Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Last time I visited the u-pick farm I had blueberries on the brain. All I wanted was to walk out of there with a few quarts tucked under my arm to take back to the city and preserve, but the universe had other plans. The blueberries were totally picked over, not a ripe berry in sight. As I tried to hide my dissapointment from my pals by picking all of the zucchini blossoms I could see, I heard someone yell my name from the rows marked tomatoes. No way, I thought, it was still too early for tomatoes, but as I walked down the row I saw the plants become more and more heavy with little yellow cherry tomatoes. I grabbed one and popped it in my mouth. Sweet, sweet summer. I immediately, excitedly started picking the little yellow beauties then stopped and took a big inhale of the vegetal and earthy plants. I put down my basket, put my hands to my face and breathed in the smell of summer. I got lost, thinking of picking tomatoes with my mom from the plants in the front yard, bringing them inside still warm from the sun. I thought of slicing and dressing them with vinegar and salt and pepper, eating them with our fingers then slurping up the juices from the bottom of the bowl or tucking them into sandwiches on toasty wheat bread with mayo. Before I knew it, I had about 2 quarts of tomatoes and my friends were ready to leave so I tucked them under my arm and headed back to the city. I enjoyed them all week in salads like my mom used to make and in pasta with lots of olive oil and basil. I made a batch of salsa and ate them straight from the basket. Then, so I could keep some around a little longer, I took the last pint and roasted them to slumpy perfection.

This is more of a technique than a real recipe, almost silly to even write it down, but here it is. This method produces the tastiest, wrinkliest little tomatoes that are great tossed into a pasta or salad or on a cheese plate with some crusty bread.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

any variety of small tomatoes sliced in half or larger tomatoes cut into thick slices
olive oil
sea salt
pepper
woody herbs like thyme or rosemary (optional)
garlic cloves with skin on (optional)

Heat your oven to 250º

Arrange the tomato halves, cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can also sprinkle some chopped herbs or toss some garlic cloves on the sheet. Roast the tomatoes for 2-2 1/2 hours or until they are wrinkly at the edges.

Store in a jar, covered with olive oil. Use within about a week.

Apricot Jam with Saffron and Rose

You know how some people hide money in their mattresses, I'm pretty sure my Dad does that with saffron. There is a running joke in my family that he has a secret bounty worth millions stashed away. He won't tell anyone where it is or how much he has, but whenever we are running low he always seems to have more. I know it is a big time luxury to have a seemingly endless supply of the world's most expensive spice so I try to only use my stash on special occasions and this jam is totally worth it. I usually gravitate towards simple jams, just fruit, sugar, lemon juice and maybe a bit of Pomona's if I am making jelly, but I am trying to step up my jamming this season so I pulled out the big guns. Saffron and rose are a common paring in Middle Eastern desserts so to honor my Pops and his generous, spicy spirit I put them together with some rosy cheeked apricots and made some fancy jam.

Apricot Jam with Saffron and Rose
Inspired by The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook
yield, roughly 2 pints jam

2lbs apricots (weight after removing the pits)
14oz sugar ( I used vanilla sugar, but it's not necessary)
juice of 1 lemon
pinch of saffron threads
1/4t-1t rose water, depending on your taste

1. Dump the pitted apricots and sugar into your canning pot and mash with a potato masher or fork, or your clean hands if you feel like it. Don't worry about making the pieces uniform in size, just mash them well.

2. In a small mortar and pestle combine the saffron threads with a pinch of sugar and grind. The abrasive quality of the sugar will help to break up the saffron. Set this to the side and get jamming.

3. Over medium high heat, bring the apricots and sugar to a boil. The jam will cook very quickly, so stir constantly with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching the bottom. If any foam appears on the surface of your jam just skim it off, I didn't have to do this.

4. After about 10 minutes, check the jam for doneness. It should be thick and will spatter like hot lava, so watch your hands!

5. When done, take the pan off of the heat and stir in the saffron sugar mixture, rose water and lemon juice. Pour into sterilized jars and process in a hot water bath for 10 min.

Hot tip from Food in Jars: just pull the apricots in half with your fingers to remove the pits. Easy!!
Be careful with the rose water, it is VERY strong. No one wants jam that tastes like perfume.

I entered this jam in the Can You Can It? contest over at Garden of Eating, you guys should enter something too!

Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Nuts and Cherries

Last weekend, when I heard that two of my best pals were heading upstate to their beautiful cabin I couldn't help but invite myself along for the ride. After a week long heatwave it was high time to get the f out of the city and into the woods to take a dip in the swimming hole and breathe some non-conditioned air. Luckily my generous pals don't mind sharing their special spot, so to thank them for their never ending hospitality (and to ensure they invite me back) I brought a little treat. I wanted to bring something along that would be equally tasty for breakfast before hitting up the u-pick farm nearby and as a snack by the creek later in the afternoon and these hearty muffins fit the bill. They utilize lots of zucchini which is ever so plentiful this time of year along with toasted nuts, seeds and some dried cherries for a nice tart zip, but feel free to switch up the additions to suit your personal preference.


Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Nuts and Cherries
adapted from 101cookbooks
yields about 24 muffins

2c whole wheat flour
1c all purpose flour
1 1/2t baking soda
1/2t baking powder
1t salt
1t cinnamon
1/4t nutmeg
3/4c olive oil (or canola oil)
1c sugar
1/2c brown sugar
3 large eggs
2t vanilla extract
zest of 2 lemons
1'' piece of ginger, grated with a microplane
3c finely shredded zucchini (about 3 medium), squeezed gently to remove excess liquid
1 1/2c mixed chopped nuts, toasted (I used half pecans and half walnuts)
1/3c poppy seeds
1/2c dried cherries roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350º and line 2. 12 cup muffin tins with liners

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then stir in the chopped nuts and poppy seeds, making sure to reserve a few tablespoons to sprinkle on the top of the muffins.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugars, eggs, lemon zest, ginger, and vanilla extract.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Fold in the zucchini and cherries.
4. Fill your muffin liners 2/3 full, then sprinkle the reserved nuts over top. Bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 min.

Big thanks to the folks over at The Kitchen Generation for mentioning the Baking Co. last weekend and thanks to everyone on twitter and facebook who have been so friendly and supportive of my bloggy-blog recently.