THE OREGANO HARVEST

 

Oregano soon to be harvested.

"Wait till it starts to flower," Reme told me. "Then cut off the stems and dry them." She had given me a small potted oregano plant last winter that I set out in the garden. It's budding now, soon to be harvested.

Reme, my aerobics teacher and also author of a cookbook about traditional pueblo cooking, said she uses the pungent herb in any kind of guiso—cazuela de arroz or fideos (rice or noodle casserole), pisto (medley of summer vegetables), adobo (marinade for pork or fish). 

She also adds oregano to chopped raw tomatoes and keeps them in a jar ready for slathering on breakfast toast. Now that's a great idea, I thought. Must try that.

How to use the tomato sauce? Spread it on toasted bread, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and top with sliced ibérico ham or your favorite cheese. Use it in place of cooked tomato sauce for pizza, pasta, eggplant parmigiana. 

Raw tomatoes chopped with oregano and garlic, perfect for spreading on breakfast toast with extra virgin olive oil.

Tomato-oregano spread, toasted molletes (buns) with extra virgin olive oil, ibérico ham, anchovies, olives, queso fresco (fresh goat cheese) add up to brunch.  

My dream breakfast--toast, olive oil, and superb ibérico ham.

Same uncooked tomato-oregano sauce, spread on molletes, with pizza toppings. (From top right to bottom right; sliced chorizo and mozzarella; artichokes from a jar, diced serrano ham, and mozzarella; and anchovies, black olives, and mozzarella.) Split molletes, spread with tomato sauce, add toppings, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, bake in fan-oven at 400ºF. until cheese is melted and edges of crusts beginning to brown, 10 minutes.

The tomato-oregano spread is quickly made in a food processor or blender. The tomatoes needn’t be peeled. The more thoroughly you process the tomatoes, the fewer bits of tomato skin remain in the sauce. But if you like it chunky, process less. 

A tablespoon of chopped fresh oregano for two pounds of tomatoes seems about right—noticeable flavor without dominating. If you use dried oregano, reduce to one teaspoon. Use a minimum of salt in the mix and serve the tomato spread at the table with flaky salt. 

Don’t blend in the oil or you’ll end up with an emulsion, like gazpacho. Once the tomatoes are placed in a clean jar, add enough oil to completely cover the surface so the tomatoes are sealed from exposure to the air. Store capped and refrigerated. Use a clean spoon to dip the sauce. Tomato sauce keeps 4 to 5 days. 

Uncooked Tomato Sauce with Oregano

Salsa Cruda de Tomate con Oregano

It's early in tomato season, but these big plum tomatoes (tomate pera) are super flavorful. 

2 pounds ripe tomatoes 

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

½ teaspoon salt

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

To serve

Toasted molletes, sliced bread or crusty rolls

Extra virgin olive oil

Flaky salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Sliced ibérico ham, cheese, anchovies, etc

Remove the stems and cores of the tomatoes and cut them up (makes 5 to 6 cups cut-up tomatoes). Place them in a food processor or blender with the garlic, salt, and chopped oregano. Process until fairly smooth. 

Place in a clean glass jar. Add enough oil to cover the surface of the tomatoes. Cap the jar and refrigerate. 

To dry oregano:  Cut the stems when the buds begin to flower. Tie them together and hang the bunch upside down in a dry place away from direct light. Place a tray underneath to catch bits of leaves that fall off or enclose the bundle loosely in a paper bag. When completely dry the leaves can be stripped off the stems and stored in a jar. (In humid weather, dry herbs in an oven with the “dehydrator” setting.) 

Gastronomía Tradicional Mijeña by Remedios Valenzuela.

About those toasted buns called molletes.

With my oregano spread I am sampling a very exclusive ham, Raza & Oro,  100% ibérico of the rubio-dorado (golden-blond) breed from Dehesa de los Monteros in the Serranía de Ronda.