COSTA MESA, California—Here in beautiful Costa Mesa by the sea, with only a 15 minute drive to Disneyland, is a delightful cafe which features natural foods in all kinds of tasty dishes. The Avanti Café is on 17th St., a few blocks from Newport Blvd.
Owned by two meticulous chefs, Mark Cleveland and Tanya Fuqua, they generate an atmosphere full of warmth and love in serving healthful food to their patrons.
As I was making my selections it struck me that their patrons greatly enjoy being in this restaurant. I asked the chefs for ideas on using seasonal produce at home and they suggested heirloom tomatoes.
Harvest Heirloom Tomatoes
The excellence of a perfectly ripe organic heirloom tomato is beyond amazing. Here in Orange County we have some of the best organic tomatoes around. Avanti favorites come from South Coast Farms in San Juan Capistrano. Chefs Cleveland and Fuqua use them every day in every possible culinary way throughout the season. They fire roast them, oven dry them and slice and dice them raw into a variety of world food dishes. The Chefs serve two wedges as a main dish garnished with fresh shallot rings and a drizzle of citrus miso or red wine shallot dressings.
"If you like to cook, a sublime tomato will inspire. A ripe tomato at its peak sets you up for culinary success with the least of effort. Pair fresh summer tomatoes with a hearty robust red or a full bodied white wine," says Cleveland. Here they offer a tomato recipe to peruse, ponder & partake:
Oven dried Tomato Tapenade
Recipe By Avanti Café
Serving Size: 6
Preparation Time: 4:00 min.
4 large tomatoes: organic heirloom
salt and pepper
olive oil spray
1/2 cup green olives
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 cup artichoke hearts
1/2 cup chives
1/2 cup fresh herbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or more
black pepper
Line baking sheets with parchment and spray with olive oil. Heat oven to low setting, 250. Slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick, lay on oil sprayed parchment in a single layer, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Put trays in oven and rotate trays every hour.
Tomatoes are done when most of the moisture is gone and they are slightly leathery. Cool. Chop all ingredients roughly or finely as you wish and toss w/ enough olive oil to create a flavorful tapenade.
Use Italian parsley, basil, tarragon, mint, oregano, chervil, sage, rosemary, etc as you wish. Blend your own fresh herb mix for a custom tapenade creation.
Per serving: 108 Calories; 8g Fat (57% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 432mg Sodium.
Avanti Café is the first born café brain child of chefs Mark Cleveland & Tanya Fuqua. All natural, holistic, organic, handmade & delicious. Fresh fare at every seasonal peak.
Avanti Café
259 E. 17th Street
Costa Mesa CA 92627
949-548-2224
www.avantinatural.com
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