Puzzled: When Food Could Be Art

I can't be the only one that thinks this would make a beautiful puzzle, yes? It would be hard, but what a lovely image to stare at on a rainy afternoon.

I took this photo last week at Cedar Sol Hydro Farm in Cedar, Michigan. I came for the tacos, but I was captivated by the tomatoes. The farm is king this time of year and I am a happy subject.  

Cincinnati's Newport Aquarium...Tom & Chee

I am pretty sure that this is a Moon Jellyfish, which I can understand from the eerie coloring, but I would have named them something like "Dreamscape" or "Illusion."

The jelly fish exhibit at the Newport Aquarium has soft benches in it so that visitors can sit and ponder these transparent wonders.  Classical music piped into the area and Beth and I really didn't want to leave.  It was very relaxing and completely unexpected to be in this lovely space after the hustle bustle of the other areas.  The jelly fish looked positively dreamy.  I wonder if they can hear the music?

After a big morning playing "school field trip," I was ready for a nice lunch.  I found a neat little spot in the outdoor shopping area (just outside the aquarium) called Tom and Chee, which is a temple for tomato soup and grilled cheese lovers.

I had a cup of homemade gazpacho and a half of a tomato/cheddar grilled cheese sandwich.  It was exactly what I was looking for on a hot Summer day.  Fresh, satisfying and fast.  If you are in the Newport on the Levee area of Cincinnati/Newport, this is a great spot to have a casual lunch. 

Really Homemade Tomato Soup

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I was inspired to try this recipe for canned tomatoes when I saw an episode of Laura Calder's "French Food at Home" on the Cooking Channel last year.  So in August, I filled 4 jars with "Sweet 100" cherry tomatoes (from my pot of tomatoes on the patio) and off I went, with hopes of homemade tomato soup in the Winter.

Now fast forward...I opened my first jar yesterday!  To my relief, it gave a satisfying "whoop" when I broke the seal; my first time canning was a success.  The recipe calls for sealing small tomatoes, a piece of onion and a sprig of thyme in the jar.  When I poured the contents into the soup pot, I only had to add a bit of milk and salt, heat and then puree it into soup with an immersion blender. 

It worked like a charm and gave us 2 satisfying bowls of soup for a snowy Tuesday.

Canning Tomatoes

I have been channeling my inner Laura Ingalls Wilder lately.  I've decided to try canning and preserving this Summer, to be able to experience the glory of August during the dark days in February.  Are you with me?

I am going to make a series of small batch items - and with them record the recipe source, ingredients required to make minimum batch and the date processed.  That way in the middle of the Winter, when I taste what I have "put up," I will be able to flag the successes and replicate them next Summer. 

I scoured the local hardware stores and finally settled on the supplies that I needed.  My dad loaned me his giant enamel water bath canner (looks like a stock pot with a jar rack inside), so I only needed jars, labels and the Ball Utensil Set, which includes a Funnel, Magnetic Wand, Bubble Remover & Rubberized Jar Tongs.  The set is perfect and the magnetic wand is genius!

I started with canning tomatoes.  I bought my first peck of tomatoes at the farmer's market and after reading a few different canning and preserving books, I settled on this recipe for "Raw-Packed Tomatoes with No Added Liquid" from the Ball website.  I did not add any salt, which was optional.

It all went off without a hitch and the jars look gorgeous.  In case you are curious, these are the steps in a nutshell:

• Wash tomatoes, core & cut "X" at base
• Blanch in hot water to loosen skin; remove skin
• Sterilize quart jars (I used dishwasher); Simmer lids in water
• Fill jars with tomatoes and add lemon juice
• Help tomatoes to settle with bubble remover tool
• Wipe any residue off jar rim and use magnetic wand (to keep lid sterile) to place lid onto jar
• Place in water bath and process according to instructions for approx 85 minutes

I have high hopes that these 7 jars will equal 7 nights of homemade spaghetti sauce, chili and more.  When I pop open my first jar this Winter, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Cooking with Charred Tomatoes

I have been thinking about charred tomatoes ever since I went to a little family-run Mexican restaurant that made table side salsa with charred tomatoes.  We ate every drop. 

It reminded me of a charred tomato and bacon salad dressing that I made last Summer.  I remember reading a recipe in a magazine on an airplane and improvised from there.  You basically cook olive oil-brushed tomatoes on a charcoal grill (hence the char) until they are a bit black and softened and then pulse them in a food processor with garlic, cooked bacon, a smig of fresh rosemary and olive oil.  Wow is it good.  You can see I added 2 pieces of fresh rosemary from the herb pot to the grill.  It didn't do much for the tomatoes, but the scent was heavenly!

My quick and easy way to char a bunch of tomatoes (that doesn't involve my husband, charcoal bags or the fire department) is to light a disposable camping grill ($2.00) and 15 minutes later my coals are ready to cook.  No fuss, no muss.  And if the heat from the coals lingers past your pile of tomatoes, you can char other vegetables too, like red peppers and onions.

This is the Summer of "eating more vegetables" and charring is a good way to start.