Tomato Soup

We love tomato soup.  I have to say that even though my kids have only had Campbell's Tomato soup once, it is the expectation they want my tomato soup to live up to.  Sigh.  All that sugar!  Forget it! Don't eat it!  I just throw my hands up in the air.  Of course I really want them to eat all that tomatoey goodness I make from scratch.

I saw a recipe on Serious Eats for tomato soup with carrots and the secret ingredient... baking soda. Yup!  My Mom knew straight away what it was used for because she used to use it all the time in her tomato soup but she had forgot about it.  What other secrets is my Mom keeping from me?  Mom?

Tomato Soup
Creamy and delicious.  I based it off the one from Serious Eats, link above.

8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter
2 onions
4 large carrots
4 cups chicken broth
8 cups fresh tomatoes from the garden/market
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
pepper to taste
cream (optional)

Saute onions and carrots in butter. until the onions are translucent.  Add in the remainder of ingredients (except cream) and cook until the tomatoes are falling apart and then cook 15 minutes more.  Blend and strain if desired. Serve with cream stirred in if desired.  Its totally not necessary though, its creamy without it.

Pasta with Roasted Pepper Sauce

Today, while my brother was visiting, we took a ride over in the Finger Lakes region of New York.  I like to go to a few Mennonite stores there.  I buy a few things there that are hard to find in other places.  Like a 50 pound bag of flour.  Yes, I know, you are thinking that is HUGE.  You are right it is, but if you bake bread, you go through it quite quickly.

Since I hear this is going to be a rather cold winter again, I am thinking I will be making bread on a regular basis and may not get back there for a while.  I don't know, I say that, and then I always end up going back in a couple months anyway when there is a break in the weather.  

This pasta is delicious.  A but sweet so it is totally a good idea to sprinkle some Asiago over top to offset the sweetness. We also enjoyed the pasta mixed with tomatoes as the acid offset the sweetness of the pepper sauce as well. 

If you have two components, which I did, this recipe is stinking easy to whip up.  I suppose tomato soup would work in a pinch.  Combined with roasted red peppers.

I roast some peppers every year around this time.  I stash them in the freezer.  Boy, are they good on a sandwich! In the winter time that sure is appreciated by me. I had a jar of them in the refrigerator.

roasted peppers
tomato sauce

You could totally make this with store bought stuff.

If you want to get all domestic though, do this:

Tomato Soup

2 quarts tomatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups milk
1 large onion, diced

Core and peel some tomatoes.  Place them quartered, in a large soup pot.  Cook them down until they are pretty soft.

In a frying pan fry onions in butter.  Continue to saute for about five minutes, just until the onions are transluscent.  Add in flour.  Be patient.  You want the flour to begin to brown.  This is what gives a nice rich flavor.  Once your flour clumps are golden, whisk in milk. Continue to whisk until all the clumps melt.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for one minute.

Meanwhile puree the soup, either in the blender or with an immersion blender. 

Pour the milk mixture into the tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Done!

Roasted Peppers

On a cookie sheet.  Place in oven and broil.  You want the pepper skin charred all the way around.  Check and turn often.  It gets real hot so you have to watch this process pretty close. 

As soon as one pepper gets done place immediately in a pot with a cover or a bowl with a cover.  The steam will help the pepper seperate from the skin.

Once you are all done roasting then you have to peel the skin off.

Yes, it is an exhausting process but worth evey little effort later on.  The flavor is WAY better than the jarred kind in the store.  By the way, do not run it under any water when peeling.  You will lose flavor.  Yes, the little seeds will drive you crazy.

Once you peel it all, cut in strips, season with salt and pepper, a little olive oil and a little red wine vinegar.  Let sit overnight for maximum flavor.  If you can stand waiting that long.

Canning Tomato Sauce

Wash, core and take off any spots on tomatoes.  Quarter them and place in large stock pot.  Once your pot is about half full put it on the stove on low heat.  Once the tomatoes start to give up their juice then you can turn the fire up to medium high.

Keep adding tomatoes to it until you are about 3/4's full.  Bring it to a slow simmer and let cook until the tomatoes begin to fall apart.  Remove from heat.

Working in small batches run the tomatoes through the blender.  Pour through a strainer to separate the seeds and skin from the juice. 

Pour juice into cleaned and sterilized jars.  Fill jars 1/4 inch from top.

Once you have your seven jars ready for the canner, add them into the warm water of the canner.  Bring to a boil and process for 30 minutes.  Once the time is done, turn off the heat, remove the lid and leave the jars in the canner water.  This will prevent the boiling over of the hot liquid.  Once that five minutes are done remove the jars to cool.  Make sure each jar top is "depressed".  If you press in the center of the lid, it should not bounce back.  It can take a little while to seal sometimes.  I usually check the next morning.  Any that do not seal should be refrigerated and used up.

Tips and Tricks

Once you get your pot about half full put it on the stove so the tomatoes can start breaking down. Stir frequently as they will easily stick at this point. Add as you cut.  The tomatoes in the pot will take up less space as they lose their juice.  Keep adding tomatoes, they will cook faster being surrounded by the hot liquid of the cooked tomatoes.

Cook tomatoes fully.  It will be easier to break them down in the blender and then strain them if they are nice and soft.

Have your canner all hot and ready.  You do not want to add the hot bottles to cold liquid.  You will run the risk of shattering the bottles.  Hot liquid in bottles, hot liquid in canner is a winning combination.  Well, at least not a shattering one.

Blend the tomatoes before straining.  Blend thoroughly. 

Creamy Chipotle Salad

Regarding tomatoes, I think we all agree that summer tomatoes are the bomb.  But when you can not get good summer tomatoes what is the next best thing? Canned tomatoes.  They are processed at their peek in the summer months.

Tomatoes have so many good things for you. "Fresh tomatoes and tomato extracts have been shown to help lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. In addition, tomato extracts have been shown to help prevent unwanted clumping together (aggregation) of platelet cells in the blood - a factor that is especially important in lowering risk of heart problems like atherosclerosis." (The Worlds Healthiest Foods)

Tomatoes are high in Vitamin C.

"Alpha-lipoic acid helps the body to convert glucose into energy. Some evidence suggests that alpha-lipoic acid can aid in blood glucose control, improve vasodilation and protect against retinopathy in diabetic patients and may even help preserve brain and nerve tissue.^{" (Medical News Today)}

"Tomatoes beautify the skin and may even prevent sunburn: Want gorgeous skin? You’re in luck—lycopene boosts pro-collagen, the molecule that keeps your skin firm and youthful looking.
The same molecule may also help prevent sunburn. A small study showed that women who ate 55 grams of tomato paste each day had a 33 percent increase in skin protection against ultraviolet (UV) exposure. Although more research on a larger group of people is needed, and diet is not a substitute for sunscreen, it’s very possible that tomatoes offer some protection against sunburn. (Yahoo Health)

Click on any of the sources I quoted to learn more about how tomatoes help you. Canned, paste, ketchup, fresh from the garden, however you can get in your tomatoes- do it!

CREAMY CHIPOTLE SALAD

1 Chipotle Lime Chicken Sausage, browned in a skillet

6 black olives
4 radishes, sliced
1/2 avocado, sliced
2 1/2 cups mixed greens
Red Pack Petite tomatoes
1 tablespoon lemon juice

dressing:
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chipotle
s and p to taste

While you are browning your sausage, gather your ingredients.  Toss together the salad. Slice up the sausage into bite size pieces. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of the dressing and then squeeze on some lemon juice over top (or a lime).

full disclosure: I was contacted by a representative from Red Pack and asked to feature a recipe using Red Pack.  They sent me some products (shown above).  I gladly agreed because I do like Red Pack tomatoes ;)

Hearts of Palm Salad

One of the things that is a must for me in the summer is a Hearts of Palm Salad.  So good! And really it is the best for me if accompanied by tomatoes and avocado.  Those flavors just play so nicely with each other.

Where to find Hearts of Palm:  I have seen it at Trader Joe's, Wegman's and BJ's Wholesale.

What is Hearts of Palm: 

Other names: fresh heart of palm, hearts of palm
"The heart of palm is the central part or heart of certain types of wild palms, native of the Amazon region. The principal variety of cultivated heart of palm is Bactris gasipaes, or peach palm...

The heart of palm is sweet, soft, yet crispy, ivory-colored, firm in texture and delicate in flavor.

The palm heart or palmetto does not discolor upon being cut and has a shelf life of about 2 weeks if kept refrigerated at 40°F, and wrapped in food-grade plastic."

You can read more about that here at Gourmet Sleuth. 

40 calories per cup of Hearts of Palm

What does it taste like:  Someone I know likened it to an artichoke and I would have to say that would be the closest approximation.

Hearts of Palm Salad

1 large tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/4 cup purple onion or Vidalia
4 Hearts of Palm's, sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper 

Mix altogether and enjoy.

Tomato Pie

Here's something I have always wanted to make.  Tomato Pie. It was on the list to try.  Shiver me timbers- it was awesome.  You need a cooler day to make it though because it bakes at a high temperature in the oven.  Lots 'o' heat.

You need a pie shell and I had one around because I made peach pie a week or so ago.

She had it for breakfast.  Don't judge me- this is a rare kind of thing.

Yes, my pie shell shrunk a little.

I used my tomatoes from the garden.  To the right is a lone eggplant plant and in the forefront is a lone jalapeño bush.  I have ended up with too many jalapeños in the past so I decided on one bush.  Just enough to make salsa.

Tomato Pie
This recipe is for a nine inch pie plate, use more to fill it up if necessary.

1 baked pie shell crust
2 cups + tomatoes, sliced thinly
1 cup onion, finely minced
1/4 cup basil, sliced thinly
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
2 cups grated cheese, like mozzarella
couple dashes of hot sauce
s and p 

Method

After you bake your pie shell, set it aside. Preheat oven to 450F.
Cut tomatoes and work the seed pods and juice out as much as possible.
Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-cooked pie shell with minced onion. Spread the chopped tomatoes over the onions. Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.
In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Tabasco, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes. Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly, about 25 to 45 minutes.

Tomato Salad

One of my absolute favorite things to eat in the summer is a fresh tomato salad.  We all have our versions of this but I wanted to share my favorite way.  I mince a clove of garlic, a few tomatoes, fresh basil, sea salt and olive oil.  WOW.  Swoon.  This salad is in all my dreams of summer. 

I wanted to show you my first tomato of the season.  I think I am remembering it, April Wine.  As my CSA farmer informed me and I think we realized this a few years ago after losing a few tomatoes to rot, is that heirloom tomatoes look not ripe when they really are. 

If you feel adventurous and have not had it, add a bit of allspice to your tomato salad.  I never thought this would taste good but I saw it in a recipe from the book, Aromas of Aleppo.  So good.  You really must try it.

Gourmet Spiced Ketchup - it dances on your tongue

One of the things my Mom experimented with when I was a child was canning ketchup.  We liked it okay but it was a tad on the clove-y side.  She didn't make it again.  Was not impressed- too much work and it didn't have a wow factor.  I wish she did try it again with some different spice combinations.  Well, I picked up the torch, despite my past mediocre experience, I made ketchup.  I am glad I did- this stuff rocks.  It makes regular ketchup seem so ubiquitous.  This ketchup has spices that get up and dance on your tongue and party in your mouth.  I can't wait to try it with a burger.

I didn't can/process this.  I gave away some, froze some and refrigerated some. 

Gourmet Spiced Ketchup


4 quarts peeled and chopped tomatoes
1 cup white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon canola oil or other flavorless oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 teaspoon cayenne*
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes*
1 teaspoon allspice, ground
1 teaspoon coriander, ground
1 teaspoon cardamom, ground


1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika


Spice Bundle Contents
You can use a coffee filter or cheesecloth to make your bundle, tie up with string and drop in to the tomatoes.


4 cloves
2 tablespoons celery seeds
3 tablespoons mustard seeds
1 cinnamon stick
3 garlic cloves, halved


In boiling water drop tomatoes and let boil for one minute.  Set on a cookie sheet and when cool enough to handle, core and peel tomatoes, cutting off any bad spots. Cut into quarters. 


In a large soup pot heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil and saute onions until translucent.  Add tomatoes and the remainder of ingredients.  Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and let the mixture simmer uncovered for a couple hours.  Stir occassionally, especially toward the end of the cooking process when mixture has reduced considerably.  You want the mixture to plop of the spoon rather than pour.


Remove spice bundle and blend mixture in batches, pouring into decorative jars for gift giving.



*This stuff has some serious kick, if you do not like hot spice in your food I recommend reducing it or omitting it all together.  I would put in some peppercorns (about a teaspoon) to the spice bundle if you omit the heat.

Lori's Fire Roasted Salsa

With love I say this.  For all you people that think your canned salsa is good,  I say it just may be, but this salsa is totally worth checking out.  It totally blows people out of the water.

I should add that the University of Minnesota has some great advice on canning salsa and other things. You can check out their site here.

Lori's Fire Roasted Salsa
The small size recipe in parenthesis, larger size on the right
This is one of those recipes where you have to go by your taste.  I am just giving you a guideline.  The true flavor of this recipe comes from the roasted/smoking.

(10)                   peck of tomatoes, preferably a meaty tomato like romas
(1 or 2)             3 or 4 jalapeños or more (red is better but green works as well)
(1 cup)              6 cups Spanish onions, skins removed
(1/4 cup)           1 bunch of cilantro about 1 cup chopped
(1 teaspoon)     4 tablespoons kosher salt
(2 tablespoons) 1/2 to 1 cup white distilled vinegar
                         mesquite or hickory wood chips
(1)                    10 pablano peppers (you can add or subtract based on heat)
                        1/2 cup oil (to rub on tomatoes prior to roasting)

1. Clean and oil tomatoes, pablanos and jalapeños.
2. Fire up your grill and get your wood chips soaking (they need a good 30 minute soak).
3. Roast the tomatoes, pablano peppers and jalapeños on the grill until they are charred.

4. Remove stem and skin.  Discard with any of the juice that is sitting in the pan from roasting.
5. Combine onion, tomatoes, jalapeños and pablanos in a large kettle.
6. Add white vinegar and kosher salt.
7. Bring to a boil and let boil for about 15 to 25 minutes.  Taste periodically for desired heat, vinegar and salt level.  Feel free to add in more jalapenos if you want a lot of heat.
8. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, blend the salsa.
9. Add chopped cilantro.
10. Pour into pint jars. Clean rims.  Place lids on and screw on bands.
11. Add into hot water bath and bring pot to a boil.
12. Process canned salsa for 20 minutes.
Yield about 8 pints for a peck of tomatoes.

*I know it is crazy that I do not put garlic into this salsa.  It is so good I really don't want to mess with it.  The pablanos are new this year.  I took a chance.  It worked out good but it really did kick up the heat.

2013 Notes- I added garlic this year.   We yielded 27 pints from 3 pecks of tomatoes.  Two pecks romas, one peck regular.  Two bunches of cilantro. Also added a lot of cumin- like 4 tablespoons. Not quite enough heat from two pablanos so I added 1/4 teaspoon cayenne.  We were going for a mild salsa.

Let me know if you make it and what you think.  Please let me know if you add in garlic or anything else.  Would love to hear about some variations.

Canning Stewed Tomatoes

A year or so ago I posted about canning tomato sauce.  I used quite a bit of it but still have some left.  The thing I really need in recipes all the time is "stewed" tomatoes.  I was all out in February.  With this year being the stellar year that it is for tomatoes, I took advantage and have been canning those stewed tomatoes. I thought I would pass along some of the tricks.  Hopefully I can remember all of them.  I like putting them on the blog for you but also for me as reference and reminder.  I am usually calling my Mom and asking her about something.  This year I am trying to document as much as possible so I have a permanent reference.

Here are the steps to canning stewed tomatoes:

1.  Wash and sterilize jars.  I use quarts since that is mainly the amount I need for a recipe.

2.  Place a high sided skillet wtih water on to boil.  You want it deep enough to hold the tomatoes without spilling over.  You want it wide enough that you can get quite a few in there to speed up the process.

3.  If your tomatoes are really dirty I recommend washing them so your scalding water doesnt get muddy.  If they are a little dirty don't worry about it.  You are going to be boiling them anyway.

4.  Once the water in the skillet/pan comes to a boil, place some tomatoes in there for about 30 seconds to a minute. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a cookie sheet.  Cookie sheets are great to use because they allow the tomatoes to get air and cool a little so you can handle them.

5.  Take out stem and any hard parts that are at the top of the tomato.  Peel the tomato.  Discard all of the skin and core.  Any bad spots should be removed at this point as well. You may want to quarter them as well.

6.  Place in a large soup pot.  Keep going until you have filled the soup pot.  Once it is filled you should begin the process of putting them in the jars.  Pick up the tomato and hold it over the pot gently squeezing to the seeds come out.  Place the tomato into the jar.  Fill up the jar to nearly the neck.  At this point you put in a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of sugar.  These act as a little preservative insurance.  Tomatoes are naturally high in acid so they tend to keep very well.  The sugar and the salt just help out.

7.  You should have quite a bit of juice in the bottom of your soup pot.  Strain the seeds out and pour a little juice into each jar. Now you want to take the handle end of a wooden spoon and place it into the jar.  I poke the tomatoes in the jar towards the outer edge, N-S-E-W (north, south....).  This will help any air pockets to ease out and liquid to fill.  Once you have done that you can place more juice in the jar.  You want to fill with juice, leaving a 1/4 inch of head space.

8.  Wipe the rim clean and place a lid and band on jar.  Place in canner and fill with tap water.  The tap water should be over the tops of the jar by about an inch. Once the water comes to a boil (this takes a little bit of time), you want to process 30 minutes.  Some canning books may say 20 but I go 30.  It doesn't hurt anything and really doesn't hurt the flavor at all either.  They still taste like summer in a jar and are far superior than anything you find at the store.

tips:

If your jars just need a tiny bit more juice and you do not have enough you can use a little water to get it up to that 1/4 inch head space.

If you have leftover juice, it does make a great glass of tomato juice for your breakfast.  Or you can use it for soup.  You can even freeze it if you are sick of tomatoes.

Disclaimer:

The above techniques I learned from my Mother growing up and as an adult.  You should be an informed person when you learn how to can.  You should can at your own comfort level. You can find many resources online.  Here are a few. I have used all of these resources and have found them to be very helpful.

Ball at Home Canning
National Center for Home Food Preservation
Pick Your Own
North Dakota State University
University of Minnesota

*Having said all that, don't be afraid of canning.  Read up on it, take a class, learn from a friend.  Really there is something positively rewarding, eating some local produce in the middle of winter.  Especially out of a jar of food that you canned yourself.

Here is an article about canning that I wrote for Daring Bakers.

Dippity Do Dah

Dips to me are one of those fun foods like meat on a stick or potstickers. Throw some homemade crackers next to it and wow but if you are in a hurry certainly store bought crackers work very well too. Really they are just a vehicle to get that dip into your mouth.
This is almost the same recipe as the one I received as part of the jam exchange. Here is the recipe:

Tomato Jam with a kick!

5 pound of ripened tomatoes, roma is the best but others will do
1 teaspoon chili pepper
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
3 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt*

Combine all of the ingredients in a large sauce pan or a soup pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Let it cook down. When most of the liquid has evaporated start to stir almost constantly as it is prone to sticking at this point. You want the mixture to drop of the spoon in chunks rather than drips. It will also become glossy near the end.

*If you are canning, it is important to use kosher salt or salt that does NOT contain iodine.

While this one is not so pretty, it is tastey. Mine comes out different every time. The key to great flavor is in the roasting.

Roasted Eggplant Dip (Baba Ganoush)

1 large eggplant
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Split eggplant in half. Place skin isde up on a baking sheet. Roast in a 375 F oven until it is soft. When you touch it with a wooden spoon it should depress. Remove from oven and let cool so that you are bale to handle it comfortably.

In a processor, mince the garlic. Add eggplant, yogurt, tahini, salt and olive oil. Regrigerate. Mixture will set up quite a bit after it has been refrigerated.


Lemon Clam Dip

2 cans minced clams, drained, reserving juice
1 - 2 tablespoon of reserved juice from the clams
1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temp
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sour cream

Beat cream cheese and mix in sour cream, tabasco, salt and pepper, lemon juice and clam juice. For a thicker dip skip the juice or reduce them. Fold in chives, garlic and minced clams. Refrigerate to set at least an hour or so before using. For best results let dip sit overnight to develop the flavors.