Tag Archives: canned tomatoes

Cooking Class

Temecula Olive Oil Co., Seal Beach

November Class

Thur. Nov. 12th
6:30-8:30 (approximately)
Braciole

 

Smoked Trout Canapés with Pickled Onions and Mascarpone

Pomegranate, Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Salad

Braciole

Italian Stuffed Beef Rolls

Mushroom Bolognese

Chocolate Raspberry Linzertorte

 

10 – 20% off on all purchases the night of the class

 

 

Class Sponsored by

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NOW TAKING RESERVATIONS!

Seal Beach Tasting Room By Reservation only, call: 562-296-5421

Classes are $45; Pre Paid Reservations only

Feel free to BYOB

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Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce

Heirloom-Tomatoes-6086

 

Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce

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Serves 6, enough to sauce 1 to 1 1/2 pounds pasta

  • 2 pounds tomatoes, or 2 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes, cut up, with juice
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
  • Salt to taste

Combine the tomatoes and juice in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and a pinch of salt.

Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with a spoon. Add salt as needed.

Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for the table.

Minestrone Soup

minestronesoup

 

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This is my favorite cold weather soup, I love it with a little squeeze of lemon juice, it brightens up all the flavors in the soup. Served with a big chunk of homemade bread, it’s a meal all of it’s own. Make a big pot, the flavors get better the second day as it all marries together.

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, approximately
  • 1/4 pound diced pancetta*
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, minced
  • 2 stalks celery, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced
  • 1 can roma tomatoes, crushed, 15 oz.
  • 2 quarts chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, crushed or ground, or as needed
  • 2 salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups cooked mixed beans, red kidney, cannelini, black and borlotti
  • ¼ pound small pasta, cooked and cooled
  • 1 cup Swiss chard or spinach, chopped
  • 1 lemon, juiced, to taste
  • ½ cup pesto sauce or
  • 2 tablespoons Chef Debbi's Romano Herb Seasoning Mix**
  • Parmigianno-Reggiano, for garnish

Serves 6

Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil; when hot add pancetta and sauté until lightly browned. If needed, add another tablespoons of oil and onions, carrots, celery; sauté until the vegetables are translucent, approximately 3 - 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and parsley and then add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Season to taste with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.

If using canned beans, rinse and drain them before adding to the soup. Add Swiss chard or spinach to the soup and cook until slightly wilted. Add pasta and lemon juice, stir to mix well, adjust the seasoning and ladle into bowls.

Swirl a little pesto on top or Debbi's Romano herb mix and garnish with Parmigianno-Reggiano.

*Omit for vegetarian version

**Romano Herb Seasoning Mix available www.debskitchen.com

Cioppino

Cioppino

Image: Wikipedia

 

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San Francisco style cioppino will warm you up on a cold day; serve with warm crusty bread and you could even imagine you heard a foghorn. This is my adaptation of a favorite dish, don’t let the long list of ingredients dissuade you; this is quite easy to make.

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups dry white wine
  • 1 quart chicken stock, or fish stock
  • 1 lg. can whole plum tomatoes with juice
  • 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro -- chopped
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 pound white fish, halibut, sea bass, cut into large pieces
  • 1 pound small clams, washed
  • ½ pound calamari, cleaned and sliced
  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 pound Dungeness crab, cut into 3-4” pieces, shell on
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • ¼ cup lemon zest
  • red pepper flakes, optional
  • Lemon wedges

Serves 6

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add oil and butter; when butter has melted, add onion and celery; sauté until translucent. Add garlic and stir briefly, do not brown. Add wine, stock, tomatoes with juice, herbs, lemon zest and salt and pepper; bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Add fish and clams to simmering broth, cover and cook 5 minutes.

Add calamari and shrimp, cook until shrimp are barely pink; then add crab and press gently to immerse in broth; cover and cook just

until hot, 2 to 3 minutes.

Ladle cioppino into wide bowls and sprinkle with parsley and lemon zest. Serve with lots of crusty bread and lemon wedges.

Paella

 

Paella-0177

 

Paella

Print
  • 1 package chicken thighs
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 shallot, minced or ½ onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
  • 4 cups short grain Spanish rice
  • 6 cups stock, warmed with a generous pinch of saffron thread
  • 1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
  • 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
  • 1-2 pound mussels
  • 1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Heat oil in a paella or sided sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to the chicken and brown skin-side down both sides. Remove from pan and reserve.

In the same pan, make a sofrito by sautéing the shallot, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Add the wine and cook until it reduces some, about 5 minutes, stir in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Add the crushed tomatoes and stock and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, clams, mussels and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. Let the paella simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 10 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan add the peas.

Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

Paella for a Crowd

Having a houseful of people for days at a time can be tough to figure out just what to feed everyone. I love quick and easy dishes that don’t require a lot of my time or attention. Once you get all the ingredients into the pan, it’s an easy go. You don’t even need a paella pan, a regular sauté pan or even a large electric skillet works beautifully.

Paella-0177

You’ll want to use Spanish rice and Spanish saffron if you can for the best flavor but any short grain rice will do nicely such as an Italian Arborio which can be found in your local supermarket. Sauté a little shallot, preferred, or onion, garlic and infuse some chicken or vegetable stock with the saffron to start. Choose some protein to mix into the rice such as chicken, shrimp, scallops, mussels or chorizo and the dish comes together quickly. Follow the recipe or be creative and enjoy your company for the weekend! Mangia~

Chicken and Shellfish Paella

1 package chicken thighs
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 shallot, minced or ½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish
½ cup white wine
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
4 cups short grain Spanish rice
6 cups stock, warmed with a generous pinch of saffron thread
1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1-2 pound mussels
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
Lemon wedges, for serving

Heat oil in a paella or sided sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to the chicken and brown skin-side down both sides. Remove from pan and reserve.

In the same pan, make a sofrito by sautéing the shallot, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Add the wine and cook until it reduces some, about 5 minutes, stir in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Add the crushed tomatoes and stock and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, clams, mussels and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. Let the paella simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 10 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan add the peas.

Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

Windrose Farm

windrose-farm-valley copy

I met Barbara and Bill Spencer sometime around 2004 when I was scouting heirloom tomatoes from Paso Robles farmers market. Barbara invited me out to the farm and so my husband and I trekked out there one morning. We didn’t want to disrupt their farm work but yet they stopped working when we arrived and gave us a thorough tour of their lovely little farm. It is such a peaceful unique farm you just want to lie down in the grass and daydream watching the clouds pass by. But a farmers work is never done and we wanted to get out of their way so they could return to their chores. Absolutely not! They insisted we stay for lunch and Bill pulled a beautiful roasted mutton out of the refrigerator and a loaf of freshly baked bread, yes Bill makes his own bread! Barbara foraged for greens and veggies for a salad and whipped up a delicious little dressing. We ate and chatted about life and the farm for what seemed like all afternoon and with sadness had to depart and leave this magical place.

bill bread 2

 

I host several tours to Cambria and Paso Robles and I always finish the tour on Sunday with a day at Windrose Farm with Bill and Barbara. No-one ever wants to leave! I wish all of you could join us for a weekend discovering food and wine and a central coast lifestyle but if you can’t, I’d like to share a piece of Windrose Farm with you. Following is an excerpt from their website and a glimpse inside the magic of Windrose Farm. Join us Oct 24th – Oct 26th for a trip that includes a visit to Windrose.
Windrose is a small family farm located east of Paso Robles and tucked into a unique valley of 50 acres, 12 are in vegetable rotations, 6 are in apples and stone fruit and 5 are sheep pasture. The rest is habitat – full of animal, bird and insect life.

Owners Bill and Barbara Spencer have been certified organic from August 1999 to 2009, but are currently transitioning to biodynamic! The farm has been “clean” for twenty years; since its purchase in 1990.

Cambria Tour-4848

In 1993 Windrose began going to the Farmer’s Markets with produce from their first small market garden. Having already discovered the enjoyment of growing many “specialty” varieties of vegetables – most particularly heirloom tomatoes and potatoes, they also found they loved selling to wonderful restaurants as well as to their friends at Farmer’s Markets.
In addition to tomatoes and potatoes, Windrose grows onions, garlic, green and dry beans, peppers, eggplant, winter squash, carrots, turnips, beets, cucumbers, melons and many varieties of greens. They also have apples and stone fruit. Their little valley is a unique micro-climate that is good for the diverse crops of lilacs, apples, super-sweet onions and melons.
Bill & Barbara state that “The longer we farm, the more enthralled we are with the old traditional seeds and plants. We strive as much as possible to use open-pollinated or heirloom varieties and have begun our own seed-saving program. Every day brings us more knowledge and a stronger belief in the principals and practices of sustainable organic farming. It is complex and labor-intensive – but the burst of life in the soil and the habitat of our little valley is astonishing.”

 

Our Philosophy

Barbara and Bill have often sought to better explain their philosophy about the environment that is Windrose Farm.

In this years Biodynamic calendar we found the following by Patrick Holden, a soils expert, long time organic farmer and advocate of the ‘biodynamic‘ philosophy:

“We subscribe to Rudolph Steiner’s* philosophy that the farm should be seen as an ecosystem in its own right, and that our striving should be to move towards building and maintaining plant and animal communities, which are ecologically suited to its unique combination of soil, climate and place.”

Barbara and Bill cherish their time at the ecosystem that is Windrose and sharing the bounty that it produces.
* Rudolph Steiner founder and creator of the “Biodynamic philosophy and principles.

Visit Windrose Farm at www.windrosefarm.org 

 Join Chef Debbi and The Debettes for our

Fall Farm, Food and Wine Tour

of California’s Central Coast

for more info click here

Gazpacho with Avocado

gazpacho-shooters

Gazpacho

Serves 2-4

1 small red onion
2 small cucumbers
2 ribs celery
1 small jalapeno, optional
1 roasted red bell pepper
6 medium tomatoes
1 cup French bread, cut into cubes and soaked in a little water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, zested
1 Tablespoon lemon juice, to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ Hass avocado, chopped

Rough chop the vegetables and add to a blender, for a chunkier texture process in a food processor instead of a blender.

Squeeze the water from the French bread cubes and add to a blender along with the vegetables. Add olive oil and vinegar and blend to a puree. Season with salt, pepper (if needed), lemon juice, zest and Worcestershire sauce. Refrigerate over night for best flavor.

To serve, check for seasoning again before pouring into a bowl. Garnish the top of the soup with the chopped avocado.

Goes very well with a nicely toasted slice of cheesy garlic bread.

 

What do you do with a bumper crop of tomatoes?

IMG_1189I usually freeze my tomatoes until I have time later to make sauce, ketchup or just can some chopped tomatoes for later use. (I freeze them by washing and drying them, placing them on a baking sheet and freezing until solid. No, I do not peel or seed them as the skin comes off easily when they are defrosted. Once frozen, I place into an airtight freezer bag and return to the freezer. This allows me to defrost one or ten, however many I need at the time.)

I like to do ‘small batch’ canning, which means I can do a few jars at a time. Of course when my tomatoes come in all at once, I haul out the big canner and fill it up. The basic procedure for canning small or large batches is the same only the equipment varies slightly. If I’m canning a small batch instead of the big canner, I can usually use a large stockpot, deep enough for the water to cover the jars by 2″. I use a cake rack for the bottom of the stockpot so the jars don’t sit on the bottom of the pot where they could possibly break. That’s it!

Tomatoes-I do not peel or seed my tomatoes, just pack them raw
Tomato juice (you could also use hot water)
Lemons
Sea salt
Fresh herbs, optional

383374For Processing Tomatoes You will need:

  1. A stockpot or regular canner (tall enough so the jars are submerged by 2″ while processing)
  2. A rack for the bottom of the stockpot or canner
  3. Canning lifters (for jars & for lids), wide mouth funnel
  4. Canning jars, lids and screw bands
  5. Several clean tea towels
  6. Baking sheet

Place the rack in the bottom of your stockpot. Make sure to choose a deep enough pot so that the jars will be covered 2″ of water.

Fill the pot with water and begin to bring to a boil. Line a baking sheet with a clean tea towel.

Wash and dry the jars, lids and screw bands. Place lids into a small saucepan with hot water.

Prepare tomatoes by washing and lying out on a towel to air dry (they don’t have to be totally dry). If desired, cut tomatoes into quarters and set aside. I don’t peel or seed my tomatoes before packing as the skin comes right off when I take them out of the jar. If I don’t want to use the seeds, I simply strain them out.

Heat jars by placing them into the stockpot while you bring the water to a boil. Remove them to the cloth lined baking sheet when you are ready to fill with tomatoes. (The water in the stockpot should be boiling or very close to it).

Place one or two slices of lemon on the bottom of your jar.

Fill your jars with tomatoes, really squish them in there, and use a wooden spoon to smash them down. Add a sprinkle of sea salt and a tablespoon of lemon juice (from a real lemon). You can also add herbs such as basil, thyme or parsley. Using a plastic knife or chopstick, slide it down the side of the jar removing any air bubbles. Add tomato juice to cover the tomatoes and a slice of lemon at the top of the jar before sealing. Leave a 1/2″ headspace.

IMG_0807Wipe the top of the jar, removing any debris from the screw area and the top of the jar. Place the lid and the screw top on the jar, closing only finger tight, and place on the rack in the canner or stockpot. Make sure the jars are covered by 2″ water, bring to a boil and time for 40 minutes (for pints) or 45 (for qts). The water must be boiling the entire 40 minutes or you’ll need to restart the timer from the beginning. Remove to a cloth lined baking sheet and let cool for 24 hours before moving.

After 24 hours, if the center of the lid still moves up and down the jar has not sealed properly. You can reprocess this jar once or just put it in the refrigerator and use within a few days.

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