Comfort in a bowl: Tomato-poached eggs

I know the season of the almighty tomato has passed, but there are actually some pretty impressive hydroponic tomatoes showing up on those sad supermarket shelves (I'm sorry, but nothing beats a shining mountain of heirloom tomatoes at the market). What brightened my day even more was seing that glorious Cento can of San Marzano tomatoes--best sauce-making tomatoes in the world!!! **happy dance** I don't know about you, but I find myself craving rich tomato sauces in the winter. They are warming, comforting, and are really hard to screw up, so they typically make for a quick meal.

There has been a lot of talk in the food world about poaching eggs in tomato sauce (or just the combination of egg and tomato), and for good reason. I often saw this in Spain, but paired with potatoes. My best example would be patatas bravas served with an egg sunny side up (check out my previous recipe on Patatas Bravas). It's that miracle combination of a velvety, golden yolk with rich tomato. It can't get any better, I promise.

In short, I just made a savory tomato sauce, didn't drain the water retained by the tomatoes, and when the flavors were well established, I cracked some eggs into the tomato sauce to cook until just set. I think that the velvety egg yolk stirred into the tomato sauce makes a really fabulous soup...which gives me an idea... Another alternative could be to add some roasted red peppers to the tomato sauce to intensify the flavor. A few Spanish piquillo peppers, if you could get your hands on them, would also be ideal.

Allow me to present you with the recipe:

Tomato-poached Eggs

4 Ripe tomatoes (or a can of San Marzano whole tomatoes), puréed

4 Cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, chopped

Olive oil

Sherry

Salt

Black pepper

Bay leaf

Pimentón (smoked paprika)

Chili powder (Chimayo chili)

Eggs

As you can see, we only poached two eggs this time and it was really enough. The presentation is beautiful with a simple soup bowl and that beautiful egg nestled in its warm bed of tomato joy. If you have more of an appetite, you can of course increase the number of eggs, just make sure not to crowd the pan so that it is just one big egg white with some yellow dots. Either get a larger pan or take it easy on the eggs.

As for the tomato sauce, you can really prepare it however you feel like that day. Mine is more spiced, but an herbed tomato sauce (with thyme, sage, oregano, etc) would be just as lovely. My sauce ended up having a sultry savory flavor accented by the bay leaf and smoked paprika. It tasted like so many dishes I had in the tapas bars in Spain and in the homes of the families who took care of me. To me that is comfort food, and since that was the objective of this dish my spice combination really did the trick.

First you heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Throw in the onion and sauté for a few minutes, then add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Stir in the pimentón, chili powder, and bay leaf and heat for a few seconds with the onion mixture until you start smelling those spices bloom. At this point you add a splash or two of sherry and scrape up any bits that may have stuck to the bottom. Pour in the fresh tomatoes and stir well to combine. If your sauce is too thick, you can splash in a little water or chicken stock, but I don't think it will be necessary. Simmer the sauce for a good 10-15 minutes and crack in the eggs around the 12 minutes mark. They should poach for about 3-4 minutes and should be ready to plate.

It was rather soupy, so I served it in a soup bowl. If yours turns out thicker you can serve it on a slice of hearty, rustic bread or over rice or potatoes. However you serve it, it will be sure to satisfy.

Keep warm, keep hungry, and qué aproveches!

How to immortalize summer tomatoes! Answer: Refrigerator Tomato Jam!

Let me just sketch for you a vision of paradise. Whenever I see a bounty of food cascading out of crates and boxes and baskets, and their subsequent fall into my rolling market bag, it is pure happiness. What I love even more is rolling that bag home and opening it up to see, with seemingly new eyes, what I purchased. On my walk back, I am musing over what I can mix, steam, roast, blend, reduce, bake, or just eat rinsed and raw. When I get home, this thought process explodes into bursts of energy, flashes of knives, fruit and vegetables dancing by and leaving distinct juices in their wake, and after some scientific processes transform once fallen fruit from its branch, I am allowed to indulge in something truly miraculous. This is the montage that flips through my mind when I think about tomato jam.

I first tasted this rarity in Spain, when I was staying with the Handsome Spaniard's family. Oh, how mamá made her refrigerator jams--plum, tomato, peach, all so wonderful. I never got the chance to make them alongside her, but of course I brought up the discussion on how to make them. The description was simple: take whatever fruit you want and chop it fine, then add about half that of sugar, and throw in some lemon seeds for pectin and a squeeze of juice if you want. The acidity and the sweetness are then balanced.

I did a little more research and got into some actual canning recipes. It's not that I don't have the gumption to take on a canning project, but rather I don't really have the resources at the moment. So, as the New York Times recently assured me, refrigerated jams are the way to go, both in Spain and here in the States! They store for ages in the fridge, and if you spot a little mold growing, don't worry it isn't dangerous mold--you just scrape it off the top and keep on keepin' on. Come on, don't be such a wimp. Also, if you do end up throwing it away out of fear, it is SUPER easy to remake!

This tomato jam is also a new taste for some in the States, for we usually think of jams as fruit-based. This might be another reinforcement of the fact that the tomato is biologically a fruit, although we often cook with it as a vegetable. Tomato jam is great, I have recently used it as a condiment for both baked fish and a vegetable quiche I made. In addition, you can smear it on toast in the morning with a bit of queso fresco or spreadable cheese like Boursin or Alouette--it is the stuff of dreams. It also goes well on its own with toast or crackers.

As I mentioned earlier, you can play around with this base recipe and try it with different fruits: strawberries, cherries, plums, peaches, apricots, basically anything that you would want to make a jam out of, you can stuff into a jar in your fridge. I also referenced the website Food in Jars, which is a canning blog, and I used this recipe as a base: Orange Tomato Jam with Smoked Paprika . So, let's see where the wind took me on that lovely day...
**Note: Because this was a test recipe, I only made enough for a single jar--if you want more, you just have to add more ingredients. I wouldn't worry too much, but the ratios should remain more or less the same.

Spiced Tomato Jam

3 C Red and yellow tomatoes, chopped

3/4 C Sugar

1/8 C Orange juice (because I didn't have lemon juice, and it sounded good)

1 T Apple cider vinegar 

3/4 t salt

1/2 t Grated fresh ginger

1/2 t Smoked paprika (pimentón)

1/2 t Ground cloves

This recipe is really basic in construction, but what it demands is time by the stove. Get a giant mixing bowl out, and throw all of the ingredients together. Mix this up really well with a wooden spoon. 

Then you put a pot big enough for your ingredients to fit on high heat and empty the contents of your mixing bowl inside. You have to bring the mixture to a boil, while stirring occasionally. After you get it to a boil, reduce it to a bubbly simmer and stir often until it becomes the consistency of jam that you wish. This took me a solid 50 minutes to accomplish. 

                 

You can go on to canning these if you're into that. Otherwise, just take a clean jar (I reuse jars from past refrigerated condiments), fill it up and let it cool to about room temperature before you put it in the fridge (you don't want to break the glass!).

Now it's time for you to enjoy jammy tomatoey awesomeness! Be merry, dear friends! 

Listening to Kyle Meredith on WFPK Radio Louisville

Rivals

I woke up this morning to a surprisingly cloudy day. It hasn't rained since I arrived a month ago, but today we experienced a wonderful Mediterranean thunderstorm. They are nothing like we get in Louisville (to be honest, I kind of miss the prospect of a natural disaster every now and then, followed by the survival response of a city with its electric lines above ground and its flood walls seemingly below ground). In comparison, these thunderstorms are sweet little reminders that the sky can make a rumbling sound, and rain can fall in droplets larger than that of a sunshower. Quaint to a girl from the Ohio Valley!

Today also happens to be the final for the EuroCup 2012, where Spain plays Italy. This rivalry is akin to UK vs. UofL or St. X vs. Trinity in our city, so you can imagine the tension. The streets are empty and the bars are full. Everywhere you do see people they are decked out in red and gold, the national colors, and even baby strollers have Spanish flags perched on the handles. Consequently, the Italians are having house parties.

I figured I would take this time to introduce some summer treats that can be prepared quickly, or even ahead of time, for a summer get-together. I try to avoid standing next to the stove too long, or shoveling hot, tasty morsels into my mouth during these scorching months...and I can only imagine the same for my city across the sea, which is suffering 100+ degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures!

So, here's what's on the menu:
Eggplant spread/dip

Summer pasta with a fresh tomato sauce

Grilled cheese with pimentón


Eggplant spread (makes about a cup)
2 medium-sized eggplants
1/2 medium onion
3-4 cloves garlic (you can never have too much garlic)
Juice from half a lemon
Thyme
Fresh parsley
Sea salt

Wash, peel, and chop the eggplant into small cubes. Mince the garlic, and finely chop the onion as well. This will help everything cook evenly, quickly, and make for an easy pass in the blender. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and get it cooking, they should be dancing around in that hot pan. Adding the onion first allows the olive oil to take on the flavor of the onion, which will help build your flavor layers. Do not brown the onions, but when they are soft, add the eggplant and lower the heat a bit, you don't want anything to burn. Mix up the eggplant and onion, make sure that everything is cooking evenly, and when things get moving, put a lid on it--this will help the eggplant get softer and will help us reach the smooshy stage that we need before we add the garlic.

Chopped onion and eggplant over medium-high heat.

When the eggplant and onion have softened, add the garlic. Garlic is actually quite delicate and burns easily, so the best flavor comes when you add it at the end. Throw in the garlic, thyme, sea salt, and the lemon juice. Cook that until you smell the fragrance of the garlic and thyme over medium heat. Your mouth should be watering at this point, that's when you know it's ready to throw in the blender. I use an immersion blender (invented in Spain, they're very proud of it...and for good reason!). I put the pan mixture, a few more tablespoons of olive oil, and the fresh chopped parsley in the blender container and I whizzed that until smooth. Your eggplant spread is finished! Now toast up some baguette or find some pappadums.

I cooked up some pappadums, which are a type of indian flatbread that you fry until it is crunchy and bubbly and then you eat it with rice, tandoori, curry, or of course eggplant spread! I fell in love with pappadums for the first time at Shalimar restaurant out on Hurstborne Pkwy. where they come as the first course-- their answer to chips and salsa. I think you're supposed to eat them with the meal, but they are gone before we even order off of the menu. If you're ever in the neighborhood, the Indian supermarket nextdoor to Shalimar is really great as well. Load up on those spicy Indian snacks, mmmmm!

Now let's make a...

Summer pasta with fresh tomato sauce!
Juice from half a lemon
1/4 onion, grated
2 ripe tomatoes, grated
1 finely chopped green pepper
Oregano
Sea salt
Black pepper

To start this off, you need to grate the onion and combine it with the lemon juice in a separate bowl. The acid from the lemon neutralizes the sting of the raw onion, which would kill the sweetness of the tomato. We're not making a pico de gallo here, so we need to mute the onion a bit. Let that sit aside, covered with the lemon half if you want.

Grate the tomatoes now, this will give you a fresh tomato sauce (also a great way to prepare traditional tomato sauce without all the chunks). Drizzle olive oil and salt to your taste. Add that beautiful chopped pepper to add another layer of flavor. Finally, add the sweet onion and lemon juice. Mix all together and add the oregano, black pepper, and if you need more salt you can do so here.

You should have some pasta at the ready. Boil it in salted water for some more flavor. You don't have to add olive oil because we don't really have low-quality pastas like that on the market anymore, even store brands can hold their own against sticking. I like the tri-colored vegetable pasta because of its color and also really great flavor, also I used fusilli because the ridges can catch and hold the sauce. Cook it up and let it cool, or let it sit in a cold water bath to cool down. I didn't have a problem with sticking using this method.

Serve it up with a nice, crunchy bread, and if you have some eggplant spread that survived appetizers, that is also a great accompaniment.

In honor of the game today, on to the grilled cheese. These little nibblies are great for game day because they are cheezy, crunchy, and best of all, it is finger food!

Grilled cheese with Pimentón
Baguette, or rustic bread with a soft inside
Swiss cheese, or your favorite melting cheese
Butter
Pimentón (smoked paprika)

Heat up that grill, or if you don't have one, a skillet would work too.
Slice the bread into uniform pieces, or as close as you can make that happen. You know what, if you go to Breadworks on Bardstown Road (or any of their locations), they will cut the loaf for you. I believe any good bakery would do that. Melt some butter and brush it on the side of the bread that will be touching the pan. Slice some cheese and place that in between the bread. I feel like I'm a little insulting explaining this, but grill on both sides until it is ready and plate it up. Sprinkle the pimentón over the little sandwiches.

Alternatively, you could mix up the pimentón with the butter and smear that on the bread before you grill it. Nom nom.

Enjoy! and, for the fans... ¡Viva España!

Listening to Jazz Insights with Danny O'Brien on WFPK Radio Louisville