Savory Tomato Jam

 

The secret ingredient for gooey tomato delicousness is butter. I'd heard that before but now I know for sure. You can use farmers market fresh tomatoes for this project, but my were sort of fit for a makeover. I also threw in 1/2 of an heirloom chunked up and left over from lunch rather than see it suffer in the fridge.

2 or more pints of tomatoes, larger ones cut in half

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Smattering of basil leaves (or fresh thyme, or oregano)

A glug of white wine

Sugar

Salt

Butter

Start with large pan over medium heat, coat with olive oil. Add tomatoes, seasoning with salt and a healthy 2 pinches of sugar. Roast until tomatoes start popping and softening. Stir in garlic till it smells good. Add enough wine to slosh around the pan. Reduce wine at least by half. Swirl in butter. Adjust salt and add basil. Done.

Scrape with with a spoon, throw in chopped black olives like kalamata, toss with pasta, think about cheese, dredge the pan with bread.

Double down on the recipe – No regrets!

Eat- B

Mary Had a Little Lamb…

…and so did Betsy from a grilled butterflied leg.

My mom taught me the art of braising leftover meat into a brand new, no this is NOT a leftover dish! And to be honest my little lamb started with my mom, marinated in juices and garlic at her house. But I was the one who manned the grill for the Jewish New Year. So I felt no guilt snagging a hunk to take home. And yes shopping for food in the parents' pantry never loses its allure! 

Basically this is a stew that works with any protein, it's just meat that has already been cooked.
Start the same way as most other stews. Sweat a sliced onion in olive (or any) oil, add a couple cloves chopped garlic and in this case chunks of bell pepper. Cook. Reduce a 1/2 cup of wine and scape up the bits. Add about a pound of  de-fatted, chunked Lamb plus a cup of stock or water. Being to a boil,and simmer a good 45 minutes.  In my case I also added a rinsed jar of white beans, several pinches of dried oregano and for the last 10 minutes, some cut up broad, green beans. Adjust salt & pepper.


 Eat–B


 

5 Ingredient Pasta (6 if you sprinkle Parmesan)

I'd write a thank you to Mark Bittman at the New York Times, but he's probably busy coming up with 18 ways to use parsley for next week's article (as a base for a garlic herb paste for pork roast, Mark?).

Anyways, his recent ode to zucchini struck home. It's super cheap and plentiful. Plus, cooked the Bittman way in this pasta, it's packed with flavor, primarily thanks to my Italian shopkeeper friend who made the sausage. Lucky for me I had half a link in the freezer.

In short, zucchini, pasta, sausage & garlic come together in olive oil for a quick fix weeknight meal. Contrary to the recipe, I only used 1/2 pound of pasta. I also deglazed the pan with a bit of pasta water. Fill in any appetite gaps with salad and wine. 🙂

Click here for the recipe

 

Eat – B

 

Veggie Zoup

In my house we call it zesty zoup, not necessarily because it's zesty (although it can be) but because we like saying zesty zoup. This vegan big batch recipe is a late summer staple. Mid winter veggies work just as well. The addition of barley gives a whole grain chewiness. Try adding quinoa if you'd prefer a hit of protein instead.

Non vegans feel free to sprinkle your fave grated Italian cheese. Even better cook this baby with that dried out rind of Parmesan lingering in your fridge 🙂

Use what veggies you have and feel free to sub. Making soup uses up pieces and bits you would otherwise toss. Feel free to use you processor for slicing, chopping & dicing – no judgement!

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 carrots, sliced thin

1 larger zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced

1 larger yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and sliced

2 ears of corn from cob or freezer

1/2 cup puréed tomatoes, fresh, boxed, jarred or canned

1/2 cup barley

Olive or veg oil

In large stockpot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon oil of choice. Cook onions 5-10 minutes until soft. Add garlic for last 2 minutes. Stirring and seasoning with salt & pepper. Add carrots, zucchini, yellow squash & corn. Add barley and toss the whole mess together. Combine with tomatoes & 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and cook 20-30 minutes, until barley is cooked through. Check seasonings. Eat.

Eat – B

*note: Zoup can be made zesty with red pepper flakes, fresh herbs or pistou (blended garlic, basil, olive oil). Beans can be added for a heartier dish – jarred, canned or previously hydrated.

 

Pop Tarts? (A meat free Monday entry)

My spoiled, ungrateful children will inform you these are not pop tarts. But they'll be happy to unload that information with their mouths full. The fact is, Alana Chernila doesn't call them pop tarts in her book, “The Homemade Pantry.” I do, because they're a delicious, hand held treat that pop tarts can only dream of replicating.

A couple of cooking notes:

1. I filled half with cinnamon sugar (2 T of sugar to 1 t of cinnamon). The other half I used puréed peach jam (see previous blog entry). This is not a requirement, but it was really delicious.

2. The dough has no sugar,but does have cider vinegar. This kept it pretty flexible. I think it also comes to room temperature more quickly than you might expect – work quickly! Or, pop in the fridge to firm layers. Plus without the sugar, fillings can be sweet or savory

3. The recipe calls for using the mixer for combining the dough – love this!

4. I was too lazy to cut out tops and bottoms, so I folded my tarts. And I forgot to poke the tops to release the steam which didn't seem to make a difference.

I poached a copy of the recipe from cookingchanneltv.com (Click here for the recipe)

 

Eat – B

 

When You Don’t Feel Like Making Peach Pie

All fruit desserts are good desserts. My go to is often the “quick to assemble” cobbler. My favorite is “it takes time” pie. Ingredients take time to chill. The raw crust needs to rest in the fridge. Baking takes a good long time. And the cooked pie needs to settle in its crust (never, ever try to transport a just cooked pie!)

This week, I wanted the butter and the fruit, but I wanted it fast and in a different form. I almost always look for fruit desserts in Rustic Fruit Desserts first. It's full of easy to follow, seasonal recipes written in measurements like cups or in weights for baking geeks. Most recipes call for sea salt. I always sub kosher salt. Other than that, have at it.

I like the stone fruit tea cake recipe, I joined gourmet.com just to get you a copy of the recipe. But purchasing the book is an investment that will pay off in rich dividends. 🙂

Click here for the recipe.

Bake – B

 

Lazy Man’s Pasta (Lazy Wo-man, too!)

Crummy Labor Day weather sapped the desire to grill from me. And it's a good thing too, since I had nothing good to grill. So I skipped the store and worked from freezer and pantry for a pasta that was nearly as good for a next day lunch as for dinner. PLUS, I had the satisfaction of using some ham that I'd frozen after some sandwich making family event (wrapped in plastic and stored in a zip top baggie).

Ingredients

Medium onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 pound ham or pancetta

1-2 cups of frozen peas, according to preference

28 ounce can chopped or ground tomatoes

Olive oil

A soupçon of italian red wine (like a glug or two), optional

3/4 pound rigatoni

Italian grated cheese of choice

Salt and start pasta water and cook pasta according to directions. Save 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.

In large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium flame. Add onions and cook until mostly softened. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Toss in ham. Cook through. Glug in red wine and let mostly evaporate. Stir in tomatoes. Bubble away for 10 minutes. Stir in frozen peas, cooking until tender. Toss in pasta, thin sauce with pasta water, and top dress with grated cheese.

Seriously worth cheating on meat free Monday!

Eat – B

 

710 WOR JAM TIME

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I’m back!

And just in time to guest host on 710 WOR, 6-10 am east. I will keep it short and sweet so you have time to download the FREE app to listen anywhere in the country (you can call too!)
http://www.iheart.com/mobile/

I had a bowl of overripe peaches and load of guilt for wasting then. As my mother and the NYT’s food writer Mark Bittman both know, cooking them down saves money and adds flavor.

It was just a peel, chop, sugar, cook (and in my case, purée) moment. Here’s the link for the inspiration.
http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1014990/How-to-Make-Jam.html

I used a heavy pound of fruit, with 5 tablespoons of vanilla sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. After 45 minutes of cooking and mashing, I threw the whole thing in the food processor for a whirl.

Top toast with ricotta, jam and toasted almonds.

Or blend with garlic, soy sauce and ginger for a chicken glaze.

Or make pop tarts with pie dough.

Or freeze for winter when you’re desperate for the taste of summer.

Enjoy the endless deliciousness – B
(I just wish I had time to make biscuits!)

Gary’s Green Beans

The love of my life prefers veggies with flavor. And this one fits the bill. I've made versions inside and out. But today the stove had to support an already crowded grill. Any onion, shallot, or garlic (!) will work, but the red is pretty.

Ingredients:

1 red onion, halved and sliced into half moons

Two giant handfuls green beans, trimmed

1 pint small or cherry tomatoes, halved if they're large

Olive oil

In large skillet, slicked with olive oil, brown & soften red onion. Add green beans and season with salt and pepper. Let them get a sheen and some color. Add a few tablespoons of water. Raise the heat and mostly cover (let the steam escape) until water is gone (5-ish minutes). Add tomatoes and cook until skins are slightly roasted and juices flow. Toss, adjust seasoning and serve.

Dig in & live longer – B