Cold-Packed Canned Tomatoes

So I finally had enough tomatoes to fill a quart jar, then got realistic.  I never buy the large cans of tomatoes, just the 15 oz ones.  I simply don't use that much at once.  There is no reason for me to can a quart of tomatoes in a single jar.  So I got out two pints instead.  I guess the quarts will be for beverages and stock.  I've been doing batches of cold-brewed tea during my vacation to stay low-caf.  It's so hard; I spent the first two days in a fog and never completely woke up.  I had some half-caf over the weekend when I decided to drive out to Palm Springs for the day, and really felt the difference.

Sidebar, if you ever go out that way, there's a grocery store at the Cabazon Outlet Mall/ Morongo Casino exit called Hadley's Orchards.  It has been there far longer than the other two destinations, and was a must when I was little.  On the way there or back, we would always stop for lunch, dates, and peanut butter.  I didn't buy any peanut butter this time, just dates and a banana-date milkshake.  I was in a bit of a rush to beat the Oscar Sunday rainstorm home.  I had barely made it up and down the Tramway before the fog settled in and made the hiking trails less interesting.

As with most canned foods, prepping is the time-consuming part.  Because these are packed raw, you don't have to stand over a pot very much.  I just hate peeling tomatoes.

For other tomato canning options, see the Ball page I got this recipe from.

*2 to 2-1/2 lbs tomatoes
water
2 Tb bottled lemon juice (for consistent acidity)
kosher salt if desired

1.  Wash tomatoes, 2 pint jars, and a half-pint jar in case there is more than you expected.  Set the jars in  your canning pot to get hot.  Wash new lids and the bands and set aside.  Set a smaller pot of water to boil and fill a bowl with ice water.

2.  Core tomatoes and score the bottoms with an X mark.  Blanch in the smaller pot for about 30 seconds, until the skin starts to peel away.  Immediately remove to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  The skins will peel right off.

3.  Either quarter, halve, or leave the tomatoes whole.  I quartered mine because I always end up chopping up whole tomatoes from the can.  Might as well do it today.

4.  Rescue the jars from the now-simmering water and crank it up to full.  Fill jars with tomatoes, leaving a half-inch headspace.  Add 1 Tb lemon juice and 1/2 tsp kosher salt (if desired) to each jar.  I left mine salt-free so I can add it as I go with whatever dish they get added to.

5.  Ladle hot water from the blanching pot into the jars up to the half-inch of head space.  Remove bubbles with whatever poky thing you use (I have the plastic tool that's long enough for quart jars) and wipe the rims with a damp paper towel.  Warm the lids in the not-quite-boiling canning pot water for several seconds to soften the sealant and center on the jars.  Close with bands to a finger-tight tension and place jars in the pot.

6.  Bring water to a boil, then start timer.  45 minutes for quarts, 40 minutes for pints, and 35 for half-pints.  (I used my spillover jar for possibly the second time ever.  I usually overestimate how much product I have.)

7.  Once processed, remove jars to a towel or wooden surface.  Never place a hot jar on tile or rock.  It will probably crack from the sudden change in temperature.  The two on the left of the top photo show that the tomatoes will be floating near the top.  The jar on the right shows that they settle back down after they have cooled a bit.  Allow to cool to room temperature and check seals after 24 hours.  If they hold, you can remove the rims and store for up to 1 year.  If the seal fails, put the jar in the fridge and use within one week.

Makes about 2 pints (1 quart)

Difficulty rating :-0

An Extra Thanksgiving

I deboned the turkey that I bought in November.  It took a lot longer than I remember, mainly because the phone kept ringing.  Then I had to make a conference call, and the handyman came over to finish putting my back room back together, and….

I made a stuffing of wild rice, celery, and onion.  Tied up back together, it weighs about 8 pounds and I have a gallon ziplock of bones in the freezer for whenever I want to make turkey stock.  I expect to divide the bird into what I can eat in four days and freeze the rest for some time I don't feel like cooking.

So much for eating healthy spa food for my vacation.  I made the rice-stuffed turkey, a green bean casserole, yams, and a fruitcake to use up the last of the candied fruit from December.  This morning, I decided I wanted bacon and apple pancakes.  Tomorrow, I'm going to make a babka and a Friday challah.  Oh, and the handyman brought over a pizza he didn't plan to finish, so there went my plan to have a piece of fruit and some bread and cheese for lunch.

On the other hand, I started wearing a pedometer last weekend and found out that I take about 15,000 steps on work days and at least 6,000 on my days off.  That puts me squarely in the not-as-much-of-a-couch-potato-as-I-thought-I-was camp.  No wonder I seem able to eat when I'm hungry and not put on weight.  It's when I eat when I'm not hungry that I get in trouble.

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup

Long before smoothies and Juicing, a well-made chilled soup was haute cuisine.  The trick was to create balanced flavors in something cold, which is not easy to do.  It's easy to season something hot because the flavors pop.  In the cold, flavors dull.

The inspiration to make this was twofold.  One, Sprouts had cantaloupe on sale for 88¢ each.  Not per pound, each.  The other was that I'm taking a stay-cation next week and want to eat healthy, elegant food as if I was at a spa.  I even bought a five-pound bag of grapefruit to start my mornings healthy.  And I don't want to hear about how stupid it is to make a cold anything in February.  It was 85º yesterday and I picked yet more ripe tomatoes and huge spinach leaves.  If the local fauna and flora can't tell what time of year it is, then neither can I.

Going with the elegant theme, this is all about the presentation.  This recipe does not need a pine nut garnish, but it's the kind of thing you would get at a resort.  The yogurt is because I bought some for the roasted carrots and oranges and later decided not to use it.  Other possible garnishes include mint, sliced cucumber, walnuts, creme fraiche, or a purée of a complimentary fruit like raspberries.

I'm using lemon juice as the mixer in my recipe here because there are tons on the tree, but if you don't think your fruit is sweet enough you can use apple or white grape juice.  Alcohol is also optional.  It brightens up the flavors in cold foods without becoming a major presence.

1 medium cantaloupe (4 to 5 cups once cubed)
*1/2 C lemon juice (or apple or white grape)
1/8 tsp salt
sugar (or other sweetener) to taste
*1 Tb orange liqueur (optional.  other suggested alcohols are white wine, champagne, vodka, or rum.)
garnishes of choice

1. Remove peel from cantaloupe (how to cut a melon).  Remove seeds.  Chop into one-inch cubes.

2.  Place juice, salt, and about half of the fruit in a blender.  Purée until mostly smooth, then put in the rest of the fruit and run the blender until everything is very smooth.  Taste, and add sugar if needed.  Also add alcohol if using, and run blender again to distribute.

3.  Pour soup into a wide, shallow container and refrigerate at least 2 hours.  The foaminess the mixture picked up in the blender should settle out during the chilling process.

4.  Ladle into chilled bowls or cups and garnish.  Serve immediately.

Difficulty rating  π

Roasted Carrots and Oranges

I found this recipe by Russ Parsons in last weekend's L.A. Times.  It sounds weird, but it's really just a cooked version of a carrot and orange salad, with an emphasis on the savory flavors.

Parsons calls this a side dish, but I made it as the focal point of a "cooked" salad, using my garden's spinach as the base and topped with chicken simmered in Williams-Sonoma's Tagine spice mix and some cumin-roasted pumpkin seeds I still have in the pantry, giving the whole dish a Moroccan flair.  The bread on the side is a buckwheat loaf I whipped up when Sprouts didn't have any baguettes because their proofer was broken.  I had already put the brie in my cart and decided not to spend $4 on an artisianal loaf when I had all the ingredients for one at home.

I'm omitting Parsons's yogurt topping because of the way I used the veggies, but I can see how some might prefer having a dressing on top.  It cuts the acidity of the oranges and melds the cumin with the carrots.  Maybe I'll make it that way some day, but it did not work with how I planned to serve this batch.

1 lb carrots, a variety of colors if you can find them
*1 large or 2 small oranges (I used valencias off the tree)
1 shallot
*1 tsp cumin seed or 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
*black pepper to taste
1 Tb olive oil
1 Tb orange juice
*1/4 C toasted, salted pumpkin seeds

1.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Not kidding, this is the most important step in the whole recipe.  Preheat oven to 400º.

2.  Peel carrots.  Cut in half lengthwise, then quarters.  If more than 3" long, cut spears in half crosswise.  Put in a small bowl.

3.  Slice oranges very thinly, rinds and all, like you were making marmalade.  Remove seeds.  Add to bowl.

4.  Peel shallot and slice very thinly.  Add to bowl.

5.  In a separate small bowl, make the dressing by whisking together cumin, salt, pepper, olive oil, and orange juice.  Add to carrots et al, and toss until everything is well coated.  Spread out in an even layer on baking sheet and cook until the oranges are fragrant and starting to pick up some color, about 20 minutes.

6.  Stir mixture with a spatula and spread back out on sheet.  Roast until carrots are soft and starting to brown, about 10 more minutes.  Remove from oven and scrape off the foil into a serving bowl.  Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and serve hot or room temperature.

Difficulty rating  π

Coconut-Lavender Scones

I was bored while the guy was working on the floor of my guest room.  It's going to look great, but the constant drone of the sander and smell of various chemicals made me want to bake something as an antidote.  Last week, I made a 1/3 size walnut cake and iced it with some leftover coconut icing I found in the freezer.  That reminded me of the many flavors that unexpectedly blend well with coconut.

The recipe here is based on my standard scone recipe from the Tea Book.  All I did was add dried lavender, lavender extract, and unsweetened coconut flakes.  In lieu of the extract, you could make lavender sugar by placing half a teaspoon of dried buds in a tablespoon of sugar and letting it sit at least 24 hours.  Use the entire portion when you add the sugar to the mix.

1 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tb butter
1 Tb sugar
*1/3 C milk
*1/2 tsp lavender extract
*1/2 tsp dried lavender
*2 Tb unsweetened coconut flakes

1.  Preheat oven to 425º.  Into a bowl, sift flour and baking powder.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in sugar.

2.  Make a well in the center and add milk and extract.  Stir until partially moistened, then add dried lavender and coconut.  Continue to stir until a dough forms, then knead several strokes to get the last bits evenly mixed.

3.  Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and pat down to 1/2".  Either cut out rounds or make a large disc and divide into portions with a knife.  Place on baking sheet.  For softer scones, have them touching.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until well-risen and lightly golden.  They should not get dark.  Cool on a rack for about 5 minutes before serving, then break apart and serve warm.

4.  Because of the delicate nature of the flavors, serve with butter or Devon cream, but not jam.  The preserves would overpower the flavors in the scones.

Makes 4 to 6, depending on serving size

Difficulty rating  π

Mushroom Risotto

Again, I haven't forgotten the blog, just not cooking anything new.  If my staycation ever starts, I'll have loads of time to cook and be creative.  Among other things, I'm going to debone that turkey in my chest freezer, because that freezer really needs to be defrosted and I have nowhere to keep the turkey for two days while that's going on.

Meanwhile, I had a little arborio in the pantry and decided to try something like this recipe from Giada. I'm not a big fan of mushrooms.  This sounded good enough to manage.  And then I saw pretty much the same thing available as a frozen dinner, but decided to make it from scratch anyway.  Less salt, for one thing.  I have been eating drive-thru a lot again and need to cut back.

My version is heavier on the veggies than Giada's, mainly because I cut out using the dried mushrooms.  I also left them in slices instead of mincing.  They're going to turn the rice a muddy color either way, so it's better if the diner can see that it's from mushrooms and not some crazy ingredient you forgot to mention.

The wine in risotto isn't 100% necessary and you can substitute more broth for it, but it will bring up more flavors than not using it.  Same with the chicken stock versus vegetable.  If you're not making this for vegetarians/vegans, go for the subtleties of chicken stock.

1 qt (4 cups) low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
*3/4 C arborio rice
2 Tb butter (olive oil for vegan)
*1 C diced onion
*2 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C white wine (optional)
1/2 C frozen peas, thawed
salt and pepper to taste
*1/4 C grated parmesan (omit for vegan)

1.  Heat broth in a small saucepan and keep at a simmer.

2.  In a larger saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and mushrooms.  Continue to cook until the mushrooms stop giving up water and mixture starts to dry out, up to 10 minutes.

3.  Add rice and cook until lightly glazed, only a couple of minutes.  Add wine and let rice absorb, cooking out the alcohol.  Keep stirring so the rice doesn't scorch or stick to the bottom.

4.  Start adding the broth one ladle at a time.  Stir into rice and let each addition absorb for several minutes before adding more.  Don't drown the rice.  This is going to take at least half an hour, and you have to stir almost constantly to keep the texture creamy.  Risotto doesn't take any longer than brown rice, it just feels like it because it's all active time.  If you run out of broth and the rice doesn't seem cooked enough, add water.  Stir in peas and let everything come up to temperature.

5.  Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.  (This is why you used the low-sodium broth.)  Portion into bowls or one large serving bowl and top with the parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.

Serves 3-4 as a main dish, 4-6 as a side

Difficulty rating  :)