Tomatoes & Blueberries

I made this beautiful Tomato Marmalade from Food & Wine magazine a couple of weeks ago. They don't have it on their website yet, so I'll share the recipe that turned into my own after making a few changes to theirs. When I made this the first time, I only did half the recipe because it sounded like a lot of tomatoes to concassé (can anyone say culinary school flashback?!). After getting a mere 2 jars out of it and then tasting it, I realized that I wanted...no needed to make more. Spread this on crostini with a thin tickle of mascarpone, goat, or any cheese with a crisped-up piece of country ham, prosciutto, spicy cured sausage/ham, or bacon. I'm thinking that I might try it on a sharp cheddar grilled cheese.



The Blueberry Syrup is also from the latest issue of Food & Wine. For some reason they have this recipe on their website but not the Tomato Marmalade, even though they came from the same issue. I followed this recipe to a T, but it was too thin. I ended up simmering it for about 30 minutes, which was 10 minutes too long. It went from a thin, watery, flavorless syrup to....jelly. This, I assure you, is not a bad thing. Spread on pumpernickel toast with a schmear of cream cheese is a really, really, nice thing. As one can tell from the pic, it hasn't been hard eating half the jar. We did, even in its jellied state, stir it in to lemonade with some sparkling water and a sprig of mint for a tasty afternoon drink by the pool. I also plunged a couple tablespoons into my cottage cheese. A blueberry vodka cocktail of some kind is on the horizon.

Tomato Marmalade
Yield: 10 cups

6 pounds tomatoes
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. crystallized/candied ginger, minced
1/2 tsp. Saigon cinnamon
2 lemons, halved & juiced

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Make a criss-cross mark on the bottoms of the tomatoes. Drop into the boiling water for about 10-30 seconds, depending on how big or small your tomatoes are. Remove with a slotted spoon, cool slightly, and remove the peel. Cut the tomatoes in half at the equator and squeeze out the seeds. Cut out the hard, stem round. Finely chop the tomatoes. Discard the seeds. In a heavy bottom pot, stir together all the ingredients, including the lemon juice and halves. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat for about 1 hour. Discard the lemons and bring to a boil until reduced by 1/8-1/4, stirring gently. Ladle into prepared jars, lid, and cool.

Blueberry Syrup Recipe

Opening Day

Right now I'm surrounded with memories of stomach flips, sweaty palms, and mass confusion, similar to the first day at culinary school or giving birth (both times) or opening day at that first restaurant. My nervous hands are comforted by the backspace button and my excited mind is churning with thoughts.

So, grab a glass of tea (or something else, depending on your time zone) and let's start opening day with a short story about my daily food dilemma: dinner.

Being a chef, people automatically assume that we've got dinner in the bag, and I don't mean take-out. Well...OK, sometimes I do. Having all this culinary knowledge can mean your demise at home, especially with kids. I mean, they just aren't going to eat things with truffle foam or rutabaga puree or anchovies. Of course, that would insinuate that I actually cook that for them...I think not!

I too, stand at the pantry waiting for inspiration to jump off the shelves. That refrigerator isn't any help either, unless I was looking to decrease my frontal skin temperature by 5 degrees. Don't get me wrong, it's a blessing to be a chef, but even this chef-mom needs quick, easy, and delicious recipes for at-home dinners. Let's start tonight with ingredients you probably have in your pantry for a meal that's fit for a family or a dinner party. I know, I know, shrimp isn't really a pantry item, but I happened to have some in the freezer from a gulf coast trip and thought I'd throw it in. If you don't have shrimp, go vegetarian with this and just add the smoked paprika to the sauce. Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Smoky Shrimp
Serves: 4-6
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup skimmed evaporated milk
1 garlic clove, sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. oregano, chopped (or 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed)
1 Tbsp. basil, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried, crushed)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound pasta, cooked and drained (any size)
For the shrimp:
20 large shrimp, peeled, deviened, tail-off
2 tsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. smoked paprika

Preheat the oven to broil on high. Meanwhile, heat the 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a small sauce pot. Add the garlic and cook on medium until fragrant but not turning color. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the evaporated milk and Parmesan cheese. Make sure to dry the shrimp with paper towels, then toss the shrimp with the 2 tsp. olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Place the shrimp on a metal cooling rack that's been placed on top of a foil lined sheet. Broil the shrimp on each side for 2 minutes. Toss the sauce with the pasta and shrimp. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese and more fresh basil, if desired. This is also good with garlic-sauteed broccoli florets or roasted, sliced zucchini.