. Just steam it for about 5 minutes.steam broccoliWhile the pasta and broccoli are cooking, cube the “ham” into bite-sized pieces. ham-choppingTo save dirtying a bowl, use the empty pasta pot to combine the noodles, broccoli, “ham”, mayonnaise, milk, and 2½ cups (139g OR 5 oz) of the cheese. Stir gently, but thoroughly. Pour into a 2.5 quart casserole and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup (35g OR 1 oz) cheese on top. Cover and bake at 350º Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

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CORNBREAD -What A Difference Cast Iron Makes!!!

corn-bread-textSeveral months ago I jumped onboard the cast iron craze and bought a 10″ skillet that I found at a thrift store. I absolutely love it, and my fear of keeping it seasoned was for nothing. It’s quite easy, really. After washing, all one has to do is rub a bit of vegetable oil over the surface, then place on the stove using a medium/high flame, letting it dry for 1 minute.

So now that I have this fabulous skillet, I was looking forward to making cornbread in it. As expected, the cast iron produced a perfect cornbread with a nice crisp bottom, side, and top, with a delicate center.

Of course, a good recipe is essential. Not all cornbread recipes are created equal – I’ve found the results often disappointing – dry and gritty. As a fan of America’s Test Kitchen, I eagerly attempted (and tweaked) their recipe. YUMMY!

CORNBREAD

  • 2 T white vinegar
  • 3/4 + 2 T milk (I use nonfat)
  • OR 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1  1/3 cups medium grind cornmeal
  • 3 ears corn (about 1¾ cups nibblets)
  • 6 T butter, divided
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 T sugar
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1¼ tsp salt

Make buttermilk (unless you’re using store bought buttermilk) by combining vinegar and milk. Stir in the cornmeal to soften it. Let stand while preparing the cornbread.

Remove corn from cobs by running a knife downwards and away from you along the cob. NOTE: You can use frozen or canned, if you’d rather.

Purée corn in a food processor for about 1 minute, stopping now and then to scrape down the sides. Pour into a saucepan and, stirring often, cook over medium heat until reduced to about 3/4 cup – about 8-10 minutes. It will become quite thick. Remove from heat and stir in 5 T butter.

Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and yolk. Stir the eggs and buttermilk/cornmeal into the thickened corn.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in the corn mixture, blending gently until dry ingredients are just incorporated into the wet. (Over mixing can lead to a tough bread.)

Heat remaining 1 T butter in a 10″ cast iron skillet. When skillet is hot, turn off stove and pour in cornmeal dough, smoothing top. Bake in preheated oven at 400º F for 25 minutes, until top begins to brown. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Let cool 20 minutes on rack before slicing. (If you slice it too soon, it will fall apart.)

 

 

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VEGETARIAN CHILI For Those Chili Nights!

vegetarian-chili-textI recently watched an America’s Test Kitchen episode which featured a vegetarian chili recipe. Years ago, I developed my own Vegetarian Chili recipe, using imitation ground beef. There are many excellent fake meat products (and some really bad ones), and I use them from time to time. However, they are a processed food, so I limit my usage of them.

I decided to try ATK’s version – tweaking it, of course – to see if I could replace it for my imitation beef recipe. It was absolutely delicious!

The hands-on preparation is easy and fairly quick, but the overall cooking time is about 4½ hours, so plan accordingly.

Note: It’s best to use fresh shiitake mushrooms, if you can find them. If you can only find dried, place them in a bowl, cover with 1/2 cup water, and soak them for 20 minutes to soften, so they can be ground in a food processor. Dried shiitakes will NOT be ground in a food processor – they’re that tough!

VEGETARIAN CHILI – makes about 9 cups

  • 454g /1 lb dry pinto beans
  • 3 T + 1¼ tsp salt, divided
  • 2 ancho chilies
  • 2 Anaheim chilies
  • 3 shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded (they’re too tough)
  • 1½ tsp dried oregano
  • 44g / 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 425g / 15 oz canned whole tomatoes
  • 3 T tomato paste
  • 2 T soy sauce
  • 1 T pressed garlic
  • 1 large jalapeño chili, stem and seeds removed, coarsely chopped
  • 46g / 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 270g / 2 cups chopped onions
  • 1 T cumin
  • 107g / 2/3 cup dry bulgur
  • 8g / 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

PREHEAT OVEN TO 300°F (149°C)

Thoroughly wash pinto beans, discarding any small stones (I’ve never found any, but recipes always say this). Place beans in a stockpot with about 3 litres (12 cups) of water and 3 T salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn off heat. Let sit for 1 hour. Drain beans in a sieve, rinsing well.

While beans are cooking, chop walnuts into small bits.

Add chopped walnuts to the food processor and pulse about 4 times to chop them finer (but NOT into a paste). If you don’t have a food processor, just chop them by hand as fine as you can. Empty the walnuts into a small bowl and set aside.

Put the Anaheim chilies on a cooking sheet and bake at 300º Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then discard stems and seeds. Coarsely chop by hand the Anaheims and ancho, then put in food processor but don’t run it yet.

Coarsely chop mushrooms. Add them and the oregano to the chilis in food processor. (If using dried shiitakes, process with the soaking water.)

Pulse about 7-10 times to get a coarse paste. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

In the empty food processor put the canned tomatoes (I always discard the stem end and any skin or imperfections), tomato paste, soy sauce, garlic, and jalapeño. Pulse 5 or 6 times to chop.

Once the beans are out of the stockpot, heat the vegetable oil in the now empty pot. Sauté the onions and 1¼ tsp salt until browned – about 9 minutes.

Add in the mushroom/chili mixture and cumin. Cook for 30 seconds in order to bloom the spice. Then add in the beans, plus 7 cups water. (If using dried shiitakes, then only add 6½ cups water – you already added the 1/2 cup soaking water.) Bring to boil on stove, cover, then place in oven and bake at 300º F for 45 minutes.

Note:  Make sure your stockpot is oven-proof.

After 45 minutes, stir in the tomato mixture, walnuts, and bulgur. Cover and bake 2 hours.

Remove from oven and let set 20 minutes uncovered. Stir in cilantro.

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TRES LECHES CAKE – A Three Kings Day Treat!

tres-leches-cake-textIt seemed appropriate to post a Tres Leches Cake recipe for Three Kings Day, (aka, the Epiphany). Tres Leches (three milks), three kings. Yeah, okay – it may be a stretch. But it’s still a delicious recipe and you could certainly serve it on the Epiphany…or anytime, for that matter.

It needs to be made a day in advance of serving so that the three milks (evaporated, sweetened condensed, and cream), which get poured over the hot cake, can be fully absorbed. But other than that bit of planning, it’s a very easy cake to make.

TRES LECHES CAKE

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup milk (any kind – I use nonfat)
  • 8 T butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 tsp vanilla, divided
  • 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 12 oz can evaporated milk
  • 2 cups heavy cream, divided
  • 3 T light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 325º Fahrenheit.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat together the milk and butter, just until the butter melts. Remove from heat.

Into the large bowl of your electric mixer, beat the eggs for 30 seconds on low speed. After 30 seconds, slowly start pouring in the sugar (still on low speed). Once all the sugar is added, increase the mixer speed to medium/high and beat until mixture is pale and glossy – about 5-7 minutes. On low speed, slowly add in the milk/butter and 2 tsp vanilla. Mix in the flour a third at a time.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 13″x 9″ pan. Spread the batter so the center dips down lower than the sides. As the cake bakes, the center will naturally rise. By scooping down the center, this will help ensure you get a flat-topped cake. Bake at 325º F for 30-35 minutes.

While cake is baking, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, the evaporated milk, 1 cup of cream, and 1 tsp vanilla. I suggest you use a container with a spout for easy pouring.

When cake is done, remove from oven. Prick the hot cake every 1/2″ with a skewer or fat toothpick. Very slowly pour the milk mixture over the hot cake. (You’ll have to stop for awhile now and then to allow the milks to absorb into the cake.) There will probably be some pooling on top in spots. That’s okay. Let cake set for 15 minutes after you pour on the milks, then put in refrigerator UNcovered overnight, up to 24 hours.

Before serving, make frosting by combining 1 cup cream, the corn syrup, and 1 tsp vanilla together in the small bowl of your electric mixer. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Spread over cold cake.

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GREEN BEAN-POTATO PASTA: Fast & Filling!

green-bean-potato-pasta-textThe hectic holidays are done. Time to relax, but there’s dinner to make. No problem!

GREEN BEAN-POTATO PASTA is a quick and easy recipe that can feed an army. Perfect for potlucks. Of course, you can half the recipe, if you can’t eat it all – unfortunately, this is NOT a recipe that can be frozen. (big frown from the Queen Of Freeze!)

GREEN BEAN-POTATO PASTA – makes about 15 cups

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 7 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 T lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
  • 1 lb white potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2″ pieces
  • 12 oz fresh green beans, cut into 1½”-ish size for easy eating
  • 1 lb gemelli pasta (or a skinny tubular pasta, such as penne)
  • 2 T butter
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Toast the pine nuts and garlic cloves (unpeeled) either in a toaster oven (which is what I do), a regular oven, or a dry skillet. Whichever you choose, keep an eye on it – the pine nuts go from perfectly golden brown to black in an instant. Remove peels from garlic.

Into a food processor or blender, make a pesto by combining the pine nuts, garlic, basil, olive oil, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice. Purée. Set aside.

Steam green beans.

Boil potato cubes in a large pot of salted water. When they can be pierced by a knife (about 5 minutes), remove to a bowl, leaving water in pot. Bring water back to a boil and cook pasta.

When pasta is done, drain over a container to save 2 cups of the pasta/potato water. Return pasta to the now-empty pot. Vigorously stir in 1¼ cups pasta/potato water, potatoes, pesto, butter, and pepper. You want to kind of break up the potatoes to thicken the sauce. Gently stir in the greens beans.

 

 

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TOMATO-SPINACH TIMBALES: A Festive Side Dish!

tomato-spinach-timbale-textDuring the holiday season it’s always fun to make festive foods. I created TOMATO-SPINACH TIMBALE with a little trepidation since December is NOT tomato season. While supermarket tomatoes generally lack flavor, even during peak times, my worry was for nothing, since the cooking process plus the flavors of the other ingredients brought out the best in these red beauties.

TOMATO-SPINACH TIMBALE – makes 4

  • 2 round tomato,  at least 2″ in diameter
  • 6 oz fresh spinach
  • 1 T butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup milk (any kind)
  • 6 T seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp dried minced onion
  • 2 egg
  • 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Peel tomatoes by submerging them in boiling water for about 1 minute – until skin starts to split. Remove from water and let cool until the skin can be peeled off without scalding your fingers. Discard peel. Slice tomatoes in half along the equator.

Steam spinach for about 5 minutes, until wilted. Wrap spinach in a paper towel and squeeze out excess water. (I wrap a terry cloth towel around the paper towel – the terry towel maximizes absorption, and the paper towel protects the spinach from lint.)

In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs.eggs-beatenAdd butter, milk, bread crumbs, salt, and dried minced onion.timbales-mixing1Remove spinach from paper towel and chop.spinach-choppingStir into egg mixture.timbales-mixing2Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit.

Butter 4 custard cups or small ramekins.custard-cup-butteredPlace a tomato half, cut side up, in each. Using your fingers, spread open the tomato so it touches the cup sides.tomato-in-custard-cupSprinkle on feta cheese.timbales-fetaTop with spinach mixture to the brim, patting down to get rid of air pockets.timbales-spinachPlace cups in a baking dish and fill halfway with boiling water.timbales-bakingBake at 350º F for 25-30 minutes, until spinach layer starts to brown. Remove from oven. Take cups out of the water bath and place on a rack to set for 15 minutes. To remove the TOMATO-SPINACH TIMBALES, run a rounded knife around edges, then invert, removing cup.