Tomato Jam: It Was Lost But Now is Found

  You  probably wouldn't believe me if I told you this! Yes, I'm going to tell you anyway. After doing much searching through all of my "saved/cut out" recipe scrapbooks... I found my original copy from the Martha Stewart magazine, circa July/Aug 2000 with the Tomato Jam recipe. Guess what else, my lost favorite meatloaf recipe is in that article. No kidding! It is a beautiful article titled "Picnic Sandwiches", filled with lovely pictures of glorious sandwiches. There is even one called a Fava Bean Sandwich, "seasoned mashed fava beans are spread on a crusty baguette and layered with buttery sliced avocados, pecorino, and mache" is how it is described under the picture. I had made that once before and was surprised how satisfyingly delicious it was. I'll be making that one again very soon since it is a good spring/summer sandwich. The photo is to die for. No joke, there is; Goat Cheese and Zucchini Rolls (reminder- I have to try that one too), Italian Lunchbox Sandwich, Guacamole BLT, Caprese Wheel, and these three that use this fabulous tomato jam - Mozzarella Rolls, Grilled Chicken and Onion Sandwich with Tomato Jam and Arugula, and the best one... Meatloaf with Tomato Jam.

  In any case, you too will sing praises to Martha if you will just make this tomato jam once. It is so good and such a useful condiment, that you will want to have this on hand at all times. It is even good spread on a piece of buttered toast. Honest.

This has quite a few ingredients.

Just don't omit any of them or you'll miss the perfect flavor of this jam.

Saute olive oil, garlic, ginger, and red onion until translucent.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer 60 to 75 minutes, stirring occasionally.

You want the liquid to evapoarte and the tomatoes to almost "dissolve" into the jam.

Discard the cinnamon sticks and star anise.

Serve warm over meatloaf.

I basted the top of my confetti meatloaf  15 minutes before cooking was complete.

Cool, bottle, and refrigerate remainder for future use.

Use warm or cold.

Tomato Jam

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine July/Aug 2000

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 piece ginger, peeled and minced (1 tablespoon)
1 small red onion, peeled and finely diced
1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes
1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
 
Directions
In a medium saucepot set over medium heat, heat olive oil, add garlic, ginger, and red onion, and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Add vinegar, honey, brown sugar, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and star anise.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have dissolved and liquid has evaporated, 60 to 75 minutes. Discard cinnamon sticks and star anise before serving. This jam may be stored in an airtight container in the refigerator for up to 2 weeks.
 
Makes 1 1/2 cups

Michael and Carla

Confetti Meatloaf with Tomato Jam

  I am a very bad girl. All right well maybe not a bad girl then, but an irresponsible one for certain. I have once again disappointed Michael and myself as well. You see it all started many years ago. I was searching for a recipe for pork roasts and found one for "Peanut Encrusted Pork Roast". So I gave it a shot. It was the most wonderful pork roast Michael and I had ever tasted. Really, EVER! I am serious when I tell you Michael loved it so much so, that he actually confiscated the remainder of my lovely pork roast and took it to work to have all of his employees in the restaurant taste it. The recipe had not only crunchy peanut butter in the ingredient list, there were about 10 to 15 ingredients listed, of only a few I can still recall from memory. Some of them were coconut milk, chiles, lime juice, and so on. Well as you can tell I lost my printed out copy of it and I have searched and searched and I can not find my copy, nor can I find it on the internet. Believe me when I say I have tried some of the recipes on the net that are similar and they don't pass the picky husband criteria!

  So what does this have to do with the picture of the meatloaf you ask? Well you guessed it right if you're thinking "oops she did it again"   . I've lost my copy (and I can't find it on the net) of a wonderful "healthy meatloaf" recipe from Martha Stewart, that was topped with this delicious tomato jam (which I found and reprinted to save in my "favorites" file in my recipe box. I can't even remember if it was on her website or if I clipped it from one of her magazines. Trust me when I say Martha's website has pages and pages of meatloaf recipes listed and I have been through ALL of them. This is the closest I can come to it, a Confetti Meatloaf . It is still not quite the same as we're sure it is missing something and we can't quite pinpoint it. I have since become more responsible and thus more diligent in my endeavor to save favorite recipes. Anyway, without further ado, here is the closest we could come to that fabulous meatloaf of days gone by. Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes this is pretty close and really made even more delicious by the addition of the tomato jam (which I will post in the next day or two). By the way, this tomato jam has a great many other uses. Just use your imagination. I do recommend that you try it just once and I can assure you that you will make it time and time again.

As you can see, I used ketchup in lieu of the vegetable/tomato juice. I also omitted the cheese.

I added some fresh thyme to the mix.

The mix. I did use 2 eggs instead of just 1 since I had closer to 3 pounds of meat.

Mix well. I use the tips of my fingers in a swirling motion so I don't over mix.

Lightly pat into a loaf pan and bake . Top with tomato jam about 15 minutes before final cooking time.

Confetti Meatloaf

Adapted from Food Reference and The Texas Beef Council

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef I had closer to 3 pounds
1/2 (13.5 ounce) can spinach, squeezed dry and chopped  substituted fresh frozen
2 carrots, grated
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 egg, beaten (or ¼ cup egg mix + ¼ cup water, mixed) I used 2
1/2 cup vegetable or tomato juice substituted ketchup
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional) omitted
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs or crushed crackers
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Form into a loaf, and place in a 1-quart loaf pan. Cover with foil and bake 50-55 minutes, or until meat thermometer inserted in center of meatloaf reads 160°F. Drain juice from pan and top with tomato jam.
Bake uncovered 10 to 15 minutes.

Serves 8







NOTE: Original recipe was found. Missing ingredient(s) are as follows
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons dry mustard (Coleman's)


Michael and Carla

Grand Arroz con Pollo at IHCC with Mark Bittman

We were out shopping the other day and came across a really good buy on cut up chicken. Well in my quest to find something to cook for IHCC's Potluck theme this week I found Mark Bittmman's recipe for Arroz con Pollo in his book How To Cook Everything. So how convenient for me. I was really taken by surprise at how good this was. The recipe starts on page 653 and continues on to page 654. The real surprise came to me when I found at the end of his recipe there are additions to make this dish a Grand Arroz con Pollo. Well that is the one I settled on as the first one actually sounded a bit bland.

I cut the ingredients in half to make just 2 servings.

Michael says that the dish would be even better if the skin was left off the chicken. I would have to agree. We both thought this was a very flavorful recipe.

I think the lemon is a must. It brightened up the dish perfectly.

Grand Arroz con Pollo

Courtesy Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything

Ingredients

3 cups chicken or other stock

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large or 2 medium onions

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups short grain white rice

Pinch of saffron threads

1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 8 pieces, or any combination of parts

Chopped fresh parsley

Lemon or lime wedges for serving

Additions to make Grand version

4 ounces of bacon, cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 red bell pepper (or mixture of red and green) chopped

1 tomato, chopped (preferably peeled and seeded)

Pinch of ground allspice

1 bay leaf

1 cup peas, (fresh or thawed frozen)

Directions

Warm the stock while you cook the onions. Put olive oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and become translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the rice to the onions and stir until it's coated with oil, a minute or two; sprinkle with the saffron if you like and stir again. Nestle the chicken pieces in the rice, add a little more salt and pepper, and pour in the warmed stock. Bring the mix to a boil; adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently but steadily.

Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through; the bird is done when an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 155-165 degrees. (At this point, you may keep the dish warm over very low heat for another 15 minutes, and it will retain its heat for 15 minutes beyond that and still be good warm rather than hot.) Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon or lime wedges.

Grand Arroz con Pollo.It's all about additions. While the stock warms, render about 4 ounces of bacon, cut into small cubes, in the skillet in 1 tablespoon oil. Remove it with a slotted spoon and cook the onions and rice as directed. When the rice is ready, add garlic, bell peppers, tomato, allspice, bay leaf, and saffron. Proceed with the recipe; if you like, add 1 cup of peas to the dish about 10 minutes before the dish is finished.

Makes 4 servings

Michael and Carla

I Love, Love, Love Bistec de Palomilla and Marta's Blog

 

  Being born in Hialeah, Florida (which is a little part of  Miami) I have had many latin friends over the years and have eaten in a great many latin restaurants, (no, neither one of us are of latin descent). However, when I have to choose something from a latin menu, my head begins to spin. I just can't decide which dish I want more, Arroz con Pollo, Picadillo, Ropa Vieja, Boliche, or this Bistec de Palomilla, the list goes on and on and on. So, when cooking latino foods I usually start here at this website, icuban (which was originally called Three Guys from Miami) for my inspiration and recipes. Then in my quest for more latin foods, I was searching the blogoshpere and came across Marta's blog, MyBigFatCubanFamily and fell in love with it. Then as I was wandering around her blog one day, I found this post of her Bistec de Palomilla and I knew I had to have some. We are all immigants from somewhere else and striving for the same thing; the right to live in the land of the free. So if you check out just one link I've posted here at least read the story that is on her bistec de palomilla link. It is truely heartwarming. As are many of her posts. I bet you'll be hooked like I was.

  With out further hesitation, here is the recipe for the most deliciously perfect (and simple) dinner. If you have never had this, it is a recipe you absolutely must try. From my folder under 'My Favorites'-"Recipes to Try", which has since been moved to "Favorite Recipes to Keep Making".

Bistec de Palomilla
Courtesy of  Marta's Big Fat Cuban Family and RecipeAddict

Ingredients
3 lbs. Top Sirloin steak – sliced very thin
10 garlic cloves – diced
juice of 2 fresh limes
1 yellow onion thinly sliced
salt and coarse black pepper to taste
olive oil (twice around the pan)
3 Tbsp. Fresh chopped parsley


Marinade
Rub about 2/3rds of the garlic into the steaks on both sides
Squeeze the juice of one of the limes onto the steaks
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the steaks into a plastic ziplock bag
Add the sliced onion to the bag
Place the bag in the refrigerator and allow to marinate – preferably overnight, but at least for one hour.

Directions
Remove the steaks from the marinade and pat dry. Reserve the marinade. Set the onions aside. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan.
Fry the steaks quickly about 1 minute per side and remove to a warm platter.
Squeeze the juice of the other lime into the pan and stir, this will “clean” any burnt bits from the pan.
Add the remaining marinade, onions and garlic to the lime juice and quickly stir together over medium heat for about 5 minutes. The onions should still be crisp and the garlic should not be brown.
Pour the onion mixture over the steaks on the platter. And garnish with the chopped fresh parsley.


Note: I have read many recipes for this steak that will tell you to use cubed steaks or top round steaks, don't. It is NOT authentic. I have never ordered this dish out were either one of those were used for this recipe. Only very thinly sliced, boneless top sirloin is used in authentic cuban restaurants and homes as well. If you have the good fortune as I do to have a Latin market they will know and have this cut in their meat case. If not then as Marta says your butcher will think you are crazy. However rest assured, you won't be sorry you made this dish. It also makes a wonderful sandwich with any leftovers you might have, served on pressed cuban bread (Italian or french bread will do if you can't get cuban).

 

 
 

Micheal and Carla

Broccoli Cheddar Soup, A Panera Bread Co. Copy Cat

  First things first. I just had to let you know that today our Jamaican Brewmaster Steak is in todays featured recipes over at PetitChef as the 'main dish' for the menu of the day! I am so excited, this is a first for us.

  OK, back to the recipe here! I first saw this recipe in my Food Network Jan/Feb 2010 magazine. Then I saw it on one of my favorite blogs, made by Kim at StirringthePot and I was doubly inspired. (I have bookmarked many of her recipes). So I knew I had to give it a try. I am sure glad I did. I took it over to my mom's for a Sunday afternoon of card games and lunch. She was glad I made it too!

So simple. This soup comes together very easily and very quickly.

Bread Bowls. The perfect vehicle for a lovely soup.

You can find the recipe here at Food Network if you don't have their magazine.

Almost Famous Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Courtesy of Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 7-inch sourdough bread boules (round loaves)
4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
1 large carrot, diced
2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
 
 
Directions
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the bread bowls: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the top of each loaf, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Remove the bread top, then hollow out the middle with a fork or your fingers, leaving a thick bread shell.

Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into the bread bowls and garnish with cheese.
Serves 4

 
 

 

Michael and Carla

Lentil Salad...Not So Much a Recipe as a Method

  Its IHCC's Mark Bittman Challenge time again. This weeks subject is Pantry Raid. To clean out all those little bits of items left in your pantry. So head on over to I Heart Cooking Clubs to see how well everyone did this week.
  I chose Lentil Salad from Mark's Blog Bitten. He seems to love a particular lentil salad he had in Paris and was trying to re-create it here. It is more of a method than a recipe, as you can add or omit whatever you have or don't have on hand. And might I just tell you it was scrumptious! I have never made a salad with my lentils, only the old stand-by, Lentil Soup. Well since spring is here and summer is right around the corner, I will be eating quite a few lentil salads after trying this one. Oh yes, I did eat the entire plate full, as Michael is out of town for the week. Anyway, I am going off the beaten path here.
  I have three differnt types of lentils (Michael is not such a fan), black, green and red. So I chose the green to use for this as suggested.

My little bits of this and that. An almost empty dijon mustard, a few sorry little garlic cloves, an almost wilted green onion, a feww slices of a red onion, a half of a tomato, and my green lentils. Only the bacon is newly opened.

So firstly add a little splash of olive oil to your sauce pan and add your chopped bacon. Saute until crisp tender.

Nextly, add some shredded carrot, garlic, onions, and diced tomato bits. Saute until vegetables begin to wilt and become tender.

Finally add your lentils and cover with water.

Simmer until lentils are tender adding as little water as possible if needed. You want the water to cook off by the end.

I will definately be experimenting with lentils this summer.

PS - The chicken breast was a leftover in the fridge from a three pack that I had two of the night before Michael left. So, I think I did good! (If I do say so myself)

PSS - I almost forgot to mention. See the Feta cheese? I was so excited to try my first lentil salad that I forgot to put some in at the end. Fear not though, as I had a cup of the salad left and can you guess what's for lunch? Yes, Lentil Salad with Feta!

Michael and Carla

Welch Rarebit

  This recipe was a first for me. It came about because I have been wanting to join along with I Heart Cooking Clubs. You see,  I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) chooses a new chef every 6 months and then a "theme" for each week. So go on over and have a look around. This time around Mark Bittman won out over Jamie Oliver. For this first week, we are cooking or serving "Bites" also known as appetizers, starters or tapas. I had intended on joining in while they were cooking Nigela Lawson's recipes. Except that I don't currently own any of her cookbooks and I never could decide on what dishes to make from the web. I do however own three of Mark Bittman's books, from his How to Cook Everything, I have: Bittman Takes on America's Chefs, Weekend Cooking, and Holiday Cooking. So this time I have a better refence point.

  Well even with the three books on hand, I still couldn't decide (again). I decided to surf his websites, and I found this recipe for Welch Rarebit.

My ingredients are butter, flour, cheddar cheese, dry mustard, cayenne, worcestershire sauce, and dark beer.

And of course some good bread. I chose a sourdough. You will start by lightly toasting these on a baking sheet in the oven on both sides.

To start, melt butter in a medium size sauce pan. When melted add the flour to make a roux. Cook the roux until golden brown. Next add the dry mustard and cayenne.

Next add your worcestershire sauce and the beer, whisking all the while until the mixture is smooth. 

When the mixture is smooth start whisking in your cheese.

Again whisk until smooth.

Spread cheese sauce thickly onto your toast points and put under broiler until bubbly.

Serve immediately.

I cut this recipe in half, as there are only two of us. Also I could only find Newcastle.

Welsh Rarebit

Courtesy of Mark Bittman

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon mustard powder, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
3/4 cup strong dark beer, like Guinness
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
1 pound Cheddar, Double Gloucester or other English cheese (or other good semi-hard cheese, like Comté or Gruyère, or a mixture), grated
4 to 8 pieces lightly toasted bread
 
 
Directions
Pre toast your bread of choice on a baking sheet under the broiler. Set aside.
 
Put butter in a saucepan over medium heat and, as it melts, stir in flour. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and very fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in mustard and cayenne, then whisk in beer and Worcestershire sauce.


When mixture is uniform, turn heat to low and stir in cheese, again stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and pour into a broad container to set (you can refrigerate for up to a day at this point).

Spread mixture thickly on toast and put under broiler until bubbly and edges of toast are crisp. Serve immediately.


 
It was a very easy recipe and easily adapted for amount of servings. As he says in his post, this makes a very nice late-night snack. I found it delicious in the middle of the afternoon for a quick nosh.
 
 
 

Michael and Carla