Delectatio ex nihilo! (out of nothing) 

What a pastor is learning from
cooking in a pandemic

I saw a post recently where someone was berating himself as a worthless lowlife because he bought three plums, put them in the fridge, and then two weeks later, had to throw them away. It happens. And when it does, we are reminded of the many who don’t have the luxury of tossing spoiled food into the trash. Yet perhaps, in these times, we can show our gratitude for what we are blessed to have by using up what’s already here!

Wait, you say. There’s nothing here! So here is the beginning of a short series called … Delectatio ex nihilo (enjoyment out of nothing!).

Now, as you may know, the idea, extrapolated from the Creation account in Genesis, is that God created the world ex nihilo (out of nothing): kind of God’s Big Bang. God speaks, and things come to be, where previously no things were. The idea has a complicated history. Suffice to say that not everyone was on board.

Maybe I’m more with the ex nihilo nihil fit camp, who argue “NOT out of nothing” – that there was SOMETHING THERE to begin with. Along these lines, God might have proclaimed, “Thou shalt not throw it away!” and “There shall be leftovers; and behold, it was good.”

So here I have two recipes to start off our Delectatio ex nihilo series, which is to say: pleasurable, delicious things made from what SEEMS to be nothing – nothing in the house, nothing in the fridge – oh wait, there are these wrinkly-looking cherry tomatoes and some garlic, what can we do with these? 

Here are two recipes for Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce (plus other tomatoes that may be hanging around), and one for Melted Peppers, for those less than fresh peppers you don’t know what to do with but toss. Don’t toss them! We’re making delicious stuff where there seemed to be NO stuff! (Sure, you have to run down some XO sauce – some grocery stores have it, or you can buy it online, or if you’re really ambitious, there are recipes online – it keeps a long time! Just tuck some away for a rainy day.)

Burst cherry tomatoes, Take 1

Slow-roasted tomatoes with lots of garlic

This is a great way to use up miscellaneous wrinkled cherry tomatoes, or saggy regular tomatoes you have hanging around. Just cut off stem pieces and any bad-looking parts. After cooking, the tomatoes can be put in mason jars, used for bruschetta, or for pasta (with some burrata on top is nice), or to make a sauce. Or freeze for a later date. You can blitz in a food processor or with an immersion blender if you’d like to smooth out the skins and seeds.

1-2 pounds cherry or grape tomatoes, any color (or add quartered or halved regular tomatoes)
10 cloves (at least) garlic, peeled and well-smashed (if they come apart, that’s fine)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of hot pepper flakes
Several sprigs fresh thyme
¼ – ½ cup white wine or dry vermouth
Cooked pasta (any type, long or short), reserving ½ cup pasta water

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place the tomatoes and garlic in a roasting pan and add enough olive oil to coat them well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, a pinch of sugar, and hot pepper flakes, and mix well. Tuck in the thyme sprigs. Roast for 45 minutes, until starting to split. 
   
2. Transfer to a bowl. Add about ¼ cup white wine to the roasting pan, heat briefly, and stir with a wooden spoon to deglaze and dislodge any stuck bits. Add the liquid to the bowl with the tomatoes. Fish out the thyme sprigs, leaving the leaves behind in the sauce. Crush the tomatoes a bit with a wooden spoon or potato masher.
   
3. Transfer to jars and use within a few days, or freeze.
   
4. If serving with pasta, heat the sauce with a bit of cooking water, taste for salt and pepper, and mix with the pasta. Serve with burrata and/or grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Burst cherry tomatoes, Take 2

Roasted tomatoes with XO sauce and herbs

Note: XO sauce is a chunky flavorful sauce made of dried seafood, chili peppers, onions, and garlic that originated in Hong Kong. It can be found in Asian stores and online, and there are also recipes are online. It’s wonderful as a table sauce, and can be added to meats, fish, vegetables, or pasta.

12 oz short pasta (penne, rigatoni, fusilli, whatever you have)
3 T extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled, and well-smashed (if they come apart, that’s fine)
1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes (or add quartered or halved tomatoes to equal 1 lb)
Salt and pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes
⅓ cup XO sauce (see note)
½ cup chopped basil
½ cup chopped mint

1. Cook pasta 1 minute short of al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
   
2. Preheat oven to 425 F. Put tomatoes in roasting pan and toss with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until slightly browned and starting to burst.
   
3. Transfer tomatoes to the saucepan you cooked the pasta in, after you’ve drained the pasta.
   
4. Rinse the roasting pan with ¼ cup pasta water. Heat the pan briefly on the stove, stirring with a wooden spoon to deglaze and dislodge any stuck bits. Add the liquid to the saucepan (scraping out every delicious drop!). Mix in XO sauce and mix over medium heat, crushing tomatoes a bit with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Toss with pasta, heat briefly, adding more pasta water if necessary. Mix in basil and mint, and taste for salt and pepper.

(Adapted from a Serious Eats recipe.)

Melted peppers

These are good on everything – toasted bread or crackers, with pasta, on a burger or grilled cheese, or really any sandwich. Peppers somewhat past their prime can be used, either bell peppers, any colors, or mini sweet peppers.

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds sweet peppers (any color, any size), seeded and sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Several sprigs thyme
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1. In a large skillet, combine olive oil, peppers, onions, garlic, thyme sprigs, and salt and pepper. 
   
2. Cook over low heat until peppers are soft and have almost “melted,” about 30 minutes. Shake pan or gently stir from time to time. 
   
3. Add vinegar and taste for seasoning.
   
4. Store in jars in the fridge.