OK, GardenLad, I don't know that these exactly belong on a pumpkin thread but digressing from the topic is pretty routine around the forum, so here we go. I'm including all my notes on the recipes. Both are "works in progress" so maybe my additions will be helpful too. Torta with Pesto, Tapenade & Sun Dried Tomatoes Original Source: www.fabulousfoods.com Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- Pesto 1 1/2 cups fresh basil 3 large garlic cloves 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup Pine nuts (pignolia) -- OR walnuts 1/2 cup olive oil salt and pepper -- to taste Olive Tapenade 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives 3 large garlic cloves -- peeled 2 teaspoons capers 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaf -- (or 1/4 tsp. dry) 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaf -- (or 1/4 tsp. dry) 1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil salt and pepper -- to taste Sun Dried Tomato Purée 1 10-12 oz. jar oil packed sun dried tomatoes 1 large garlic clove 2 tablespoons olive oil (reserved from tomato jar) Cheese Layer 8 oz. goat cheese 2 packages cream cheese -- (8 oz.) 1 cup butter Pesto Layer: Put all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor or blender and purée. Slowly pour in the olive oil while continuing to blend. Olive Tapenade Layer: Put all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor or blender and purée. Slowly pour in the olive oil while continuing to blend. Sun-Dried Tomato Purée Layer: Drain the tomatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Put all ingredients, including reserved oil, in a food processor or blender and purée. Cheese Layer: Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and purée. Line either one large (6 cup) or two small (3 cup) molds with dampened cheesecloth, leaving enough cloth hanging over the edges to later cover the top. If you don't have any molds, be creative - a flower pot works well or use small deep bowls, or even a rinsed out coffee can. If you want to be decorative, arrange whole basil leaves, whole olives and/or whole sun dried tomatoes in the bottom of your mold (this will become the top of your dish when it is unmolded). Layer in thin layers, alternating between the cheese mixture and a topping mixture until mold is filled. Cover top with the excess cheesecloth hanging over the sides. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours or overnight. To unmold, unfold cheesecloth covering the top of the mold and hang it over the edge. Place a plate over the open end of the mold and invert. Carefully peel the mold off the mixture, then carefully remove and discard the cheese cloth. Serve with crackers or a fresh baguette. Changes I made: I used my own homemade pesto recipe and some California Harvest kalamata olive tapenade I had on hand. In the Sun Dried Tomato Purée I cut the olive oil to 1 T. and enhanced the tomatoes by soaking some additional plain dried tomatoes in boiling water, draining them and blending them in with the rest. Next time I might try a little added tomato paste instead. For the cheese layer I used 2 3.5 oz. Crottin Montcevri, 1 package of light cream cheese, 1 container mascarpone cheese (both 8 oz. size) and cut the butter to 1/2 cup. I used a 7-inch springform pan, but I'm going to try to freeze this. If it works, I'll make 3 2-cup molds. I also want to cut back on the oiliness of the layers. I want a bit fresher taste. I think I'll use just the oil that adheres to the tomatoes and cut the other T. plus drain the pesto and the tapenade a bit in a fine mesh sieve before using. Sun-Dried Tomato and Pesto Cheese Spread Recipe By : Unknown Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed -- drained 1 tablespoon oil -- (from tomatoes) 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato halves 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 4 ounces butter -- softened 1/2 cup sour cream 20 ounces cream cheese 4 cloves garlic -- peeled 1 1/2 cups basil, fresh 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup pine nuts 2 tablespoons olive oil -- OR for garlic, basil, lemon juice, pine nuts, olive oil substitute 8 oz. my own pesto base 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper -- to taste Pour boiling water over plain dried tomatoes. Let sit until soft then drain. Reserve 2/3 cup cream cheese. Place remaining cream cheese, sour cream and butter in food processor. Blend until fluffy. Place in bowl and set aside. Blend pesto base, Parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup cream cheese in food processor. Place in bowl and set aside. Scrape bowl and chop drained sun-dried tomatoes (both plain and oil). Add 1 tablespoon tomato oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 1/3 cup cream cheese. Blend until smooth. Grind in salt and pepper to taste. Put saran wrap on the bottom of 4 4-inch springform pans (or 1 7-inch springform or line a 1 1/2 quart pan or bowl). Layer 1 pan at a time. Layer 1 cream cheese mixture, layer 2 sun-dried tomato, layer 3 cream cheese mixture, layer 4 pesto, layer 5 cream cheese mixture. Cover with "sticky" saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. Finish other pans the same. When unmolded, top can be decorated with pinenuts, basil leaves, sun-dried tomato pieces if desired. Cover with foil and freeze extra pans. Yield: "5 cups" - - - - - - - - - - - - Christmas 2004: I cut butter drastically, added sour cream, elimated tomato paste and used plain sun-dried tomatoes instead, added balsamic vinegar. For tomatoes in oil I used T.J.'s 8.5 ounce jar. I divided recipe among 4 Wilton mini-springform pans; served 2 and froze 2. Small sizes are nice for buffet service.

I don't know whether just adding sun-dried tomatoes would maintain a safe acid level. They are pretty acidic, but if you just add them, you have more veg for the same vinegar, which raises the pH (less acid). Here's what I would do (if I decided I felt good about safety here, not sure about that yet). Rehydrate the tomatoes some so they don't turn your relish into paste over time. You could use more of a liquid that's included in the recipe when you do this, but still use the regular amount of liquid when it comes time to mix the relish. An acidic liquid like wine or vinegar is better than water. Of course, don't let oil get into the tomatoes or the relish, because it provides little bunkers for botulism. Then, I would use the soaked tomatoes to partially replace one of the non-acid vegetables. Surely dried tomatoes are more acid than onions, so in this case you should not have a pH safety issue. As long as you aren't using too much of them, it seems safe to process for the original time. Another thing I would do is try to find a tested canning recipe that includes sun-dried tomatoes, just to make sure that there's no prohibition on ever canning them. Perhaps confer a dried apricot jam and a fresh apricot jam to see the differences in hydration & processing time. This is purely conjecture, I wish I were a food safety expert so I could give a definitive answer. Be safe & let us know how it turns out if you decide to do it. Melissa

Top 20 for Drying (D)-Sauce(S)-Salsa (SA) IMHO This is how I use them but most can be used all three ways Chinese (D) Federle (D) Opalka (D) Dinofrios German (D) Romeo (D) Zapotec (D) (SA) Big Mama (D Stabilized F8 ) Venetian Marketplace (D-S) Nile River Egyptian (D) Russo Sicilian Togeta (D-SA) Costoluto Genovese (S) Costoluto Fiorentino (D) (S) Giant Pepperview (D) Nicks (D) Amish Paste (D) Super Italian Paste (D) Chico Grande (D-S) Seaches Italian (D) Joes Plum (D) Goldman's Italian American I want dry, dry, dry, few seeds, big, meaty. I prefer tomatoes that are more twangy than sweet for drying. I was asked about: Borgo Cellano-too many seeds Bisigano #2 Not great production overall Columbus-I have not heard of or ever grown You will notice I do not list the touted "Ultimate Drying Tomato" Principe Borgese. Small, seeds up the wazoo and determinate sums it up. Most heart tomatoes make decent drying tomatoes but it boils down to a matter of taste, production and size for me.

It wouldn't bother me to have sauce, salsa, tomato marmalade made out of different colored tomatoes. I think it would add interest especially the tomato marmalade. BTW what do you use the tomato marmalade for? Clare Here is a good recipe for tomatoes of any color. Double Tomato Bruschetta 6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil 3 cloves minced garlic 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 French baguette 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese Preheat the oven on broiler setting. In a large bowl, combine the roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.