Bewitchin' in the Kitchen

Freezing Tomatoes

Like freezing corn, tomatoes will lose some of their sweetness. Never store them in the refrigerator for this reason. However, if you are like me the vines are popping with every size and color of tomato and the neighbors are running for fear you are bringing them more. So what do you do? Freeze them.

I remember at one time freezing wasn't recommended without first making a sauce or paste, but the folks over at Grit Magazine say differently. Do you subscribe to Grit? I highly recommend it!

From the folks at Grit...

Tomatoes are easy to freeze. They can be frozen in many forms, depending on your intended usage. One thing to remember: their skins will become tough after freezing, so in most cases you will want to remove the skins before using the ‘maters in your cooking. You can do this easily before freezing by popping the tomato into boiling water for just 45 seconds to a minute, depending on size, fish it out and ease it into a bowl of ice water for 5-10 minutes. This will cause the skin to split and it will peel off easily; just peel it with your fingers like peeling a grape. You can then chop it into cubes, dice it, or puree it before freezing. You can freeze them whole if you like, but they take up a lot of room in the freezer this way. If you will be cutting the tomatoes into wedges, you may want to wait to remove the skins; when they thaw out the skins will slip right off. No need to fuss with blanching and icing now.

First, take a friend or two with you to the garden and gather yourself a mess of tomatoes and bring them to the kitchen.  Pull out a very sharp knife, cutting board and a cookie sheet. The nice thing about freezing is that they can be done in small batches with a minimum of fuss and equipment. 

Wash the tomatoes and remove the stem. I always leave the stem-stump on the tomato until we use it to prevent the stem scar from absorbing impurities from the air and while washing. When washing them, do not dump a load onto a sink full of water, again, the stem scar works like a sponge and will pull some of the dirty water into the tomato while it’s soaking. Don’t use soap. What is recommended to use is a solution of four parts water to one part vinegar. This “vegetable wash” can be used on most of your produce to kill the majority of the bacteria on the skin and greatly extend storage time of the fresh tomato on your counter or in the fridge. We do not refrigerate fresh tomatoes because it changes their flavor. Most store bought tomatoes have no flavor, so it doesn’t matter.

I quarter each tomato by cutting it once along the core line, cutting out the stem scar area, then cutting across the diameter of the tomato instead of lengthwise. This exposes all of the chambers where the seedy-goop is hiding, making it easy to remove.

 

This stuff does not freeze well and adds little to the nutritional value. The “meat” of the tomato is what you’re after. If you want to be especially frugal, clean the tomatoes over a colander sitting in a bowl. This will strain out the seeds and let the juice through to the bowl. You can put the juice in a jar and refrigerate it for use in cooking or making energy drinks. Dispose of the seeds carefully… if you compost them you’ll have bazillions of baby tomato plants popping up in your compost in no time.  

HINT:If you’re a seed-saver, spread the seeds on paper towels to dry, roll up the paper towels and store them in an air tight canister in a cool place for next year. To plant, just tear the paper towels into chunks with two or three seeds stuck to each and plant them in starter pots – paper and all. When they come up, thin them by removing the weaker seedlings. 

Do not *wash* the seeds out of the chambers, you want the tomato to be as dry as you can get it before freezing so excess ice does not form on its surface. 

Lay the wedges skin down on a cookie sheet and slide it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Once they are frozen firmly, transfer them quickly to a zip-lock freezer bag, remove as much air as possible (one of those vacuum food preservation systems would be nice) and set the bag in your deep freeze for long term storage. 

Done this way, the tomatoes don't freeze into one solid clump; you can open the bag and take out what you need as you need it. You may have to smack it around a little after extended time in the freezer, but the tomato wedges will break apart. If you tossed them into a bag as you cut them, then into the freezer they will freeze together requiring you to thaw the whole bag to use any of it. 

When freezing tomatoes in a “wet” form (chopped or pureed) bag them in sizes appropriate to your typical use. If you will be using a gallon of tomatoes each time you make soup, stew or casseroles, then by all means use the gallon bags. If smaller portions are more appropriate, use quart or pint bags to reduce storage hassles and waste after thawing.

3 Salsas

Ahhhh... it's been a long time. A long time since I was excited about watching Titan's football. And Saturday evening they were on TV, ushering in a new era. We have a new coach. We have a new quarterback. We have a new feel. And we won! Yes, it's pre-season and doesn't really count. Or does it? The stats looked good, the players looked good, even the 2nd and 3rd strings, and the heart of the Titans was back.

I celebrated by inviting some folks over to watch the game with me and we grilled burgers. Burgers and Football. The only thing that could have made the evening more perfect was a nip in the air and the leaves beginning to change color. I love Autumn.

 
It seemed like the perfect time to throw together a variety of salsas and chips I've been wanting to make. I've been told it only takes 3 criteria to define salsa: fruit, heat, and spices. If that is true, then the following are all salsas. One is traditional with tomatoes. The next is my favorite. It's basically the same recipe only using watermelon instead of tomatoes. And the third uses avacado. (It's salsa with heat added. It's guacamole without.)

How do you like your salsa?? 

Fresh Tomato Salsa

3 large tomatoes, seeded, chopped (3 cups), or equivalent from whatever tomatoes are just picked from the garden

4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup), or diced white, yellow or other onion

1 small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup), optional

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 jalapeño chiles, seeded, finely chopped (1 tablespoon), to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt to taste

Mix and let chill for as long as you can stand it, about an hour will do. Serve with warm tortilla chips.  

 

 

Watermelon Salsa

• 3 cups finely diced watermelon, seeds removed
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, (about 1/2 bunch), to taste
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup minced red onion, (about 1/2 small)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

 

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados (about 6 ounces each), operative word is RIPE

3 tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro or to taste

2 tablespoons minced red onion, or white or green

2 tablespoons chopped Roma tomatoes

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; more to taste

Kosher or Sea salt to taste

And lots of tortilla chips!!!

 

Pineapple Cheese Crumble

Ingredients

• 2 (20 oz) cans pineapple chunks, mostly drained
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Topping

• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

 

To Prepare:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the pineapple of most of it's juice, to taste.

Add sugar, flour, and cheese. Mix and pour into greased casserole dish.

In a separate bowl, melt butter in the microwave and add a sleeve of crushed Ritz Crackers. Mix well and spoon on top of casserole.

Heat through, about 25 minutes uncovered.

Apple Jelly

My sweet neighbor Cleve came over yesterday with a pail full of green apples for me that came from the apple tree in his back yard. Southern women love to get a mess of homegrown fruits or vegetables to "put up." Usually 'puttin' up" means to can or preserve in some way and doesn't necessarily mean make jam or jelly, but that is what I had in mind for these beauties.

I don't know how you have learned to put up apples, but this is my preferred way. First, as with any project that might take awhile, pour yourself a glass of sweet tea or a cold Coca-Cola. Next, select a great set up tunes from your grandmother's generation to set the cottage kitchen in the right mood for domestic bliss. Download 09 Waiting for the Train to Come In

Next pull out all your canning supplies. You never know what you might need, but basically a big bowl, a colender, cutting board, cutting knife, funnel, jars with rings and lids, several freshly laundered dish towels, and a few big enamel covered iron pots and lids.

If your dishwasher is hot enough, run your jars and rings through the hottest cycle, otherwise they'll need sterilizing in a hot water bath. I always sterilize lids in boiling water and let them cool.

Meanwhile, wash 5 pounds of apples and cut into cubes, removing stems and blossom ends and any blemished or wormy pieces.

 
Boil in large, covered enamel pot for 10 minutes with about 5 cups of water. Mash apples once they are tender.

Line colender with a single ply of paper coffee filters or 3 layers of cheesecloth and set on top of a large Pyrex bowl. Turn off heat and ladel hot apple mixture into colender and allow juice to drip into the bowl. Mash down apples to encourage extra juice to fall.

Clean the enamel pot and return it to the stove. Measure apple juice and pour into large pot. Ideally you want 8 cups of apple juice. However I didn't start with 5 pounds of apples. I also had to cut off several less desirable places on the apples where little critters had munched. They love apples as much as we do and not counting the 1000 year flood that washed Nashville away in early May, the summer has been exceptionally hot and dry. Suspecting I would come up short on juice today, I purchased some apple juice at the market last night. Between the homemade juice and purchased juice, there are 8 cups and we can proceed.

Add the 8 cups of juice to the pot and add an equal amount of sugar. If you do not plan to add pectin, you'll need more sugar to make the jelly set up. Otherwise, an added box of pectin will do the trick. Bring the juice, sugar, and pectin to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. If the mixture is getting foamy, add about a tablespoon of unsalted butter and keep stirring. I don't know what works better, the butter or the stirring.

After the apple mixture remains at a boil for a minute while you are still stirring, then it's ready to fill the jelly jars. I like the contemporary Ball Elite size and shape. Because they are the same circumference as a pint or quart jar, they stack better in the pantry. They also make a welcomed "happy" for friends and neighbors by simply adding a ribbon and tag.

Ladle into the sterilized jars up to 1/8th inch from the rim. Add top and ring. Allow to cool.

You'll hear the lids pop as the jelly cools, condenses and forms a vacuum inside the jar.

Your unopened jelly should be good stored in a cool, dry place for up to one year. Opened jelly should go into the fridge.

To ensure the vacuum process, you can place jars on a wire rack and submerge in boiling water for 5 minutes. If the acidity of your jelly is high, this step really isn't necessary. For canning vegetables and low acidity fruits, a pressure canner is required.

Jelly doesn't always set up. I don't know why... variations in the amount of sugar, altitude, humidity, using metal utinsils, and the like may contribute to it. Instead of opening jars, adding sugar and pectin, and basically starting over, I turn philosophical and remember there are no mistakes in life, only learning experiences. Simply relabel the jars and call it Apple Honey. And move on. It's great on pancakes or for flavoring whipped cream to dollop on Zuchini Sweet Potato Bread or chocolate cake.

Bake up a batch of homemade biscuits. Add butter and your newly made apple jelly (or apple honey). Enjoy!

Salty Chocolate Caramel Apples

This time of year I'm always looking for creative and healthy ways to serve up fruits and veggies in season. Why is it then I seem to find recipes like this????

Ok, I'm not actually going to make this recipe I found in the September issue of Self magazine and reprinted on the website Epicurious, but I couldn't help but share it with you. Isn't it beautiful?

I think it's a work of art...

Salty Chocolate Caramel Apples ~

• 4 Granny Smith apples
• 18 soft caramels
• 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate
• 1 cup salted mini-pretzels, crushed

Insert a wooden Popsicle stick or chopstick into stem end of each apple.

Melt caramels and chocolate in a double boiler with lower half filled with water. Use medium heat and stir often about 20 minutes.

Crush pretzels and place in a bowl.

Dip apples into caramel mixture; twirl to coat.

Roll bottoms in pretzels and place on wax paper to cool and harden.

Pineapple Cheese Casserole

Pineapple Cheese Casserole

3 cans pineapple chunks (15 ounce)

2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

8 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar Sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed

½ cup melted butter 

Mix first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and transfer to baking dish greased with PAM. In second bowl mix Ritz crumbs with butter and spoon on top of pineapple-cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Baked Apples with Custard Sauce

Baked Apples with Custard Sauce

6 apples, such as McIntosh or Rome Beauty

1 cup light brown sugar

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup water

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

½ cup walnuts

½ cup dried apples, chopped

Custard Sauce

4 egg yolks

2 cups milk

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons brandy, apple brandy preferred

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Peel the top quarter of each apple, leaving the stem in tact. Then slice off the top quarter you just peeled, and set aside.  Core the apples, but leave the base intact.

Over medium heat, combine half the brown sugar, half the butter, water, half the cinnamon, and lemon zest in a small pan and bring to a boil, dissolving the sugar.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden and fragrant, 5 minutes max. Cool, coarsely chop and add to a bowl with dried apples, remaining half of brown sugar, remaining half of the cinnamon, and remaining half of butter.  Mix well and stuff inside cored apples, replacing tops.

Arrange apples in a 2 quart baking dish and pour syrup over them. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, baste with juices and bake additional 15 minutes.

Meanwhile in a bowl whisk egg yolks until blended.

In saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk and granulated sugar and heat until sugar dissolves. Slowly whisk milk mixture into egg yolks. Pour mixture back into pan and return to medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens to sauce consistency. Stir in vanilla and brandy. Strain into a pitcher through a fine seive, cover and refrigerate.

Remove cover from baking apples and broil in the oven for about a minute until lightly golden.

To serve, spoon the sauce onto individual plates and place an apple in the center.

***If you would like to save time on the sauce, simply melt 3 heaping scoops of premium vanilla ice cream and whisk in brandy and pour in your favorite pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until time for use.

Apple Butter

Apple Butter

9 quarts of Applesauce, (Applesauce recipe filed under Sauces and Fruit)

2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon of allspice

4 cups sugar, Splenda or frozen concentrated grape juice.

Canning Supplies

Jar grabber

Lid lifter

Jar funnel

1 Crock pot - 6 quart size

Large spoons and ladles

1 Huge pot, also known as a Canner

Ball jars, lids and rings

Fill the crockpot to within an inch of full with applesauce.

Note: You will add the remaining applesauce later.

Note:  It is possible to do this using a regular large pot on very low heat on the stove, but the crockpot works much better, because its heat is very low. I've never had a batch burn in the crockpot. Scorched apple butter is not good.

Add spices and half the sugar.

Set the crock pot on low heat.

Cover it loosely or use a large pot splatter-guard. It will spatter as it boils slowly, so I also cover nearby surfaces with towels. You don't want to seal it tightly because you want the steam to escape so it can reduce in volume and thicken. Grab an extra pair of chopsticks next time you go out for sushi. Lay them across your crockpot and set the lid on top. This works great!

Allow the applesauce to cook down until it is thick, 6-10 hours depending on heat, size, and other variables. Remember cooking is much an art as it is a science!  A good rule of thumb is to let it reduce by half.

Add remaining applesauce and remaining sugar. Stir until it is well blended and let it cook an additional 2 hours.

Prepare jars by washing them on the hottest, sterilizing setting of your dishwasher. Boiling on the stovetop is also an option. Just be very careful. Lids always go in near boiling water on the stovetop.

Check the apple butter. Too thick? Add apple juice. Too thin? Allow it to cook with the lid removed to let more steam escape.

Fill and seal the jars.

Process jars in boiling water in large pot according to USDA recommendations, roughly 5 minutes for pints and 10 minutes for quarts.

Remove and cool the jars. Check each lid to ensure a vacuum seal. Label and date. Applesauce should keep in the pantry for up to 2 years.

Apple Sauce

Apple Sauce

Start with a variety of naturally sweet apples… Fuji or Rome or Red Delicious. No Granny Smiths! These are used in Caramel apples because the tartness of the apple blends with the sweetness of the caramel. In apple sauce you start with sweet apples and a variety of them.

Count on 12-14 quarts of applesauce per bushel of apples.  Purchase your jars and lids and run them through the hottest setting of your dishwasher. Some folks prefer to boil them and that’s fine, too.

Wash and chop the apples, leaving the peels intact. Cook in a large pot with about 1 inch of water in the bottom, until apples are very soft.

Sieve the apples through a food mill that will separate the seeds, core, and skins. A hand-cranked food mill is very affordable, but you can also purchase an attachment to your standing mixer. A metal hand-held sieve will also work IF you are preparing a very small batch.

Add cinnamon to taste. And you must taste, because now is the time to add a little sugar if it’s necessary and it really shouldn’t be necessary.

Fill the jars and process in a hot water bath according to regular canning instructions. Remove and cool the jars. Check each lid to ensure a vacuum seal. Label and date. Applesauce should keep in the pantry for up to 2 years.

Stewed Fruit Fried Pies

Fried Pies

Biscuit Dough

1 cup Stewed Dried Fruit

Powdered sugar

Fat for frying

Prepare biscuit dough as directed and pat out to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds. Roll each round out thinly to a 5-inch diameter. Put a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center. Moisten the edges and fold over to form a half circle and press the edges together with a fork.

Fry up in a heavy skillet in a small amount of oil or lard over medium heat. Brown on each side for approximately 3 minutes per side.

Drain on paper, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately. Most people just grab one and run. However you can serve on a plate with whipped cream or ice cream, though I've never seen it done this way.

Makes about 12 pies.

Stewed Dried Fruit Filling

4 ounces of fruit... Peaches, Apricots, Apples, Pears

3 cups of water

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons butter

Cook fruit in water for 45 minutes over low heat, covered, until fruit is completely tender. Drain, mash, and season to taste. Start with sugar and butter. Get creative and add whatever fresh or dried spices sound good... cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, lemon juice.