Be like a squirrel (or preserving summer's bounty)

Recipes: Roasted seasoned tomatoes, Sweet corn, Stir-fried corn with chilis and ginger

Sweet summer is coming to an end, and the fruits and vegetables of this bountiful season are at their luscious peak. How can we prolong the bliss? Ah, the freshness of a ripe tomato or a tender ear of sweet corn can't be held forever, but the taste of summer . . . that's another story. Here are a couple of easy ways to preserve and enhance the loveliness, foodwise, of our most delicious time of year!

Roasted Seasoned Tomatoes

Maybe you grew tomatoes this year and are now overwhelmed with piles of them. Such a luxurious dilemma! Or maybe you have a farmers market nearby and can get your hands on bags of wonderful heirloom tomatoes, or bushels of Romas. Here's a way you can preserve them for the winter, and, in January when you haven't seen a decent fresh tomato for months, pull out a bag of deliciousness from the freezer to make a quick pasta sauce or to enhance a braise or a pot of minestrone.

Romas are the go-to tomato for roasting, but I've found any medium-to-large tomato, like heirlooms, beefsteaks, and Early Girls, will roast well too.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Core any tomatoes that aren't Romas and slice all tomatoes in half lengthwise. Lay them out in one layer on a parchment-lined baking pan with sides.

Peel the skin off several cloves of garlic and strew them whole over the tomatoes.

Sprinkle all with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Tear several leaves of basil over the tomatoes. If you have fresh oregano, strew oregano leaves over. You could also sprinkle with a half teaspoon of dried oregano as an alternative.

Drizzle freely with good olive oil.

Roast for 2 hours at 300 degrees. When they are done, let them cool and then put it all, including garlic, herbs, and any oil still in the pan, in a freezer baggy for freezing. Repeat until all tomatoes are used - you can also roast two pans in the oven at the same time.

Notice a few tomatoes missing in this photo of roasted tomatoes? These are drop-dead delicious right out of the oven and it's hard to stop anyone who walks by from grabbing one. Or two. I've served them right out of the oven as hors d'oeuvres. . . mmmmm.

Sweet Corn

If you've found a good source of sweet corn, buy a whole box of it. I inherited a box of corn from someone's party - they overbought and I was the lucky recipient of all that sweetness. How much corn can you eat before it goes all starchy?

FIRST, here's the best way I've found to cook sweet corn. Assuming one ear per person, and you're cooking for two. Strip the husk off both ears down to the last leaves of husk. Leave those on for now.

Microwave both ears on High for 3 minutes each, turning twice. That means you put both ears in the microwave and set the timer for two minutes. Then you turn each ear one-third of the way around and cook for two more minutes. Then you turn each ear one-third of the way around again, and cook for the final two minutes. Strip the remaining husk and the silk off the ears (use a towel or hot pads, because the ears will be hot!!!), and enjoy with butter and salt. We also love smoked salt on corn, or a little sprinkle of cayenne.

NEXT, here's a good way to preserve the rest of those ears of corn.

Cut all the corn off all the cobs. The easiest way I've found is to strip off the husks and silk. Then stand the ear up on end on a cutting board or a piece of waxed paper, and cut down the length of the ear with a sharp chef's knife. Be sure not to cut too deep - all you want are the tender kernels.

Do this all the way around the ear, and then put the kernels in a gallon freezer baggy. Cut the kernels off each ear this way and add them to the baggy. When you are finished, or the baggy is full, label it with the date and put it in the freezer. Piece of cake (or corn, in this case).

Frozen corn is, of course, very easy to use. Just boil it briefly and serve with butter. Or put it into soup. Or, stir-fry it with chilis and ginger in the following recipe from Jamie Oliver.

Stir-Fried Corn with Chilis and Ginger

Stir-fry the kernels in a hot frying pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil, a tablespoon of peeled and chopped ginger, a teaspoon of chopped garlic, a teaspoon of chopped chilis (like jalapeno), a handful of chopped parsley and a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce. Done in 3 to 4 minutes.

Jamie's corn is delicious with chicken, pork, or even tacos. And you can enjoy it in the middle of December using your frozen summer bounty. Yum!