Spicy Tomato Preserves

Tomato season is at its peak.  Now is the time to preserve the great flavors of summer to enjoy after the last ripe tomato is plucked from the vine.  I've been putting up pasta sauce and tomato salsa for a few weeks.  Last week, when I volunteered at the Farmer's Kitchen, Chef Ernest Miller had us make these delicious tomato preserves with fruit from the Hollywood Farmer's Market.

We started with 10 lbs of tomatoes, but you can make make the same great preserves with much less fruit, though you'll need to get a few more tomatoes than we got in today's box.  Fortunately, tomatoes are easy to  come by right now.  Perhaps you or your neighbor have some in your garden.  If not, check out one of our local farmers markets for the freshest fruit.

3 lbs ripe tomatoes
2 C sugar
2 t red chili flakes
generous 1/2 t cinnamon
generous 1/4 t nutmeg
1/3 C fresh lime juice
pinch salt

1.  Remove the core and coarsely chop the tomatoes.

2.  Put the chopped tomatoes and all remaining ingredients in a heavy-duty medium saucepan.

3.  Bring to a boil, stirring regularly.  Then turn down the heat and simmer, stirring regularly, until the preserves thicken, 30-60 minutes, depending on the heat of your burner and your taste.  As the preserves thicken, stir them more frequently, as they're more likely to stick to the bottom of your pan and scorch.

4.  When the preserves reach your desired consistency, turn off the heat.  Cool slightly.  Ladle into glass jars and store in the fridge.  These preserves will keep for months in the fridge.  If you prefer, you can process the preserves in a boiling water bath canner to make them shelf-stable.  Use canning jars.  Leave 1/2-inch headspace.  Wipe the rims and seal the jars, then process for 20 minutes for half-pints.

Tomatoes do not have a lot of pectin, so if you want a firmly jelled product, you may have to cook the preserves to the jell point, which is approximately 220 degrees F.  However, these preserves are delicious firm or slightly soft.

Serve the preserves on toast; or make a delicious sandwich with goat cheese, arugula, and spicy tomato preserves.  Puree the preserves (or not) and use them as a much tastier condiment in place of ketchup with French fries or roasted potatoes, on burgers, hotdogs or with sausages.

Today's bounty included:

From Drake Family Farms:  Chevre;

From Jaime Farms:  Eggplant, green beans, basil, and cilantro;

From  JR Organics:  Heirloom tomatoes and watermelon;

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Starship patty pan squash, chantenay carrots, white and yellow onions, arugula, and salad mix;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  Plums, nectarines, and peaches; and

From Weiser Family Farms:  Beets and French fingerling potatoes.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Stir-Fried Broccoli with Peanut Sauce

Peanut sauce makes so many things taste better.  I like it slathered on almost any meat:  chicken, pork, lamb and beef.  It's great on noodles.  It's a terrific base for a salad dressing, just thin is down with a little more oil and vinegar.  And of course, it's wonderful on vegetables, especially broccoli.  Best of all, peanut sauce is easy to make and keeps in the fridge for weeks.  So, you can make it ahead of time and mix up some extra for future use.

The recipe below makes about a cup of peanut sauce.  Feel free to double it.  I like to start with chunky peanut butter, but if you prefer plain, be sure to chop up extra peanuts for garnish.  If you use a natural peanut butter with no sugar or salt added, you might want to add a bit of salt and agave syrup or other sweetener.  But if you start with one of the more processed national brands, you may want to taste it before adding any salt or sweetener, as these products tend to already have both.

Because peanut butter usually sticks to whatever measuring device you use, I like to mix my peanut sauce in a 2-cup measuring cup.  You can measure out 1/3 C peanut butter, then pour the rice vinegar over the peanut butter to bring the total amount in the measuring cup to 2/3 C.  Add the other ingredients right into the measuring cup and stir until well combined.

For the peanut sauce:

1/3 C peanut butter
1/3 C rice vinegar
1 clove young garlic, minced
2 T minced fresh ginger (or more to taste)
2 T sesame oil
2-3 T canola oil
2-3 T soy sauce (or more to taste)
1-2 t agave syrup, optional
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes, optional
2-3 T crushed peanuts (or more to taste)
salt to taste

1.  Measure the peanut butter, rice vinegar, young garlic, ginger, sesame oil, canola oil, and soy sauce into a 2-cup measuring cup or bowl.  Stir until well combined.

2.  Taste peanut sauce and add agave syrup, salt, red pepper flakes, and crushed peanuts, if desired.  If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it by stirring in a little water, rice vinegar, or even pineapple juice.

3.  Set aside while you prepare the broccoli, or refrigerate for later use.

Prepare the broccoli:

1 T canola oil
2 C chopped broccoli florets
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips, optional
peanut sauce, as prepared above
1-2 T crushed peanuts for garnish

1.  Heat oil in a wok or a skillet over medium-high heat.

2.  Add the broccoli and the pepper strips.  Stir-fry until crisp-tender.

3.  Turn down the heat and add 1/2 C peanut sauce.  Stir to coat.

4.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Sprinkle with crushed peanuts.  Serve.

Stir-fried broccoli with peanut sauce makes an excellent side dish all by itself.  It can also be a delicious main course served over rice or some other grain.

Today's bounty included:

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Patty pan squash, ruby red grapefruit, garlic, purple scallions, red Russian kale, arugula, chioggia beets, and bull's blood beets;

From JR Organics:  romaine and strawberries;

From Jaime Farms:  broccoli, orange carrots, radishes, and mustard greens;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  pluots and white donut peaches;

From Silver Lake Farms:  rosemary, mint, and thyme.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Fusilli with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Here's what Farmer John had for us at the Beachwood pick-up this week:

Broccoli
Celery
Carrots (beautiful slender carrots with their tops)
Shallots
Arugula
Red spicy mustard greens
Chicoria
Cilantro
Tat soi
Baby bok choy
Red leaf lettuce
Radishes

We had more rain today; and hail, too! It felt like a good day for something hearty to eat. Pasta, especially whole wheat pasta, is a great start to a healthy and hearty meal. I love pasta because the combinations are endless. You can be creative by tossing your favorite seasonal ingredients with your favorite pasta. Here's a quick and easy recipe for a tasty winter dish.

Fusilli with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2-3 cloves garlic (or more to taste)
1/3 C olive oil
3 C chopped broccoli (chopped as described below)
1/2 C water
scant 1/4 t hot red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
1/2 C chopped tightly packed sun-dried tomatoes*
1/3 C grated Parmiggiano cheese + more for serving
1 lb dried whole wheat fusilli (or other pasta if you prefer)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Fill a large pot with 4 qts water. Cover and bring to a boil.

2. Chop the garlic or slice it thinly, whatever you prefer.

3. Chop the broccoli into small, bite-sized pieces. Include the stems, but if they're thick, peel them first. Slice the stems 1/4" thick and chop into halves or quarters if the stem is thick.

4. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and cook the garlic over medium-high heat until golden, about 1 minute.

5. Add the chopped broccoli, water, and red pepper flakes. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for about 2-3 minutes. Then uncover and continue cooking until broccoli is tender and nearly all of the water has evaporated, about 7-8 minutes. [If the water evaporates too quickly, you can add a little pasta water.]

6. While the broccoli is cooking, cook the pasta as directed on the package.

7. When the broccoli is tender and most of the water has evaporated, lower the heat and add the sun-dried tomatoes and the grated cheese. Stir to incorporate the cheese.

8. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 C cooking water. If the broccoli mixture is too thick, add a little of the pasta water, if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

9. Add the drained pasta to the mixture and toss until combined. Remove from heat and serve with additional grated cheese.

Serves 4-5 as a generous main course, 8 or more as a side dish.

*Sun-dried tomatoes are a wonderful way to sneak a taste of summer into a winter dish. They're easy to make when tomatoes are plentiful. Pack them in oil and they'll keep all year. If you don't have any sun-dried tomatoes from your own garden, the Beachwood Market sells Christopher Ranch sun-dried tomatoes in oil from Gilroy, CA as well as Sonoma brand. And if you don't know how to make sun-dried tomatoes, we'll be offering a class this summer.

Omnivores may want to add cooked and crumbled Italian sausage to their Fusilli with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. Saute 1/2 lb bulk sausage (sweet or hot, your taste), drain, crumble, and add at Step 7 with the sun-dried tomatoes and cheese.

Enjoy!

Shelley