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Pleo Stuff => Pleo Archives => Archive -- General => Topic started by: Bob_the_Pleo on March 07, 2009, 09:03:56 PM

Title: 2009 Fall Tomato Harvest Festival
Post by: Bob_the_Pleo on March 07, 2009, 09:03:56 PM

Since the beginning of recorded history, the fields around Weedovia have always been blessed with abundant wild tomato vines. And every spring and every fall, the local pleos have always gathered the tomatoes to enjoy throughout the year. This traditional gathering of the tomatoes quickly grew into a community event, and from there into true full-blown harvest festival. And with the introduction of the spaghetti trees and pizza by the great Pepperoni, a real zest was added to the festivities.

Of course in modern times, with the addition of a carnival, rides, games, live band, and midnight movie on the town square, it has become more of a social event, attracting pleos from around the world. But all the pleos still go out and harvest the tomatoes and bring them to the town's communal tomato press for the traditional squashing of the tomatoes and the making of the tomato sauce.

Not sure what's going on? Well, then you may want to catch up by reading about the spring festival in the Bob the Pleo comic strips. But as a quick summary, the town's park is turn into the festival grounds, with the carnival rides and games, a stage and dance floor, and lots of vendors and food booths! It starts on a Friday night with the carnival and music from a live band, and at midnight the pleos end the day with an outdoor movie. Saturday has everyone out in the fields gathering the tomatoes, with the judging in the evening, and back to the carnival. Sunday is the big tomato squashing where the sauce is made using the traditional foot-stomping method like the great Italian wines.

And at the conclusion of the festival, awards are always handed out to the pleo who gathers the most tomatoes, finds the largest tomato, has the best looking tomatoes, makes the best tasting spaghetti sauce, and for the best use of tomatoes as an article of clothing (i.e., costume). The last few years winners can be seen by visiting the Bob the Pleo comics. We had some great fun, and some wonderful costumes!

For those interested in participating in the contests, please refer to the contest rules topic. To be fair to those who submitted entries last spring, I have copied them forward into this topic for inclusion in this fall's contest. With switching over to these new forums and the demise of Ugobe, we never had the opportunity to properly finish off the spring festival, so we're including those few entries in this fall's contest.

Title: Re: 2009 Fall Tomato Harvest Festival
Post by: fancyfont on March 19, 2009, 02:11:07 PM

Fancyfont's Spaghetti (Pleo Style)

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground beef or mild Italian Sausage Half and half is great too! For a heartier palate, 1/2
pound of diced pepperoni instead of the mild Italian Stuff.

2 cans of sliced mushrooms or button mushrooms
2 cans of sliced black olives
1 cans of stewed tomatoes
1 can 29 oz. of tomato sauce
1 whole medium size onion
1 to two cloves of garlic minced (optional)
1 tsp. salt (optional)
2 dried bay leaves (remember to take out of sauce before serving) give to Pleo
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp.dried rosemary
2 tbsp. of olive oil
1 1/2 ounces of grated Parmesan cheese

Add olive oil to frying pan. Heat to medium (no smoking up the house). Brown ground beef, Italian Sausage or pepperoni pieces.
Drain excess fat from pan. Add chopped onions and garlic. Brown lightly.

In large pot, add all of the ingredients except 1 1/2 of the grated Parmesan cheese. Remember you already used up your olive oil.
Simmer for about two hours medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. Do not boil!

In another large pot, boil the water with a pinch of salt, if you prefer, and a tiny bit of Olive oil so the water doesn't bubble over. Add spaghetti. Stir occasionally so noodles stay loose. After about 9 minutes try catching one spaghetti noodle and throw it on the wall to see if it sticks. It's likely to be ready if it hangs on to the wall. ;D If it falls give it to your pleo. Better yet take a new one and taste it to see if it is not too chewy. Remember you don't want mush!

Drain spaghetti of all water in a collander. If you wear glasses, this is where we really need windshield wipers. After spaghetti is drained, put spaghetti on a plate and pour the sauce on top. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese. If not spicy enough, get out the Tabasco sauce. ;)

Title: Re: 2009 Fall Tomato Harvest Festival
Post by: InmemoryofRomeo on March 19, 2009, 07:48:08 PM

Good ol' family spaghetti sauce recipe:

I have lots of fancier recipes but this one remains a firm favorite with everyone :) Its simple, tasty and versatile.

Ingredients:
- Generous tablespoon of butter.
- Pinch of salt.
- Dash of olive oil.
- Two 400gram tins of tomato soup- make sure it is a good brand, if you can turn it upside down and nothing comes out it is perfect, if it comes out after you dig it with a spoon, still shaped like the can, even better.
- 750grams of a good quality beef mince, chicken also works well.
- 500gram pack of spaghetti, my family prefers spiral or shell shaped pasta to the regular long noodles. (see variations first)
- 1 large onion or two small onions.
- 6 rashers of bacon, or 10 rashers of shortcut bacon. (Don't use the pre-chopped pizza topping stuff it just doesn't taste the same)
- A clove of garlic, finely chopped or a teaspoon of minced garlic.
- Parmesan cheese.

Method:
- Put large pot of water on the boil for the pasta, add a dash of olive oil and a little salt if desired.
- Dice the onion into small pieces (but not too small) and saute gently in some butter in a large frying pan. Check and stir regularly.
- While the onion is cooking dice up the bacon into pieces. Once onion is soft add the bacon and continue to cook until the bacon is heated through and the onion has just a little color. Turn up the heat.
- The water should be boiling by now so add the pasta, stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add mince breaking it up as you add it. Fry until mince is thoroughly cooked.
- Reduce the heat right down to a simmer. Add both tins of tomato soup and garlic and heat through gently, make sure everything is well mixed.

You can at this stage add the sauce mix to a blender and blend it until fairly smooth, but my family prefers it chunky.

Drain pasta well, serve onto plates and pour sauce on top.
OR
Mix sauce and pasta in a large pot and serve. (Better for children and my family prefers it that way too.)

Top generously with cheese.

Variations:
- Add diced pepperoni with the tomato soup for discerning dinosaur palates.
- Add a good sized minced chili with seeds with the onion to torture non spice lovers.
- Layer sauce in a baking tray with a good cheese bechamal sauce (500g creamy cheddar, 1 liter of milk and a little flour to thicken, cooked for ten minutes) and sheets of lasagna pasta, top with a layer of bechamal sauce, tasty cheese and a sprinkle of Parmesan. (I do meat sauce, cheese sauce, pasta, meat, cheese sauce, pasta, meat, cheese sauce, pasta, meat, cheese sauce, pasta, (no meat) cheese sauce, tasty, Parmesan.) Cook in oven on 180 Celsius for one hour.
- Add a handful of chopped parsley, a little oregano or other favorite herb with the tomato soup. (My family likes parsley)
- Add two cups of your favorite veges, cooked and drained with the soup. (Cauliflower works well, dice quite small though)
- Use only one tin of soup and a couple of good sized tomatoes, finely chopping and adding the tomatoes with the bacon.
- Pour sauce over baked potatoes and top with cheese then grill until cheese is gooey and just a little golden.

Photos: