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Tomato Head’s Chicken Enchiladas

Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Comfort food can take many shapes. In the winter time, comfort foods tend to be warming and rich, as well as easy to make. Tomato Head’s Chicken Enchiladas fit the description.

Mahasti presented the restaurant’s recipe on WBIR this morning. But if you missed it, it’s here for you to give it a whirl. Or, even easier, order your own plate of enchiladas at either the Maryville or Knoxville restaurant today.

Tomato Head’s Chicken Enchiladas
For the Chicken:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/3 cup oil
½ large onion, largely diced
8 cups of water
1 Tbl salt

To Assemble the Enchiladas:

1 -16 oz jar Frontera enchilada sauce
8 – corn tortillas
½ lb shredded Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream
chopped onion

Heat the oil, in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add chicken breast, water and salt. Increase heat to high, when water starts to boil, reduce heat to low and allow chicken to simmer for 20 minutes until done.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the broth and allow the chicken to cool until it is cool enough to handle. Shred the chicken by pulling it apart. Set aside.

Pour 1/3 of the jar of enchilada sauce into the bottom of an 8 X 11 baking dish. Arrange 3 or 4 corn tortillas on your work surface. Place approximately ¼ – 1/3 cup chicken on each tortilla followed by ¼ cup of shredded cheese. Roll the tortillas up to form cylinders. Place the tortillas seam side down. Repeat the process until all the tortillas have been filled and place in the baking dish.

Pour the remaining sauce over the rolled tortillas, making sure they are covered entirely. Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top of the sauce. Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes – or until the cheese melts and the sauce is starting to bubble.

Remove the dish from the oven. Top with Sour Cream and chopped onion.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

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Tomato Head’s Pasta with Cauliflower, Cabbage and Dried Cranberries

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Colorful and seasonal, this pasta dish is an easy preparation for a winter’s day or evening. Mahasti presented the recipe on WBIR this weekend, but if you missed it, we always post her recipes to The Tomato Head blog. Enjoy!

Tomato Head’s Pasta with Cauliflower, Cabbage and Dried Cranberries

1 lb dry pasta of choice
Vegetable oil
4 cups cauliflower, sliced
4 cups white or savoy cabbage, chopped
1 Tablespoon roasted garlic, chopped
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup walnuts, chopped
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is cooked, drain, rinse with cold water, toss with ¼ cup olive oil and set aside.

Place Spinach in a large bowl. Add dried cranberries, chopped walnuts and bread crumbs. Set aside.

Turn Oven Broiler on to High.

Slice cauliflower, toss with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place on the middle shelf of oven and roast for 9-10 minutes, just until the edges of the cauliflower begin to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

Coat 3 or 4 large cloves of garlic with oil – place on a cookie sheet and roast under broiler until the cloves are golden brown. Remove from oven, allow the garlic to cool; chop and set aside.

Heat a large skillet, over high heat. Add ¼ cup of oil, cauliflower. cabbage and roasted garlic. Sauté the vegetables just until the cabbage starts to wilt. Add vinegar and salt, allow the vinegar to reduce for 30 seconds. Add the pasta and sauté for one minute or just until the Pasta is re-heated.

Add the contents of the skillet to the spinach bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Toss the pasta until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide into 4 – 6 bowls or serve family style with fresh bread.

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Tomato Head’s Brown Sugar Cinnamon Biscuits with Cream & Orange Caramel Sauce

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Mahasti presented this “good morning” recipe on WBIR Saturday, December 17th. Did you catch it? If not, the full recipe is posted below and, even better, both the Knoxville and Maryville restaurants will be serving these delights throughout Sunday brunch. Enjoy!

Tomato Head’s Brown Sugar Cinnamon Biscuits with Cream & Orange Caramel Sauce

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
5 Tbl chilled butter, cut into small pieces
¾ cup chilled buttermilk
1/3 cup brown sugar

Measure flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cinnamon into a medium bowl. Add chilled butter and work into flour with fingertips or a pastry cutter until the butter resembles small beads. Add buttermilk and work flour into buttermilk until you have a soft dough. Turn dough no more than 10 times. Gather into a ball. With a rolling pin, roll out the ball of dough, on a lightly floured surface, to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Scatter half of the brown sugar in the center of the biscuit dough. Fold one edge of the dough onto the sugared area. Scatter the remaining brown sugar onto the area that you just folded over. Fold the non-brown sugared area onto the newly covered brown sugar area. Gently lift the dough up and scatter a little more flour under the dough. Roll the dough back out to a thickness of 1”. Cut the biscuits out with a round biscuit cutter. Gather up any remaining dough into a ball and repeat, flattening and cutting the biscuits. Place the cut biscuits on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

For the Caramel Sauce


1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup orange juice
½ stick butter

Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Keep warm while biscuits are cooking.

To Serve

Heavy Cream

Pour a small amount of heavy cream onto a plate, if serving individually, or on a platter if serving family style. Place biscuits on top of cream. Pour caramel sauce over biscuits and serve immediately.

Makes 8 – 10 biscuits depending on the size of your cutter.

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The Tomato Head’s Pecan Pie

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011

‘Tis the season for pies and cakes and sweet things of all varieties. Mahasti presented The Tomato Head’s recipe for Pecan Pie on WBIR this morning and mm mm mm. We want a piece now, and we can have one (and so can you)…pecan pie is on the menu at both the Knoxville and Maryville locations today.

Tomato Head’s Pecan Pie

1 (9 inch) prepared pie crust
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup heavy cream
1 Tbl molasses
4 Tbl unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
½ tsp salt
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1.5 cups pecan pieces

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Over medium heat in a large saucepan, heat together maple syrup, brown sugar, heavy cream and molasses until sugar dissolves and mixture starts to bubble. Remove mixture from heat, add butter and stir until the butter has melted. Allow mixture to cool for 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, whisk in the eggs until they are well incorporated.

Fill pie crust with pecans, pour syrup mixture over pecans. Place the pie in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 425. Bake the pie for 45 – 50 minutes or until the filling is set and center jiggles just slightly.

Allow pie to cool for 3 – 4 hours before cutting and serving with fresh whipped cream.

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The Tomato Head’s Bacon and Cheddar Soup

Monday, November 21st, 2011

If you weren’t up early on Saturday tuned in to WBIR, you missed Mahasti presenting what’s sure to become a favorite for gatherings of family and friends.

Simple to make, warming and good, this soup’s one to prepare in advance and have on the stove top for snackers while the “big dinner” is in the works.

The Tomato Head’s Bacon and Cheddar Soup

½ lb bacon, diced
1.25 cups celery, finely chopped
½ cup onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 – 2 small jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbl fresh thyme
1 ½ stick butter
2/3 cup flour
6 cups water
3 cups heavy cream
14 oz mild cheddar cheese, shredded
12 oz smoked cheddar cheese, shredded

In a 6 quart pot over medium heat sauté bacon until bacon is crisp. Add celery, onion, garlic, jalapenos and thyme. Sauté the vegetables until onion and celery are translucent. Add water, and cream. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium skillet. Add flour, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour mixture to the soup and stir constantly until the soup thickens slightly. Add cheeses and stir soup until cheese has melted.

Serve.

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Episcopal School of Knoxville’s Mac-n-Cheese!

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

The Episcopal School of Knoxville (ESK) decided they could have healthier kids and a better lunch program if they converted a portion of their farm-like acreage and turned it into actual farm. Headmaster Jay Secor and Head Chef, Renee Nye (along with many others from ESK) have been collaborating with Mahasti, founder and co-owner of The Tomato Head, to revamp their school’s food program. The results have not only been delicious, but inspiring.

Secor and Nye joined Mahasti on WBIR this morning as she presented The Episcopal School of Knoxville’s Mac-n-Cheese recipe, and together they shared more of the ESK story. The school truly took a “soup to nuts” approach as they assessed and changed their program—converting acreage into gardens and space for chickens, committing to buying local as much as possible, even baking bread from scratch and preparing food to order. The focus of the food at ESK is now on freshness, taste, and healthiness.

“It can seem overwhelming at first,” noted Mahasti, speaking of the changes and new approaches she introduced to ESK. “But it’s actually easier than everyone thinks. And it’s so much better for the school and the children.” Secor and Nye proudly agree.

In fact, the consultation process that Mahasti provided went so well, she’s excited about working with other schools who may be interested in developing a healthier food program. And most kids are thrilled to know they’re school lunch has a Tomato Head touch.

Of course, Mac-n-Cheese is a much beloved dish for many kids. ESK students love the new version they get to eat in their dining hall, and Mahasti shared the school’s recipe this morning on WBIR.

(In addition, both the Maryville & Knoxville restaurants will be serving a very special take on this Mac-n-Cheese recipe today. It’s very different, but once you try it, you’ll swear by it—this delicious mac-n-cheese on a pizza topped with Benton’s Bacon and Roasted Onion. Unforgettable yum.)

Episcopal School’s Macaroni and Cheese

For the White Sauce:
4 oz unsalted butter
2 oz flour
4 cups Cruze Farm milk
1 cup heavy cream
1.5 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

In a large skillet, or medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly until no more lumps remain. Add remaining ingredients and whisk constantly until sauce thickens.

Yields 5 cups

To assemble Macaroni and Cheese:
3 cups Sweet Water Valley Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 cup heavy cream
1 box Barilla Plus Elbow pasta, cooked according to package directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place cooked pasta in a large bowl. Add cheese, heavy cream and 4 cups of the white sauce to the bowl and mix until well incorporated. Save remaining sauce for later use.

Place macaroni and cheese in a 3 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with some additional shredded cheese.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until dish is bubbling and cheese has melted. Remove from oven and allow macaroni and cheese to sit for 5 minutes and serve.

Serves 8 – 10

If serving fewer than 8 people the recipe can be followed up to the point of placing the macaroni and cheese in a baking dish. You may place as much of the mixture as desired in a smaller baking dish, baking only what is needed, saving the remainder of the mixture for baking the next day.

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The Tomato Head’s Sausage Gravy

Saturday, September 3rd, 2011

We’ve been doing a lot with biscuits lately. Maybe it’s because we’re ready for a little fall to come on in or we’re just enjoying how versatile truly delicious biscuits can be. No matter, Mahasti shared The Tomato Head recipe for Sausage Gravy on WBIR this morning , featuring sausage from Benton’s Bacon. (Hint…you can only get their sausage if you visit their store, and it’s worth the trip).

The recipe is fast, filling, and will have you smiling about your morning all day long. Can’t stand at the stove today? Simply come by for brunch, served 10am – 3pm, and we’ll have the biscuits and gravy ready for you.

Tomato Head’s Sausage Gravy
¼ lb butter
½ lb Benton’s or other breakfast sausage
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 cups warm milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

1 recipe The Tomato Head’s Best Biscuits

While biscuits are cooking:

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add sausage and sauté until sausage has browned. Add flour and whisk until all the flour is incorporated and no lumps remain. Slowly add the warm milk while whisking constantly. Lower heat to low – add salt and pepper and whisk constantly until desired consistency is reached.

Serve immediately over hot biscuits.

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County Tres Leche

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

Yee haw! This is a good way to end a meal, have a snack, or simply enjoy a new cultural twist on a classic treat.

Mahasti presented The Tomato Head’s recipe for “Country Tres Leche” on WBIR this weekend. What makes it country? The recipe is based upon The Tomato Head’s “Best Biscuits” recipe, instead of the traditional lady fingers or sponge cake. Give it a whirl and let us know what you think.

The Tomato Head’s Country Tres Leche

(aka, Biscuits soaked in three milks topped with blackberry compote and cream)

For Milk Soaked Biscuits:

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground clove

6 – 8 day-old biscuits

In a small bowl mix together condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, cinnamon, and clove.

Place biscuits in an 8 X 11 baking dish.  Pour 1 ½ cups of the milk mixture over the biscuits and allow biscuits to soak for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake milk soaked biscuits for 20 minutes until heated through.

For Blackberry Compote:

1 lb fresh or frozen blackberries

1/3 cup sugar

Place blackberries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook mixture just until sugar has completely dissolved.  Remove from heat and set aside.

To Serve:

Place each biscuit on a plate.  Pour ¼ cup of the remaining milk mixture over each biscuit, followed by ¼ cup of heavy cream and 1/3 cup of blackberry compote.  Serve immediately.

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The Tomato Head’s Fried Green Tomatoes

Saturday, July 16th, 2011

The South in the summer? Friend green tomatoes. The two things are synonymous and equally loved. Mahasti’s sharing The Tomato Head’s recipe for fried green tomatoes and both the Maryville and Knoxville restaurants will be serving them today as an appetizer accompanied by a honey mustard dressing.

Tomato Head’s Fried Green Tomatoes

1.5 pounds green tomatoes
2/3 cup cornmeal
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
1 cup all purpose flour for dusting

Cut the ends off the tomatoes and slice into ¼ inch thick slices. Place the tomatoes on a paper towel lined baking sheet, in a single layer. Cover the tomatoes with more paper towels and let sit for 20 minutes.

Place cornmeal in blender with salt and cayenne pepper and process until fine. Fill 3 small bowls one with cornmeal mixture, one with flour and one with buttermilk.

After 20 minutes move tomatoes to dry paper towel, cover with more paper towels and press dry. Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Dip the tomatoes in flour, then buttermilk and then in the cornmeal mixture. Fry the tomatoes in the hot oil, 3-4 at a time for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Drain on a wire rack.

Serve as a side dish or with honey mustard dressing as an appetizer.

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Tomato Head’s Father’s Day Buttermilk Cake with Fresh Strawberries and Blueberries

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

Every holiday needs a little something special cooked up to celebrate. Father’s Day is no exception. With the season presenting berries of all flavors, Mahasti prepared another memorable dessert for The Tomato Head. You can give this recipe a whirl at home and present it to your favorite fella or come to either the Maryville or Knoxville restaunt today. We’ll be serving it at both locations. Happy Father’s Day!

Tomato Head’s Father’s Day Buttermilk Cake with Fresh Strawberries and Blueberries

2.25 cups all purpose flour

1.25 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 stick butter, cut into small pieces

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Place dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Mix the ingredients with a paddle attachment on low speed.  Gradually add the butter and mix until the mixture resembles sand.  (if you don’t have a mixer you can do this with a biscuit cutter).  Mix together the buttermilk, vanilla and egg whites and gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Beat the mixture on medium high speed for 1 minute ( or with a wooden spoon until well mixed)

Pour batter into a parchment lined 9 X 13 baking pan.  Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove the cake to a cooling rack and allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.  Beat until whipped cream is the consistency you desire.  ( If you don’t have a mixer this can be done with a whisk.)

Cut the cake into desired size pieces and serve with fresh whipped cream, sliced strawberries and fresh blueberries.

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