In Jennie's Kitchen

A Real Winner: Sweet & Savory Tomato Jam

 

My twitter pals know why I was whistling dixie yesterday. While on vacation I took a few minutes to enter my tomato jam recipe into the weekly contest for best preserves over at Food 52. Well guess what (ok, you probably figured out but please entertain me)? I won. And the crazy thing is with all my accomplishments, this one means more than you can imagine. Not only was it chosen by the amazing duo of Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs—the community cast the votes, so it means I reached real people. That's why I started blogging almost three years ago. What started as a way to connect and share my life experiences with friends and family, has blossomed into In Jennie's Kitchen. Like my tag line says, it's all about "making meals easier, one recipe at a time". Just because you have children doesn't mean you have to sacrifice quality and flavor. And for those who say they can't cook, I say if you can boil water, saute some garlic, add tomatoes and fresh basil, then yes, you can!

On that note, here's the winning recipe and you won't believe how easy it is to make. Patience is a virtue here, so get ready to catch up on Mad Men, Top Chef, or whatever you kids watch these days while it's simmering on the stove. And thanks again to everyone in the Food 52 community who made this gal from Brooklyn so very proud and bursting with joy.

Sweet & Savory Tomato Jam
Makes 1 ½ pints

Just enough sweetness to tow the line between a condiment for roasted and grilled meats and a treat to slather on toasted baguette, this is a great way to preserve summer's bounty.

3 1/2 lbs tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 cup cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup finely diced tart green apple

Put all ingredients in a 2-quart pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until thickened and jam-like consistency, about 3 hours. Transfer to sterilized glass jars and store in refrigerator for up to two weeks, or use a hot-water canning bath for 15 minutes for long-term storage.

Add all these ingredients to a pot...

and a few hours later, this is your reward.

Bonus Round: As if one win wasn't enough to make me squeal with delight, this recipe for Seriously Delicious Ribs was chosen as the wildcard winner at Food 52 this week too.

 

 

Market Treasures: Ground Cherry Tomatoes

Hidden inside a papery husk and no bigger than my thumbnail, these ground cherry tomatoes have a delicate pineapple flavor. I first tasted them almost ten years ago at the Union Square Greenmarket. I had the chance to introduce this old friend to my kids at the Grand Army Plaza Market in Brooklyn this past weekend. My 6 year old who could care less about tomatoes, popped one from its husk and loved it. They're expensive at $4 a half pint but the taste is so unique and season is so fleeting, it's worth the splurge. You can add them to salads, skewer on toothpicks with bocconcini and fresh basil leaves, or just eat them as-is. And if you're a gardener, seeds are available from Trade Winds Fruit.

 

Zucchini Potato Hash

The irony of being a food writer is that some days I forget to eat lunch. Crazy and seemingly impossible, I know, but especially true when I'm testing desserts all day. A few weeks back, the hunger started kicking in, so I went to my old standby and took out some eggs (you know they're a nutritional powerhouse, right?). Looking for a companion on the plate, I rummaged through the fridge and found some zucchini from the farmer's market. I also spied some new potatoes and onions, so they came along for the ride. I had the makings for what is now known in my house as zucchini potato hash. A fresh handful of basil from the backyard gave it a nice spicy kick. Just the boost I needed too to get on with the rest of my workday.

Panzanella + thoughts on the Northeast late blight

As you all know, I finally started a real vegetable garden this year. I've determined that while I'm quite adept at killing other plant life, the eggplant, snow peas, collard greens, basil, celery, and jalapenos have escaped my grim reaper thumb. Then this late blight hits the Northeast in astonishingly lightening speed. So far my plants look okay, but I'm watching them closely. Like many people this year, I'm a first time gardener. I never expected to grow enough to feed my family for the season. My real intent was to complete the farm to table cycle. I'd always respected farmers for the long hours and hard work. Some crops are naturals, like my snow peas. They grow fast and plentiful. Others you have to sit and patiently watch and wait. It really does humble you and deepen your respect for nature.

Good Morning Garden

It's been almost three months since I ventured out into the wilderness. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, since the great outdoors is only a 400 square foot back yard in Brooklyn, but gardening and I have never been a perfect pair. While I can cook up anything that comes from the ground, most living plants suffer a deadly fate under my care. Things are looking up though. The vegetable garden I planted on Mother's Day (thanks to my in-laws for the generous check that got it all started) is doing better than I expected.

The eggplant is finally blooming, having started as beautiful lavendar flowers. The tiny white flowers on the jalapeno plant blossomed into spicy peppers that gave a kick to my pico de gallo last week. And even though it sounds like tomatoes have a doomed fate in the northeast, I've got some coming in. Look, there's even celery.

 

Our farm to table lessons have been realized at many a meal. Early in the season we enjoyed salads using red leaf and romaine lettuces—incredibly easy to grow. Dishes have been seasoned with parsley and basil. The first batch of collard greens were hot and smoky, after cooking down with a generous amount of Tabasco and bacon. My big fear is the tomatoes will be ready while we're away in Cape Cod for two weeks, but that'll just ensure our neighbors visit often to water the rest of the backyard.

Here's what didn't work. Brussel sprouts and broccoli. I'm sure the lackluster results for these crops were operator error. While the broccoli did bloom, the heads were so tiny, I would've needed to plant way too much to yield anything worthwhile. I'm guessing there are different varieties. I don't like to think of myself as a quitter, but next year I'm just going to use that space for extra collards.

 

Related Recipes

Backyard Basil Pesto

Farm to Table Lunch