Grilled Heirloom Tomato & Hatchenade Sandwiches

I entered my first recipe contest last week. The recipe I came up with incorporated some of my favorite things: goat cheese, olive tapenade, heirloom tomatoes and (of course) carbs! I was shocked when I received an email this week notifying me that I was selected as a finalist. Turns out there were six finalists at the Houston Central Market location and they chose us out of over 300 entries. Pretty cool considering this was my first contest!

I was up against some tough competition in today's contest and my favorites were (can't remember the name) a salad of spinach, heirloom tomatoes, and red onions topped with prosciutto wrapped figs stuffed with hatch chile goat cheese & Crabby Hatch. Crabby Hatch was the contestant's version of Chiles Rellenos but was a hatch chile stuffed with crabmeat and topped with a creamy corn sauce and salsa. It was delicious and was picked as the winner! She won a $100 Central Market gift card and 75 pounds of hatch chiles. 75 pounds! That's a lot of hatch.

I still can't believe my sandwich was picked but I'm glad I was selected as a finalist. It was a lot of fun and the finalists were given Central Market gift bags which included: Central Market hatch tortilla chips, hatch biscuits, a jar of Austin Slow Burn Green Chile Jam, a jar of Native Texan Hatch Queso, Redstone's Chipotle Dark Chocolate Bar, Anderson Trail Hatch Chile Chocolate Granola and a 15th anniversary Central Market Hatch Chile Festival tshirt. We were also told that if Central Market decides to print another Hatch Chile recipe book that all finalist's recipes will be included in the book.

Grilled Heirloom Tomato & Hatchenade Sandwiches

Serves 4

Sandwiches:

Sourdough bread (preferably Central Market hatch sourdough), 8 slices

Heirloom tomatoes, sliced, 2 medium-large

Goat cheese, room temperature, 4 ounces (optional: mix chopped, roasted hatch chiles to softened goat cheese)

Arugula, 2 cups

Olive oil, 2 tablespoons

Hatchenade, 4 tablespoons

Hatchenade:

Kalamata olives, pitted, 8 ounces

Anchovies, roughly chopped, 2

Garlic, roughly chopped, 1 clove

Capers, 1 tbsp

Lemon juice, 1 tbsp

Hatch chile, roasted, peeled, seeded & chopped, 1 large

Olive oil, 2 tbsp

Salt, to taste

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine first six ingredients of hatchenade in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. With motor running, slowly add olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Pre-heat grill or panini press on medium-high heat. Lightly oil both sides of bread and grill both sides until lightly toasted, about 1 minute each side. Remove from grill and spread goat cheese on four pieces of bread, dividing evenly. Top goat cheese with about 1 tablespoon hatchenade each. Add tomatoes and arugula, dividing evenly. Place the top piece on each sandwich. Cut into halves and serve.

Remaining hatchenade can be stored in the refrigerator. It can be served with crackers and cheese or as a topping for grilled meats.

Greek Salad with Herbed Pita

I am constantly trying new recipes and I find that the biggest challenge is to find one that is healthy and still tastes great. My goal was to create a blog where I could post my favorite recipes so others can add them to their collections. I am not a chef so all recipes are from cookbooks and the internet. I wish I was clever enough to come up with my own recipes though!

My first recipe is from Williams-Sonoma's Food Made Fast: Salad cookbook. It was a birthday gift from my in-laws and I love it! I have found quite a few recipes in this book that are very tasty. I am not surprised that my step-mother in-law chose this cookbook as my gift because she is the Queen of Salads! Every salad of hers that I have tasted has been so unique and so yum! This is an easy salad that is filling enough as a main course, but if you prefer a little more sustenance you can always grill some chicken to chop up and toss in. Also, don't be afraid of making your own salad dressings. It's super easy and tastes much better than that stuff in a jar!

Greek Salad with Herbed Pita
Serves 4

Lemon juice, from 1 lemon

Garlic, 1 clove, minced

Freshly ground pepper

Olive oil, 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons

Pita bread, 4 rounds

Dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon

Hearts of romaine lettuce, 2, coarsely chopped (note: I just buy a bag of romaine. Half a bag usually does it if you're cooking for two.)

English (hothouse) cucumber, halved crosswise and thickly sliced (also known as seedless cucumbers)

Tomatoes, 2, cut into wedges

Assorted brine-cured olives, 1 cup (I prefer kalamatas)

Feta cheese, 1/2 lb, crumbled

Green onions, 8, thinly sliced

Make the vinaigrette: In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, and a generous amount of pepper. Gradually whisk in the 1/4 cup oil until smooth.

Warm the pita: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut each pita into 4 wedges. Arrange on a baking sheet and brush both sides with the 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with the oregano and place in the oven to warm for about 10 minutes.

Assemble the salad: Meanwhile, add the lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes to the vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly. Arrange on plates and top with the olives, feta, and green onions. Place the warm pita wedges alongside the salads and serve.