Sweet and hot peppers are coming on in the garden while tomatoes continue to ripen.
Having canned or frozen all that we plan and given much to friends and family, what else can be done with tomatoes? Tomato Jam, Tomato Pie (our friend Chef Jeff gave us a recipe_below); Salsa; Insalata Caprese, and most useful of all is our Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes, a tomato base that we use all year long in various soups and stews, Tomato soup and sauces.
We made a spicy Ketchup last year, and yesterday Chili Sauce came to mind. How will we use it? The possibilities are endless: atop a meatloaf,
hamburger, scrambled eggs, omelet; mixed with horseradish and
ketchup for a shrimp sauce…
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| Spicy Chili Sauce atop today's Frittata |
yield: 9 half-pints and 3 pints
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
2 cups onion, diced
2 cups sweet red pepper, diced
2 cups green pepper, diced
1 cup orange pepper, diced
2 jalapeno pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
1 TB kosher salt
10-12 pounds ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored, skins removed and chopped
2 tsp ginger
2 TB pickling spice in a bag (see recipe below)
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup brown sugar
½ cup organic cider vinegar
In a large cast iron Dutch oven, heat the oil and sauté onion, peppers,
garlic, and salt for 5-7 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add the
tomatoes and heat to boil. (Excess juice from the tomatoes can be drained off
and used in another recipe; this should reduce some cooking time.)
Tie spices in a cheesecloth bag. Add all remaining ingredients_ ginger, spice bag,
bay leaf, brown sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer
for about three hours or until desired thickness. Stir frequently to prevent
sticking.
Remove spice bag. Pour into sterilized jars, leaving ½ inch head room.
Wipe rim, adjust the lid and screw bands; process jars in boiling water bath
canner for 10 minutes. (If you have any questions on proper canning, be sure to consult Canning Guidelines from the professional sites.)
Note: An immersion blender could be used to puree some of the sauce,
but for now we like the chunkiness of the vegetables.
Pickling Spice
2 TB mustard seed
2 TB whole allspice
2 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp black pepper seed
2 tsp whole clove
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 2" stick cinnamon
1 tsp dill seed
Combine all and store in a glass jar.
Tomato Pie adapted from Chef Jeff
1 (9 inch) pie shell (I made it with lard)
4-7 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 sweet onion, caramelized
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons fresh basil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake
the pastry shell for 8 to 10 minutes or until browned.
Slice tomatoes and lay out for a few hours, season
with kosher salt and crushed black pepper. Slice and caramelize onion in olive oil. Shred cheeses and mix with mayo.
Place onion in the bottom of cooled pastry shell. Slice tomatoes and
arrange over onions. Add black pepper to taste.
In a medium bowl, combine the cheeses, mayonnaise and basil. Spread this mixture evenly over tomatoes. Bake in 350
degree oven for 30 minutes, then 400 for 5 more minutes to brown on top.
Let sit 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy. Once cooked, garnish with more fresh
herbs.
Note: We made a few adjustments because of our calorie counting. :) Nonetheless, a delicious pie!!!
