Sweet and Easy Tomato Jam

Whoa, where did July go? It’s already over and being on vacation with a little guy means my cooking is pretty much at a minimum. BUT…a lady’s got to eat and so, I am pleased to present an easy, tasty, amazing recipe for tomato jam.

Tomato jam, you might say, how strange?! Let me say this: just because it didn’t start out sweet, doesn’t mean it wasn’t meant to be sweet 😀 One of the things I miss from South African food is all the tomatoes — tomato chutney, tomato-flavored potato chips, braaied tomatoes (a.k.a grilled), spicy ketchup, and other assorted tomato-goodness. I’ll admit, I am a fan of tomatoes. Why? Because they’re awe-some. If I had to eat just 1 thing, for the rest of my life, tomatoes would be it. Seriously, some of the simplest, healthiest, tastiest recipes require tomatoes –salsa, marinara, bruschetta, tomato soup –the list goes on and on. Where would humankind be without tomatoes? We’d have a whole less flavor and nutrition to work with in the kitchen, of that I am certain 😛

So yes, the star ingredient in this recipe is the tomatoes. Why? Because they’re cheap, they cook quickly, and they’re already tasty by the time you’ve bought them. Cooking tomatoes intensifies the flavor and either way, this veggie (or fruit, whatever) is good for us so we should all be eating more of them! Tomato jam is a very traditional thing in South Africa. In the U.S., or my newer home in Denmark – it’s a strange thing and not so common. But jam is so easy (too easy) I mean, just add sugar, tomatoes, water, and boil (watching and stirring once in a while too) and whala, you have jam.

Tomato jam may sound like a unique ingredient but it goes great in a ton of things, spread it on slices of grilled cheese, as a condiment on a cheese plate, a heaping spoonful over a charred steak – keep in mind that despite the fact that these are tomatoes we’re talking about, this jam is super sweet, sticky, and of course very red 🙂

The best part is, this entire recipe needs only 4 ingredients, an hour on the stove, and you’ve got enough jam to butter sandwiches every day for a month 🙂 Keep in mind there is room for additions to the jam, like garlic, onion, or herbs. Add some spice or curry to the jam and you basically have tomato chutney 🙂 Remember that with jam, it’s okay if it’s chunky, just as long as the excess liquid is boiled off so the jam coats the back of a spoon and takes on an oozy, lazy-like nature. Nice to look at and easily preserved in jars, tomato jam could be used as a gift, condiment, or surprise ingredient. I say be creative and use it wherever you see fit, you’d be surprised how many things become irresistibly delicious with a dollop or two of tomato jam…

Sweet Tomato Jam

Ingredients

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 lemon

(1) In a large saucepan, mix sugar, vinegar, and tomatoes (do not drain). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. (2) When bubbling, lower the heat and simmer, stirring often, for about an hour or until liquid has evaporated. (3) Add lemon juice to the jam and stir well, cooking for another minute. (4) Remove from heat and let cool, store jam in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 8 weeks.

Serves 8

Tomato jam is pretty tasty so if you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it 🙂 My newest craving (I mean indulgence) is Lobster — I really wish that crustacean was less mindbogglingly delicious than it is. And so red too! I’m going to have to make some more of it soon…

My question: What is your favorite jam or marmalade? This can be fruit or veggie, maybe even a chutney (?)

8.2.13

Herbivorous Høstfest

In Danish, høstfest literally means “harvest party” which is the perfect word for this season with Fall having made an entrance and the air already a bit chillier. As a species that was probably once accustomed to hibernation :D, like most mammals, I suppose an increased appetite can be expected. As for me, the sooner it gets colder I’m craving more filling meals. I’ve always loved eating meat, probably because I am a carnivore by nature 🙂 but after some reflection, I’ve noticed that most of my posts have meat in them. Having noticed this perhaps natural popularity of meat dishes, it’s true that vegetarian food is just as good and often healthier, so I decided to devote this post to vegetarian food everywhere. Here are three of my latest recipes that happen to be completely meat-free.

The melon-cucumber salad is a recipe idea of mine, including the honey mustard vinaigrette, which turned out to be the best part 🙂 The roasted tomato and pepper soup recipe is from the legendary Soup Bible (which can be found on Amazon) and is full of brilliant, if not slightly time-consuming, soup ideas 😉 The bulgur recipe is also a creation of mine and makes use of pretty much exactly what was left in our fridge and cupboards after a week or so of kitchen chaos. The fruity/peppery and honey/salty combinations of flavors seemed to get better after every bite, or maybe that was just me 🙂

The star ingredient in all of these recipes is the miso, which I was finally able to procure at the Chinese grocer. Miso is basically fermented soybeans and as unappetizing as that may sound, it comes in a few different colors and has a pleasant salty taste. It’s a Japanese staple that is full of protein and high in vitamins and minerals. I was able to do some experimentation with the saltish stuff, which helps when you have a chunk since they only sell it in bulk 😀 I think it adds a rich and almost roasted flavor to all sorts of things, including dressings. If you can’t find miso, no worries there, just season as wisely as you wish with salt.

Roasted Pepper & Tomato Soup with Tortellini

Ingredients

8 – 10 tomatoes, on the vine

3 bell peppers, any color

3 sweet peppers, any color

1 Thai chili

3 yellow onions

4 cups vegetable broth

1 box of dried tortellini (with cheese and/or veggie filling)

1 tsp. sugar

1 Tbs. garlic powder

1 Tbs. red or yellow miso (optional)

sea salt & cracked pepper

sunflower oil

(1) Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius (or 450 Fahrenheit). Line a large oven pan with baking paper. Half the onions, tomatoes, and all of the peppers, removing the seeds from the peppers (but not the tomatoes!) (2) Add 2 Tbs. of oil to the pan and then all of the halved veggies, stirring to coat. (3) When the oven is preheated, put the pan on the top rack and let roast until the skins of the peppers have browned and are beginning to peel, about 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. (4) In a large pot, stir together the sugar, miso, garlic powder, and broth, warming over medium heat. (5) Remove the peels from the onions and the browned skins from the peppers (it’s okay to leave the tomato skins on). Using a blender, puree the roasted vegetables before adding to the soup pot. (6) Bring the soup to a boil and add tortellini, cooking until pasta is al dente, 10-15 minutes. Serve topped with a dollop of creme fraiche, dried herbs, or scrambled eggs 🙂

Serves 6

Spiced Bulgur with Mango, Miso & Pickled  Ginger

Ingredients

(for bulgur)

2 cups bulgur wheat (coarse or finely ground)

4 cups onion (or vegetable) broth

1/2 cup pickled ginger, chopped

1/2 cucumber, peeled & chopped

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup dried green mango, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded & sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded & sliced

(for dressing)

3 Tbs. yellow miso

2 Tbs. rice vinegar

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. apricot jam (or other jam)

3 Tbs. lemon juice

2 – 3 dried chilies (like Pequin or African Bird’s Eye), crushed

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 tsp. garlic powder

salt & cracked pepper

(1) Cook bulgur uncovered in salted broth according to package instructions; this usually involves 1 part bulgur to 2 parts broth, for 10-14 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with fork. (2) In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the dressing, miso through garlic powder and stir well; set aside. (3) Next add all of the peppers, green onions, mango, cucumber, and ginger to the bulgur and mix. (4) When ready to serve, add the dressing and stir until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Can be served warm or cold.

Serves 4

Melon-Cucumber Salad  with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients

(for salad)

1 small honeydew melon, skinned, seeded & cut into chunks

1 cucumber, cut into chunks

6 cups mixed greens (like baby spinach, arugula, & red-leaf)

4 sweet peppers, seeded & thinly sliced

1 red onion, peeled & thinly sliced

(for vinaigrette)

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbs. paprika

1 Tbs. yellow miso

3 Tbs. honey

3 Tbs. Dijon mustard

2 Tbs. milk (or cream)

1/2 Tbs. mustard seeds

1/2 Tbs. onion powder

1/2 Tbs. ground black pepper

1 lemon, juiced

(1) Make sure all the greens are washed and dried before tossing with the peppers, onion, melon, and cucumber. Cover and chill until ready to serve. (2) To make the honey mustard, combine all of the ingredients – white wine through lemon juice- in a sealable jar or tupperware and shake until blended. Can be kept chilled in the fridge for up to 2 months 🙂 (3) When ready to eat, toss the salad again with the dressing and serve immediately.

Serves 4

So those are my offerings to the harvest gods and vegetarians everywhere 🙂

It’s amazing how the earth just grows all sorts of differently delicious plants and countless other things for us to eat. I think being human has never been better 😛

My question:

What is your favorite vegetarian dish to eat?

10.8.12

A Mother of a Salad

Ahh, with Summer weather on the way, it keeps getting lovelier by the day 🙂 And looking at all these flowers and budding greenery has only increased my appetite for fresh dishes (what a surprise, right?) These days it’s easier to create colorfully crisp meals because so many vegetables and fruits are now in season and I find myself making excuses to go to the market to get more 😉

I based this dish off a recipe from Cooking Light that had an aromatic herb salad, and while my version is not nearly as ‘aromatic’, it has lots of other tasty points, and both salty and sweet elements to balance off the already capacious list of ingredients. In making this I was trying to create a dish that had it all — greens, fresh veggies, cheese, protein — the works basically, with a sweet summery dressing to top it all off. What I ended up concocting was a massively fresh and filling salad worth devoting a post to based on the fact that it’s probably one of the most delicious salads I’ve had to eat in a looong time.

Making a salad is easy – just incorporate the elements; the greens and the vegetables are the things you buy fresh, the dressing can be made from what is already in your cupboards. When putting together a salad, just combine ingredients that make sense to you, and ones you already like to eat on their own: peppers, onions, some sort of cheese, tomato, dried fruit, etc. and pick whatever greens look the crispest at the market. The good thing about salads (or at least one of the good things..) is that they’re easy to assemble and you can always feel good about eating them, providing one doesn’t overdo it on the dressing And even though it gets just a tad bit soggy, I always save the leftover salad for snacking the next morning because there’s something refreshing about cold greens for breakfast!

The star ingredient in this recipe is hard-boiled eggs because they add some class to the dish (in addition to fat and protein) and look pretty awesome atop the stack of greens when serving. Eggs also add a creaminess to everything that upgrades this from a side dish to more of a meal. I prefer my eggs boiled until barely set so the yoke tastes buttery. As for the dressing, anything would work with this; I chose to make a sweeter version because I still had plenty of jam (from my last post) at my disposal, but a salty vinaigrette would work just as well, or simply oil & vinegar. In honor of the season and the simplicity of the meal, I’ve shared my recipe for this salad in hopes of inspiring others to come up with some amazingly creative tasty salad dishes too 😀

Baby Spinach, Red Cabbage, & Mint Salad with White Beans, Hard-Boiled Eggs, and Dried Apricots

Ingredients

(for salad)

1 bag of baby spinach

1/2 head of red cabbage

1 bunch of fresh mint

1/2 block Gorgonzola cheese, cubed

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 can of white beans, drained & rinsed

1/2 cup dried apricots, halved

1/4 cup shelled pumpkin seeds

4 hard-boiled eggs

(for vinaigrette)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

3 Tbs. strawberry jam

1 tsp. mustard

1/4 tsp. vanilla powder

Juice of 1 lemon

salt & cracked pepper

(1) Rinse and dry all the greens; stem the red cabbage and slice into ribbons. Toss the baby spinach, cabbage, and mint leaves together in a large bowl. (2) To make the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients – olive oil through lemon juice – and stir until well blended. Season to taste with salt & cracked pepper. Can be refrigerated up to a week ahead of time. (3) Add the dried apricots, white beans, red onion, pumpkin seeds, and Gorgonzola cheese to the salad and mix. (4) When ready to serve, toss salad with the vinaigrette and slice hard-boiled eggs lengthwise. Serve the salad in bowls, topped with egg slices and cracked pepper.

Serves 4

I can’t believe there was a time in my life when I hated salad, really – I hated it – it had something to do with lettuce, which just seemed like bunny food to me 😉 Well not anymore, now I want a salad with every meal! I believe it’s a wonderfully fresh way to eat all these daily servings of veggies we’re supposed to be consuming, and salads just have a touch of class to them, I’m not sure why…

My question: What is one unusual secret ingredient to make a great salad?

It’s amazing how almost anything can go in a salad, fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheese, meat, legumes…so many choices 🙂

6.10.12

Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice

Hooray! Spring is here and so is the new baby 🙂 He’s so beautiful it’s hard to imagine I’ll be able to cook anything when I’m not fondly staring at him 😉 Anyways, I decided that in order to tie my latest kitchen creations in with what’s left of Springtime and the whole ‘sweet’ theme I’ve been experiencing lately, I would post a couple of recipes reflective of this celebratory mood.

Below I’ve listed 2 jam recipes – both using the same base (strawberries) but with 2 very different takes on this delicious Spring fruit 😀 Since making jam is so incredible easy (not to mention pretty entertaining), I’m sharing 2 recipes I made up myself, concocted in the last weeks leading up to the big arrival.

The star ingredient in both recipes is (surprise!) strawberries. Admittedly, these berries are some of the best for jam – colorful and sweet – they just scream “eat me!” every time I see them but hey, maybe that’s just me 🙂 The first of these recipes is a spicy jam version which, although it may sound a little strange initially, is absolutely delicious; I spread it on crusty bread, mix it in with plain yogurt for breakfast, and serve it alongside slices of cheese as a snack. Either way, the ‘spice’ element shouldn’t scare anyone away because a tamer version can be made by simply omitting the seeds in the peppers. The second recipe included in this post is a sweet on slightly tart combination with strawberry and rhubarb, an earthier recipe with a syrupy sweet finish. For all those who consider a little jam now and then among the finer things in life, enjoy! 😀

Strawberry-Chile Jam with Cognac

Ingredients

1 bag frozen strawberries, thawed

3 Thai chilies (or other hot red chile)

3 cups sugar

2 Tbs. pectin (or citronsyre) powder

1/2 cup cognac

1/2 lemon

(1) Chop or blend the strawberries so they’re in coarse pieces; dice the chilies but do not seed them (if you’d like your jam less spicy, then go ahead and seed them). (2) Mix the strawberries, sugar, chilies, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Cook until bubbling over medium-high heat until water burns off, about 8-10 minutes. (3) Add the cognac and pectin, stirring often, another 5-8 minutes until jam has thickened and coats the side of a spoon. (4) Juice the lemon into the jam and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. (5) Spoon the jam into glass containers and let come to room temperature before refrigerating. Serve with anything from bread, meat, cheese, yogurt, scones, or ice cream 🙂 Keeps chilled in the fridge over 3 weeks.

Serves 6

White Wine Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

Ingredients

1 bag frozen strawberries, thawed

3 rhubarb stalks, coarsely chopped

3 cups sugar

2 Tbs. pectin powder

1 cup white wine

(1) Heat the strawberries, sugar, rhubarb, and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling; cook until water burns off and sugar dissolves, about 8-10 minutes. (2) Transfer to a blender and pulse until smooth, return to saucepan and reheat, adding the white wine and pectin. (3) Cook another 8-10 minutes until jam has thickened and coats the side of a spoon. (4) Remove the jam from heat and let cool. Spoon into glass containers and let come to room temperature before refrigerating. Serve with crackers, cheese, on toast, or with chilled cream for dessert 🙂 Keeps in the fridge over 3 weeks.

Serves 6

So this has been my experience with jam-making of late and seriously – god bless berries…jam would simply not be the same without them 🙂

My question:

what fruit & wine combination works great for jam?

The next venture in preserves I’ll be undertaking will be blueberry-grappa jelly, from a recipe I found in Cucina La Italiana, which sounds ridiculously delici0us and sweet, but we’ll have to see..

5.19.12

Menu for a Spring Celebration

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of throwing a baby shower at our little apartment. This post comprises the menu. Everyone brought plenty of soda and juice, and one of my friends even made some delicious Spanish food, which disappeared mighty quick. It was a beautiful day, with wonderful company, good food (if I might say so myself), and turned out to be one lively celebration. I thought it only best to share some of the delectable deliciousness that accompanied everything 🙂

The menu is organized in basically the order in which it was served, with the first course or starter being homemade jam (I mean, marmalade), then the main course, ending with a very simple dessert. I first read this jam recipe in Bon Appetit but after glancing at the picture (bleh..) I decided to make my own version and ended up winging it with the rest of the recipe. My other friend, a very talented individual in ways of baking, was nice enough to make fresh rolls with raisins for the shower and her boyfriend brought along a tasty loaf of bread so the jam ended up being a good way to start off everything. I served both the bread and the jam alongside a soft cheese (something crème), but butter would work just as well..

The antipasti dish I also found in Bon Appetit, accompanied by much better picture this time so I added a couple of things I thought it needed to make the main course dish. Namely, I served the salad with a strip of peppered ham, more slices of mozzarella, baby tomatoes (because it’s a baby shower:-) and plenty of garlic in the raw form, because the store-bought pesto just wasn’t cutting it. Olives I marinated in a spicy-salty brine from the week before I added to the plates as a finishing touch, which turned out to be some of the more flavorful aspects of the meal. It is by request(s) that I include the olive recipe below because frankly, it’s easy to make and the olives turn out so much tastier than they’d normally be just sitting in your fridge. I really hope someone makes their own version of these marinated olives and let me know how it tastes!

The dessert proved to be the simplest dish to prepare out of this menu, which is always good at the end of any event and it included the essentials — fruit, nuts, cheese (yes, again) and honey. I got the idea from last April’s Cooking Network magazine but the nuts were a welcome inspiration on my part. I think the key thing here is to get quality fresh fruit, because pears can be pretty disappointing if unripe. Blue cheese may be a reluctant choice to some but say just yes to the moldy dairy because everything is delicious when sprinkled with honey 😀

The star ingredient in this menu is: cheese! I included cheese in every course (because I can, and so I will) and all different kinds of it too, mild and fluffy with the main course (god bless the mozzarella), light and creamy with the starter, and mottled with flavor for the dessert. Remember, cheese is pure protein (okay, and a little fat) but I maintain the believe it more flavor than calories, so no restraint should be necessary 😉 The Danes love cheese just as much as I do so I didn’t really need an excuse. By the end of the day, we were all so full I feel I may have overdone it just a little. Oh well!

Fig-Thyme Jam

Ingredients

1/2 kilo ( or just over 1 lb.) dried figs

1/2 cup of sugar

1 bunch of fresh Thyme

1 lemon

3 Tbs. honey

(1) Boil a kettle of water. In a bowl, place the dried figs and cover with the boiling hot water. Let soften 10 minutes, then drain, stem, and coarsely chop all of the figs. (2) In a medium saucepan, put the figs and sugar, adding enough water to just cover all contents in the pot. Make sure the thyme is washed thoroughly and secured in a bunch with string then put into the saucepan as everything heats up. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. (3) Meanwhile, zest and juice the lemon and set aside. When the jam mixture is bubbling, lower the heat to medium. (4) Stirring often, cook until all of the liquid evaporates and jam starts to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, 20-30 minutes. (5) Mix in the lemon zest and juice and cook everything a minute more. Remove from heat, discard the thyme bunch, and let the jam cool. (6) Stir in the honey and remove any visible thyme stems (but not the little leaves:-) Chill jam in the fridge 1 hour before serving (keeps chilled up to 3 weeks). Serve with bread or toast and butter or a mild cheese.

Serves 6

Citrus, Coriander, and Chili Marinated Olives

Ingredients

2 cups mixed olives (like green, black, or kalamata)

1 lemon, seeded & sliced

1/2 cup of olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 fresh Thai chiles, halved (or 4 dried)

1 Tbs. crushed Coriander seeds

1 tsp. crushed fennel seeds

1 tsp. crushed black peppercorns

1 Tbs. sherry vinegar

3 bay leaves

sea salt

(1) In a medium tight-sealing container, mix the olives and lemon pieces. (2) In a saucepan, bring the olive oil, sliced garlic, chilies, and all of the spices slowly up to a simmer over low heat. Let bubble until fragrant and the garlic begins to brown, 20-30 minutes. (3) Remove the pan from heat and add vinegar. Cover and let the brine steep for 1 hour. (4) When cool, pour the oil mixture over the olives and mix well, letting everything marinate at room temperature for up to 2 hours (can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 weeks). Serve the olives at room temperature.

Serves 6

Pesto Antipasti with blanched Beans, Baby Tomatoes, and fresh Mozzarella

Ingredients

1/4 kilo fresh green beans (0r 1/2 lb)

1/4 kilo fresh flat beans (or wax beans)

1 bunch baby tomatoes, stemmed & halved

1 can white beans, drained

1 bunch green onions, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup store-bought (or homemade) basil pesto

300 g fresh buffalo mozzarella (or just over 10 oz), thickly sliced

1 cup mixed olives (from the marinated olive recipe above)

1 packet thinly sliced meat, for serving (like ham or prosciutto)

2 Tbs. olive oil

salt & cracked pepper

(1) Top and tail all of the fresh beans, cutting into 2-cm pieces. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Once at a rolling boil, throw in all of the fresh beans and blanch for about 1 minute until bright green. Drain the beans and immediately rinse with ice cold water. (2) In a large mixing bowl, combine the white beans, baby tomatoes, green onions, minced garlic, and all of freshly blanched beans. Add pesto, 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, and lemon juice, mixing well. Season the salad to taste with salt & pepper (or more minced garlic:-) (3) When ready to serve, arrange 3 slices of the fresh mozzarella, 1 piece of meat, and a generous cup of the salad on each small plate. Add 3 or 4 marinated olives on the side.

Serves 6

Pear Slices with Blue Cheese, Walnuts, & Honey

Ingredients

3 ripe yellow pears, cored & sliced

1 wedge of soft blue cheese

1/2 cup of walnuts, shelled

3-5 Tbs. honey

On small dessert plates, arrange 3-4 pear slices alongside 3 walnuts. Spread a thin (but not too thin:P) layer of blue cheese over the pear slices and drizzle the plates with honey. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Well, that was my baby shower menu. I’m so happy everyone came, had a good time, and left with full bellies. I enjoyed everything about that day and have so many baby things now, I dare say the little guy is taking over my closet 😉 Hopefully one day he’ll like cheese as much as I do!

My question: What is the best cheese to serve as or with dessert? I’d love some new ideas..

3.3.2012