Canning Tomato Sauce

I took a canning tomato class with Slow Foods a global nonprofit organization. The course was taught by Jen Hashley who wears several hats as a farmer, food lover, and educator. I posted her recipes below:

Basic Tomato Sauce

Ingredients: Roma Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Salt, Onions, Garlic, Basil, Hot pepper flakes (optional), Black pepper

Follow instructions for preparing basic roasted tomatoes. Saute onions in olive oil in a large frying pan until golden brown. Add black pepper, red pepper flakes, or other seasonings and salt. Ladle sauce (and add several additional cloves of garlic or basil leaves if desired) into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim of jar with a damp paper towel. Place lid on evenly and adjust ring onto jar. Process jars for 30-45 minutes using boiling water canning method.

Notes:
Quantities of onion and garlic will vary based on personal preference, but in general, use approximately 1/4 the weight of onions per lbs of tomatoes (ie, for each 4 lbs of tomatoes, use 1 lb of onion).

Yield will vary based on how many lbs of tomatoes you use, see notes from basic roasted tomatoes.

Tips for Dehydrating Tomatoes

Tips from Slow Foods Movement.

General: The purpose of drying is to take out enough water from the tomatoes so that spoilage organisms are not able to multiply and grow during storage. Any type of tomatoes can be dehydrated: heirloom, slicing, Romas,cherry, etc. Choose clean, ripe, unblemished fruits and wash thoroughly. The key to good dehydration is appropriate slicing thickness and timing. Monitor drying every couple of hours and every half hour near the end of scheduled drying time. Rotate trays up or down to correct for variations in temperature and drying time to ensure even drying. In general, monitor the tray at the bottom of the dehydrator as your "base tray" for judging temperatures further away. If you add new tomatoes later in the drying process, always add them to the top of the stack. Pieces near the front and back ends of the trays tend to start to dry first, you may need to rotate them to the center of the trays. Approximately 4 lbs of fresh tomatoes will yield approx. 1 lb dried.

Slicing thickness: cut cherry tomatoes in half and cut slicing tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Romas can be cut in half or thirds lengthwise or sliced in rounds 1/2 inch thick. Try to keep pieces uniform in size for consistency in drying time.

Preparation and Drying: for basic dried tomatoes, slice and dry in dehydrator at 145 degrees until done (6-8 hours). When dry, tomatoes will be leathery. For sun-dried tomatoes, use Romas or paste tomatoes and slice in half lengthwise or in thirds if they are large. Place cut side up in dehydrator at 120 degrees for 24 hours or until done.

Test for "doneness"" rely on appearance and feel; when no wetness can be squeezed from a piece of it when cut; when it has become rather tough and pliable; and when a few pieces squeezed together fall apart when pressure is released. It should be described as: "leathery," or "springy" when squeezed. If you dry it too long, it will become brittle or "crisp" - these are still fine to eat.

Storage: when thoroughly cool (if it is still warm, it can "sweat" and cause mold), package tomatoes in small "user-friendly" quantities (pint or quart jars or small sandwich or quart-sized storage bags) and check on your goods periodically to make sure that nothing has become damp or contaminated. Light, moisture and air will reduce quality of dried food, so a cool, dark, dry place is best.

To reconstitute dried tomatoes: cover tomatoes with equal parts hot water, let stand until soft and plumped. Or just add to your favorite soups, sauces or pot/pan as you cook. For sun-dried tomatoes, pour a mix of equal parts vinegar and water and let them sit until they form a chewy consistency. Drain and cover with olive oil seasoned with a sliver of garlic. Let them marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hours before sampling. They'll keep for up to a month in the oil.

Canned Salsa

Ingredients: 10 cups chopped, seeded, peeled, cored tomatoes (approx. 6 lbs), 5 cups chopped and seed green or red peppers (approx. 2 lbs.), 5 cups chopped onions (approx. 1 1/2 lbs), 2 1/2 cups chopped and seeded hot peppers- poblanos are ice if you prefer less heat (approx. 1 lb), 1 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 6 cloves garlic minced, 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced (optional)

Wash and rinse tomatoes. Remove any blemishes. Dip tomatoes into boiling water for 1 minute, then plunge into icy water. The skin will split and can be easily peeled off. If skin is still difficult to remove, then repeat.

Slice top off tomato to reveal seed "pockets." Scoop out seeds with spoon. Chop tomato coarsely. Repeat for all tomatoes.

Peel and chop onions coarsely. Remove stems from peppers and remove seeds, cores, and ribs from inside pepper. For hot peppers, wear gloves and keep hands away from face and eyes. Adjust quantities of hot peppers to taste.

Place prepared ingredients into a large saucepan and bring mixture quickly to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Ladle hot salsa into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim of jar with a damp paper towel. Place lid on evenly and adjust ring onto jar. Process jars for 15 minutes using boiling water canning method.

Yield: approximately 6 pints

Whole Canned Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients:
Roma tomatoes, olive oil, salt, garlic, basil leaves, lemon juice or citric acid

Heat standard oven to broil or use or convection oven. Rinse/wash tomatoes. Slice tomatoes in half, face down on a baking sheet. Sprinkle top of tomato skins with olive oil and salt. Roast tomatoes for 10-12 minutes, or until skins begin to brown/blacken and are easily removed with tongs. Remove skins from tomatoes.

Add olive juice to jars (see note below.) Pack tomatoes and 1-3 garlic and basil leaves (to taste, optional) into hot, sterilized jars, removing as much air space as possible, covering tops of tomatoes with excess juice from pan. Leave 1/4 inch head space. Place lid on evenly and adjust ring onto jar. Process jars for 30 minutes using boiling water canning method.

Notes:
Yield will vary depending on how many lbs. of tomatoes you have and what size jars you use. An average of 21 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 13 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 53 pounds and yields 15 to 21 quarters- an average of 3 pounds per quart.

For quart jars: add 2 Tbsp. bottled lemon juice of 1/2 tsp citric acid to each hot quart jar. For pint jars: add 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice or 1/2 tsp citric acid to each hot pint jar.

To prepare chopped or crushed tomatoes, chop or crush after roasting and remove skins.

Eating Around New York

I'm hunting for a cheese to bring to my Japanese friend on her visit to New York. Bedford's Cheese Shop is just the place to look. No cheese that smells like sickening ham found here. Australian feta (they keep it a bowl of green olive oil by the counter) with a strong no nonesense herbal flavor was my choice last time I was in Williamsburg and felt hungry. This time I need something that sets itself aside from other cheeses.

I often times feel dumbstruck with cheese overload when entering the store, though, I get over this by simply asking for a recommendation. They know exactly what to recommend and don't use too much of that triple creamed cheese jargon.

Every cheese seller I chat to about the gift recommends I have a sample of my own. Some cheeses are homely and welcoming while others comforted me with reassuring flavors. The muslin wrapped rind of some unique cheeses looks like the skin of a mummy.

I bring my friend dense Galloway cheese. It is made from raw unpasteurized sheep's milk. The sweet pungency dilates my nostrils the taste leaves a void I never knew I had filled. I love this cheese. I leave with a floppy grin and a gift worth giving.

My best friend and I are going to meet in New York City tomorrow. Last time, I went to visit her in San Francisco she took me to Alice Waters' Tartine Bakery. I recently discovered that the publishing company I work for publishes Tartine, the cookbook from the bakery. I picked up a copy for my friend for when I see her tomorrow. Here's a picture I took of the highest quality bread pudding I have ever come by.

From Christmas and New Years 2009

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup dried apricots, sliced, or 8 fresh apricots, cut in small wedges
1-1/4 cups sugar
.
Pudding:
7 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 cups half-and-half or whole milk
2 cups cream
Grated zest of 1 orange
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon kirsch (cherry brandy)
4 ounces good-quality almond paste, cut in pea-size pieces, optional
About 1 pound brioche, pain-de-mie or good day-old homemade white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
Preparation:

In a small saucepan, simmer the apricots in 1 cup water and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Poach the fruit until tender, about 12 minutes for dried, 5 for fresh. Drain the fruit, saving the liquid, and set the fruit aside to cool. Return the poaching liquid to the saucepan and add the remaining 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Boil this mixture, and when it begins to brown, swirl the pan so that it caramelizes evenly. Cook to a medium amber color. Very carefully pour the hot caramel into a 2-quart gratin dish or divide it evenly among 6 small ramekins. Cool.

Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl. Slowly add 1/3 cup sugar and mix well. Whisk in the half-and-half or milk and the cream. Add the orange zest, salt, vanilla and almond extracts, nutmeg, and kirsch. Gently fold in the poached apricots; the almond paste, if using; and the bread cubes. Transfer the pudding mixture to the gratin dish or ramekins. Let rest at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Sprinkle a little sugar over the top of the pudding. Place the gratin dish or ramekins on a baking sheet to catch any overflow. Bake until nicely browned, about 55 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variation: Substitute prunes for the apricots and Armagnac for the kirsch.

Yield: 8 servings

Per serving: 729 cal.; 11 g pro.; 86 g carb.; 34 g fat (20 sat.; 12 monounsat.; 2 polyunsat.); 298 mg chol.; 439 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 45 percent calories from fat.

27 great recipes for fresh, juicy tomatoes - Photos - Sunset.com

27 great recipes for fresh, juicy tomatoes - Photos - Sunset.com

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Remedy for Stress, Indian Sweets

It's finals week. Finals to end all finals, my very last class to be exact. I've been staring at the computer screen for several hours. A numbing sense of lethargy overwhelms me when I can't think of a anymore to say. Whenever my brain is mush I turn to cooking. It's easy to let my hands think for me. It's not exactly nihilist extremism, but it is a nice distraction.

I'm engrossed in stimulating new flavors like that found in Gajar ka Halwa, Indian carrot cake, or carrot halva. The fluffy sweetness brings a wonderful joy rushing happiness to my brain. Simple and delicious.

Ingredients for carrot halva:

1 kg Carrots
1 litre Milk
1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds
3/4 cup Water
3 tablespoons Ghee
2 tablespoons Raisins
2 tablespoons Almonds
2 tablespoons Pistachios
450 grams Sugar

Preparation of carrot halwa :

* Wash and grate the carrots. Soak the raisins in water for 30 minutes. Blanch and shred the nuts.
* Put the water to boil, when it starts boiling add the grated carrots. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
* Add the milk. Cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add sugar, mix well and cook till the sugar has dissolved and all the milk has been absorbed.
* Add ghee and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the slightly crushed cardamoms and the raisins. Mix well.
* Remove the gajjar halwa from heat and arrange in a serving dish. Garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.

Cooking for Friends

There is no better way to eat than with the company of my pals.Two of my friends came over for dinner Saturday night.

A walk outside to my garden gives me the same warm rush as a thoughtful gift. Sustainable and organic, this easy to maintain pleasure embodies the "eating green" ethos. My tomatoes have a fresh-picked taste. Admittedly, it also feels good to know that while growing my own, there's been fewer hands palming the food; I want my cellulose intact!

Bundles of herbs are easy to grow, these ingredients I wouldn't typically pick up at the local grocery store myself, though, the selection of herbs I buy to grow have expanded my gastronomic repertoire and inspire creativity in the kitchen.

Tonight, we are having a caprese salad with tomatoes (mine), basil (mine), pine nuts (not mine), and buffalo mozarella (give me a break). Then for the main course a pesto whole wheat pasta.

The price to grow a garden is reasonable, you're paying for the cost of convenience. I will continue to spoil myself and friends with this supreme freshness of produce and the enjoyment in maintaining it.