I spent the past weekend at Long Beach for the 5th series of Iron Chef with friends from the salsa dancing scene. My friend Astro is a DJ at The Shore, a salsa club in Long Beach, while most other friends are dancers and salsa enthusiasts. This holiday season, we battled it out with the secret ingredient: Tomato!
Hosting an Iron Chef competition (complete with scoring and judging) among friends is an awesome way to have a pot luck. Everyone brought tomato to a whole new level with their dishes. I made Tomato Bread Pudding with my friend Andy, while others concocted Tomato Pie, Tomato Enchiladas, Cherry Tomatoes and Teriyaki Meatballs, Stuffed Tomatoes and Tomato-mozzarella Bruschetta dipped in balsamic vinegar (just to name a few). Here’s a look at the mouthwatering masterpieces:
Stuffed Tomatoes
Tomato Pie (the WINNER!)
Tomato overload!!
Bread pudding
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Dishes were devoured and the votes were tallied… And the Iron Chef trophy went to Silvestre– who baked the amazing Tomato Pie, with a flaky crust and layers of onions, tomato, cheese and basil. Not sure how much tomatoes I can have from now on, but it was an amazing (and tasty) demonstration of the versatility of the fruit.
