Caprese Risotto w/ Tomato Chips, and My Second Blogiversary

I can hardly believe it's been 2 years since I started Proud Italian Cook! My, how time flies when you're having fun. I can truly say that this blog has enriched my life in so many ways but especially in having the opportunity to meet so many great people along the way. I want to say thank you to all my dear blog friends, you know who you are, thanks for all your inspiration, your comments and words of encouragement, thanks to my family for putting up with me, and a big thank you to all my subscribers and those who just look on in silence. Looking forward to year 3!

Because I still have an abundance of tomatoes, I've been thinking of different ways to use them up, in fact you haven't seen the last of my tomato recipes! If you love a good caprese salad and love risotto, then this is for you. Combine fresh vine ripened tomato's, in my case it was yellow and red heirlooms that I diced into bite size pieces along with cubed fresh mozzarella, fresh chopped basil, a little salt and pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil. Set this aside.

Make your risotto by sauteing 1/2 of a chopped medium onion in in olive oil and a little butter. Add three cloves of chopped garlic and saute, then add 1 1/4 cups of arborio rice, toast it up a little then deglaze with 1/2 cup of white wine. When wine is absorbed start adding 6 cups of warmed broth one cup at a time stirring till all is absorbed. When rice is finished, stir in some grated Parmesan, and lastly fold in your caprese mixture, adding extra basil if needed. This is a great transition to fall meal, summer flavors and comfort food all in one!

I saw this recipe in a book called The Heirloom Tomato, by Amy Goldman. I thought the idea of a tomato chip sounded unique and different. I envisioned eating them with white bean dip or used as a garnish, very fancy schmancy! I had a bowl full of tomatoes that had some bruises and decided to just cut away the bad spots, slice them up and make chips! This is something you do when your going to be home all day and your oven won't be used for anything else. Depending how juicy your tomatoes are, this process can take 3-5 hours, mine took 5.

Warm up some olive oil in a small pan and add crushed garlic to infuse the oil, let it sit for about an hour. Preheat oven to 250F. Line baking sheets with a silpat or parchment, (I used parchment) Brush each 1/4" sliced tomato with the infused garlic oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Go easy on the salt and pepper, flavors intensify more than you think. ( I found that out!) Bake single layer 1 hour, then lower the temperature to 200F and continue baking until crisp, 3-5 hours. Store in an airtight container and keep in your fridge. We loved these, the taste was intensely tomato, I even wrapped some up and gave them as a gift!

Stay tuned for a few more ideas for using up the last of your summer tomatoes!

Buon Appetiito!!