Jams And Jars: Slow-Roasted Plum Tomato Sauce

Thanks go to my foodie friend Bonita, she of the fabulous Bon Eats blog, for telling me about this wonderful sauce from Cuizoo. I'd been searching in vain for a tomato sauce recipe that started with fresh Romas as opposed to canned ones -- who knew it would be so difficult? -- and I'm glad I went with this one, even though the making of it was slightly ridiculous. Not the author's fault, but mine, entirely.

You see, I knew full well that the sauce needed five, six hours to cook down. And yet, I let the weekend slip away, while my beautiful Romas sat untouched on the kitchen counter. Suddenly it was 8pm on Sunday and I was at risk of letting some or all of the tomatoes go bad. So I went for it, even though I knew the sauce likely wouldn't go in the oven until 9pm (meaning it'd be finished cooking at, you guessed it, 3am).

Dinner in a pinch

On Saturday night I made marinara sauce to serve over a heap of spaghetti, and luckily had enough of the sauce left over for one or two more meals. Not enough to freeze, but I definitely didn't want to waste it.



My initial thinking was that I'd thin it with some chicken stock and make a rich and chunky tomato soup, adding some fresh basil and toasted bread cubes for texture. But as Sunday wore on I was feeling less and less like soup and was once again craving pasta! Rather than noodles though I craved ravioli. But there was no way I was making my own -- not enough time, unfortunately -- so I bought a package of fresh, pre-made spinach-and-cheese-filled ravioli from the store.

For some added nutritional value I blanched some chopped broccoli rabe (my new favourite veg) to mix in with the pasta and sauce.

I'm finding with pasta dishes -- and indeed just about everything I cook -- it's all about the final flourish. Whether that's one last squeeze of lemon, some chopped parsley sprinkled over top, or in this case a grinding of black pepper, some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a swirl of fruity extra virgin olive oil.

It may not be fancy, but it tasted great to me. And I still have more sauce left -- maybe I'll be making the tomato soup yet!

Salut!

Suzanne

Email your comments to suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Warming winter soups

In the winter months soup is one of my favourite things to make. It fills your kitchen with a delicious smell, and the leftovers last for several days (alternately you can freeze servings for a quick reheated dinner down the line).



Depending on what ingredients you use soup can actually taste quite spring-like, even if it's February. One of my favourites is a green pea soup with mint (included recipe below). If you've ever made pea soup from scratch, with frozen peas, you know the vibrant green it turns after it's blended -- I guarantee it'll turn you off canned pea soup for life.

Fresh tomato soup is another wonderful thing -- I thought I hated tomato soup until I made a lovely one from Donna Hay's New Food Fast. It's best in the summer months of course when tomatoes are at their peak, but can also be made in the winter if you find some flavourful Romas and roast them in the oven beforehand.

The first soup I ever made was back in my university days, a creamy potato chowder with bacon. With some homemade Cheddar biscuits to go alongside, it was one of the first meals I was truly proud of, and one that made me realize how much I enjoyed cooking.

I haven't tried a new soup recipe in some time though, which makes me think I need some new inspiration. Thinking I might find it in the Times Online's recent post on 10 super seasonal soups.

A quick browse, and a few have caught my eye, mainly the Savoy cabbage and white bean soup, and the parsnip soup with chestnuts and mixed herb pesto.

Now, where was that biscuit recipe?!

Fresh Pea Soup with Mint

4 cups frozen or fresh peas
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 1/4 cups chicken stock, or more if needed for thinning
1/2 cup milk or cream, or more if needed
pinch granulated sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup toasted or fried croutons (optional)

In a saucepan, bring peas, onion and stock to a boil. Simmer for six to eight minutes and puree. Stir in the milk or cream and sugar. If the consistency is too thick, thin with either stock or more milk. To serve reheat with the mint, reserving a little for garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with croutons and leftover mint.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Courtesy, Mrs. Cook's Kitchen, Basics & Beyond, Gay Cook, 2000.


Salut!

Suzanne

Comments? Email suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com

Tips and tricks - chilis, cucumber, and chopping

Every once in awhile on this blog I'm going to share some tips I've learned - usually in my cooking class but also from reading food mags and watching cooking shows. It's amazing how the simplest techniques and basic knowledge of ingredients can make a huge difference in a finished dish.

Here are three things I've learned in the past week:

1) Chilis - I always thought it was just the seeds that made those tiny red chili peppers hot, but the ribs (the whitish part inside the chili) add major heat as well. So when a recipe calls for a chopped, seeded red chili, make sure you remove not only the seeds but the white part too. Do this by opening up the chili and scraping the ribs off with the edge of your knife blade. You'll want to wash your hands well after, especially if you've touched the seeds and the ribs, because the heat will stay on your fingers and will transfer to whatever else they touch.


2) Cucumber - As you know, cukes are full of water, and sometimes when you chop them up and put them in a dish the liquid seeps out of them and makes everything else soggy. I'd read about salting them first to coax some of the excess moisture out, but here's another way: if you're using the cucumbers for a salad, cut the cucumber lengthwise, and then into quarters, so you have four long pieces. Then, take your knife and slice away the inner, seed-filled portion. That's where most of the water resides. What you're left with is the meatier, less watery part of the vegetable. Chop it up, add it to your salad, and either eat the seedy part on its own or add it to something else you want infused with cucumber flavour, for example a raita.

3) Chopping - Chopping veg is probably my least favourite part of making dinner, and also seems to be the most time consuming, but in my cooking class I learned a few techniques that help make the process faster. Peppers - first, cut the top and bottom off, then cut through one side, position your knife flat against the interior of the pepper, and open the pepper up, scraping away the seeds and ribbing with one motion before julienning or dicing. Roma tomatoes are essentially the same process - cut off the top and bottom, cut into one side but only about a half inch into the tomato, sit the blade of the knife against the interior, and then slide it along, as if you're unrolling the tomato. The half inch or so of tomato meat sitting against the skin is what you want to then chop up and use in your dish. The interior part, not unlike the cucumber, is mainly water and seeds. That's not to say you can't use it. Save it and throw it in soup or stock for a hit of tomato flavour.

So those are my tips and tricks for this week. If you have any you'd like to share, email me at suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com or add your comments below.

Salut!

Suzanne

If you would like to share a story, recipe, or tip, please comment below or email me at suzannekathrynellis@gmail.com.