Southern Tomato Pie

Let’s use up some tomatoes and discover a new recipe. 
 
Ingredients: 

1 pie crust (store-bought is fine)
2¼  lbs. fresh tomatoes, sliced to ¼”.
1¼  tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 sweet onion, chopped
1¼  tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½  cup assorted chopped fresh herbs (such as chives, parsley, and basil)
½  cup grated Gruyère cheese (I used pre-grated "Alpine Blend": Swiss & Gruyère)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼  cup plain Greek yogurt
 

Instructions: 

Pre-bake Crust: Line crust with aluminum foil; fill with pie weights or spare change. (This will keep the crust from bubbling up.) Place on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. Remove weights and foil. Bake 5 minutes or until browned. Cool completely on baking sheet on a wire rack (about 30 minutes). 

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Place tomatoes in a single layer on paper towels; sprinkle with 1 tsp. coarse salt. Let stand 10 minutes for the salt to draw moisture out.

Sauté onion and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper in hot oil in a skillet over medium heat until onion is tender.

Pat tomatoes dry with a paper towel; be OCD about it: get them really dry. Layer tomatoes, onion, and herbs in prepared crust, seasoning each layer with pepper.

Stir together cheeses and yogurt; spread half over the pie. Add another layer of tomatoes & such, topped by another layer of cheese mixture. A third layer is optional.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until lightly browned, shielding edges with foil to prevent excessive browning. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. 
 
Comments:
• I needed to be far more careful about drying the tomatoes. Be excessive.

• Third layer of tomatoes may have been excessive.

• I used too much Parmesan. Recipe has been adjusted for that. 

Tomato Jam

Ingredients

2 lbs ripe tomatoes, cored and diced
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1.5 tablespoons low/no-sugar-needed pectin (eg Pomona's Universal Pectin)
2 teaspoons calcium water (comes with Pomona's pectin kit)
3 tablespoons granulated sweetener of choice (sugar, allulose, or monk fruit blend)
0.5 teaspoons fine sea salt
0.3 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoons grated fresh ginger 

Instructions:
1 Prep the tomatoes: Dice the tomatoes, and add them to a wide, heavy-bottomed pot along with the 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. There's no need to peel or seed the tomatoes — the skins soften down and add body.

2 Simmer down: Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and reduce by about half. Expect half an hour.

3 Add calcium water: Stir in the 2 teaspoons calcium water (comes with Pomona's pectin kit) (this activates the low-sugar pectin's set later on).

4 Make the pectin-sweetener mix: In a small bowl, thoroughly whisk the 1 tablespoon low/no-sugar-needed pectin (e.g. Pomona's Universal Pectin) into the 3 tablespoons granulated sweetener of choice (sugar, allulose, or monk fruit blend) so it doesn't clump when added.

5 Bring back to a boil: Bring the tomato mixture to a full boil, then add the pectin-sweetener mixture, whisking vigorously to dissolve.

6 Boil to set: Keep at a rolling boil, stirring constantly, until the jam thickens noticeably and coats the back of a spoon.

7 Season: Stir in the 0.5 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus the optional red pepper flakes (I used a pepper mix I made) and 1 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (I used frozen). Taste and adjust sweetness or acidity as needed.

8 Cool and jar: Remove from heat and let cool slightly before transferring to clean jars. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks, or process in a water bath for shelf-stable storage.

Comments: 

• I had too much pectin. The recipe has been adjusted. 

• Flavor was very good.  

Rustic Sausage, Potato & Tomato Goulash

Recipe based on what I had around, plus creativity by ChatGPT, tweaked a fair bit for the real world.

Ingredients: 

1 lb small red potatoes, quartered
6–8 oz sausage, sliced or crumbled
2 slices bacon, cubed
1 medium white onion, sliced
1 small purple/red onion, sliced
3 medium ripe tomatoes, cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chicken broth, made from concentrate
2 T (or so) olive oil or butter
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp fresh oregano or thyme
½ tsp black pepper
Salt, to taste
Some cheese for on top 

Instructions:

 1. Par-cook the potatoes.
Put the quartered potatoes in a large skillet with about ½ cup water and a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer for 8–10 minutes, until they're just becoming tender. Drain any remaining water.

2. Brown the sausage.
Add a little olive oil, bacon and sausage to the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until nicely browned. If you're using ham, add it during the last couple of minutes.

3. Get the onions really good.
Add the white and purple onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they're soft and beginning to caramelize.

3½. Before the onions are done, add the garlic to soften and begin to brown.

4. Add the potatoes and seasonings.
Add the potatoes, paprika, oregano or thyme, black pepper, and a little salt. Toss everything together and let it cook undisturbed for a couple of minutes at a time so the potatoes develop brown, crispy edges.

5. Add tomatoes.
Stir in the the chopped tomatoes. Cook for 3–4 minutes, letting them start breaking down.

6. Make it saucy.
Pour in ½ cup chicken broth. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let everything simmer uncovered for 7–10 minutes, until the broth and tomato juices reduce into a thick sauce. 

7. Serve with shredded cheese on top, and with toast beside.


Review:

○ Definitely a starting point. And it used the veggies I had on hand! I asked for hearty, and it qualifies for that. 

○ Definitely not amazing as is. Onions need to be cubed smaller. Spices need to be tweaked. Meat needs to be improved. Be careful not to over-cook sausage, bacon, onions or garlic. Not sure what to do with the tomatoes; not sure how much they add.

Options: 
•  Add eggs. Make two wells in the mixture and crack an egg into each. Cover the skillet and cook for 4–6 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yolks. Take it off the heat while the yolks are still slightly softer than you want; they'll continue cooking from the residual heat. 

• Replace the sausage with bite-size chunks of ham or steak: this really wants hearty meat in it; the little bit of sausage was inferior. And increase the bacon.

• Consider stirring a little thickening agent into the broth before adding it. (Maybe not when adding the eggs.)

Tomato Basil Soup

She has always loved the Tomato Basil Soup at the restaurant down the road. She's decided that this is every bit as good. 

Ingredients: 

5 medium ripe tomatoes, cubed
4 cups tomato juice
14 leaves fresh basil
1 cup half & half
½ cup butter (1 stick)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Gather all ingredients.
• Place tomatoes and juice in a stockpot over medium heat; bring to a simmer. Cook until tomatoes have softened, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the pot from heat. Add basil leaves to the pot.
• Use an immersion blender to purée soup until smooth. Blend aggressively.
• Stir in heavy cream and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted, about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve hot and enjoy!

Grape Jam (not Jelly)

 

Made from grapes from our garden. Not looking for the hard set of store-bought grape jelly, but rather a spreadable jam.

Ingredients:

2 pounds seedless grapes, washed and stems removed
½ cup water
½ cup granulated sugar (or sugar substitute)
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP sugar free pectin


Instructions: 

Place the grapes in a large saucepan with the water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until grapes are soft and starting to burst.

Mash the grapes with a potato masher or the back of a spoon to release their juices.

Stir in the sugar, pectin and lemon juice until dissolved, over medium-high heat; bring to a steady boil, stirring often, until the mixture thickens — about 30–45 minutes — stirring frequently to prevent sticking or scorching. 

Pour the hot jam into sterilized jars, leaving about ¼ inch headspace. Add lids. [Note: this recipe made 1¾ pints.]

Refrigerate. I haven't water processed. Should work well. 

Review: 

○ Excellent flavor. Love the texture. 
○ Need to clarify the sweetener/pectin with another batch. 

Homemade Tomato Paste

Ingredients:
  
8 pounds tomatoes
2 TBSP salt
1 TBSP lemon juice. 

Instructions:

• Wash the tomatoes. 

• Cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Put them in a large pot and bring them to a boil and then let them simmer for 10 or 15 minutes until they're well broken down

• Place the cooked tomatoes in a blender and blend well. Or use an immersion blender.

• Place the blended tomatoes in a smaller size pot and cook on a low simmer until all the water is evaporated, roughly 15-25 minutes, while stirring constantly.

• Once you feel that the tomatoes are turning into the paste you add coarse salt and mix very well. 

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the tomato product evenly on that baking sheet. 

• Bake at 350°. Check it every 20 minutes. If using the fan, expect no more than 30 or 40 minutes baking.

• Store in glass jars in the refrigerator with a thin layer of oil on top, or (better) freeze in individual ice cube trays, and store in plastic bags in the freezer.  

 

Comment: 
Do NOT over-bake these.  

Apple Rhubarb Jam

I'm harvesting both apples (yellow transparent) and rhubarb this week. I have to do something with them. So this is what I did this time.

This made two pints, with none left over.  
 
Ingredients: 
3 cups (ish) diced rhubarb
3 cups (ish) diced peeled apples
1 cup (ish) monk-fruit sweetener
½ cup water
½ tablespoon (ish) ground cinnamon
2 TBSP (ish) sugar free pectin
 
Instructions: 
• Mix rhubarb, apples, sugar, water, and cinnamon together in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. 
• Cook over medium heat until fruit is soft, about 20 minutes. 
• Stir in pectin; boil for 5 minutes.
• Load into pint (or half pint) jars. Add lids & rings. 
• Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes unless you'll be keeping it refrigerated. (Comment: I did not take the time for that with only two pints, though the lids sealed on their own; I will keep these refrigerated.)
 
I don't love a sugar-forward jam or sauce. This still has a bit of zing from the rhubarb, and I can still taste both rhubarb and apples.  
 
Note that the resulting jam (or sauce if you didn't use enough pectin or boil it long enough) can be chunky, if you want. I did. So I made ½" chunks of both apple & rhubarb. The apple chunks lasted better than the rhubarb chunks. 
 
I had an AI calculate the nutrition information: 

Nutrient           Entire Batch    Per 1 Tbsp (64 servings)
Calories              ~395 kcal          ~6 kcal
Carbohydrates         ~108 g          ~1.7 g
Fiber                        ~27 g           ~0.4 g
Net Carbs                 ~81 g           ~1.3 g
Total Sugars             ~61 g           ~1.0 g
Protein                    ~4.7 g           <0.1 g
Fat                          ~1.6 g               0 g
Sodium              ~5–15 mg          ~0 mg

Notes
Nearly all of the sugar comes naturally from the apples and rhubarb.
The monk fruit sweetener contributes essentially no calories or sugar.
The pectin adds a small amount of carbohydrate and fiber but very few calories.

At about 6 calories and 1.3 g net carbs per tablespoon, this is a relatively light fruit spread. It would work well as a topping for yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, or toast if you're looking to keep calories and added sugars low.