Flashback Friday - Green Tomato Relish

This post originally appeared on Minxeats.com on July 23, 2013.

We've planted tomatoes in containers for several years now. The smaller, miniature varieties grow like gangbusters, but the full-sized fruits are always a disappointment. This year, we put in a raised bed garden and planted it with several types of large tomatoes. They're growing well - yay! But not wanting to have more ripe tomatoes than we can handle at one time, I've been culling them while green. There's only so many times one feels like fussing with fried green tomatoes, so I wanted to do something different. Easier. I thought maybe a green tomato relish could be interesting, but when I looked for recipes on the Web, all I found were supersweet versions that would be best used on a hot dog. I wanted something far more subtle, something slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and not at all pickle-tasting.

Basically, I chopped my green tomatoes, added a bare minimum of seasoning, and was pretty satisfied with that. I served it over pan-seared salmon and barley "Alfredo." (Prepare a package of quick cooking barley, drain and add a big blob of butter, a couple tablespoons of heavy cream, and a handful of grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well, season to taste.)

Green Tomato Relish

olive oil
3 green tomatoes, cut in small dice
1 tablespoon diced onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add tomatoes and onion. Cook for a minute or so, then add the garlic. Stir frequently for another minute, then add the brown sugar and vinegar. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and hot sauce (I like Tabasco's green jalapeno sauce for this) to taste. If you feel the tomatoes need more sugar or vinegar, then add to taste. Cook for another minute or so. The tomatoes should still be somewhat crisp.

Store in the refrigerator in a covered jar until ready to use.



Posted on Minxeats.com.




Posted on Minxeats.com.

Cowboy Meatloaf

The Classic Catering People, based in Owings Mills, Maryland, have been in business for a lot of years. They are the Ravens official training facility caterer, and they own Miss Shirley's. And they have a lot of recipes in their files, some of which they shared with us.

We had to test 'em out first, of course. Snowpocalypse/Snowmageddon/Snowzilla 2016 Edition seemed a good time to try the meatloaf recipe, supplied by chef John Walsh. With chorizo sausage in addition to the usual pork and beef, the dish was spectacular, tender and moist with lots of meaty flavor, a nice hit of herbaceousness, and a mild sweetness. Mr Minx said it was better than his (and his is fan-freaking-tastic). I'm not willing to go that far, but I will say that I would definitely make this recipe again.

As with most recipes, they're a guideline, not a law. Me being me, I made some adjustments, based on personal taste and on what I had in my pantry. (The recipe below includes the proportions exactly as given to me by TCCP.) I felt 1/2 cup soy and 2 teaspoons salt would be too much, so I cut the amounts of both ingredients by half. We don't have pre-ground pepper and rather than take 15 minutes turning the peppermill to produce 1 1/2 teaspoons (especially with sore arms from spending at least six hours of shoveling snow), I just put in a couple of cranks. Also, I'm not a huge thyme fan, so used only about 1 1/2 tablespoons rather than 1/4 cup (and that still seemed a bit much to my palate. YMMV). Finally, rather than open a whole package of bacon just for four slices, I smeared on a couple tablespoons of bacon jam before adding the bay leaves. Of course, if you don't have bacon jam on hand, you'll just have to use bacon strips.

Cowboy Meatloaf with Chorizo Sausage
By Chef John Walsh of The Classic Catering People
Serves 8

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium celery rib, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1/4 pound raw chorizo sausage (loose, removed from casings if in link form)
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 1/2 pound ground pork  

3 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh thyme

1/3 cup finely chopped basil

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ketchup (divided use)
1/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup Panko crumbs

3 bay leaves
4 slices of bacon
1/8 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a large heavy skillet and cook onion, garlic, celery, and carrot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low; cook until carrot is tender, another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soy sauce, allspice, salt, and pepper.

Place chorizo in a large bowl with the ground beef and pork. Add cooked vegetable mixture, eggs, thyme, basil, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, heavy cream, and panko, and mix well to combine.

Form mixture into an oval loaf in a 13- by 9-inch shallow baking dish. Lay bay leaves on top and shingle bacon strips over loaf. Mix 1/4 cup ketchup and brown sugar together and coat the top of the meatloaf.

Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meatloaf registers 155°F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Remove bay leaves before serving.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Spicy Smoky Beet Ketchup

I tell ya, even getting a small CSA box leaves one with a ton of veggies and fruits to use up before they go bad. Every time I open the crisper drawer, I spot something else that needs to be cooked. "Oh yeah - those Chioggia beets! I forgot all about them!" Mr Minx had cooked up the tops and combined them with organic kale, but left the root part for me. He's not a big fan of beets, and the three beets I was now staring at were enormous--no way I was going to eat them without assistance.

So I made ketchup. As with everything I cook, I think "why the hell not?" I've had mango ketchup and banana ketchup. Beets are sweet, too, and red. Like ketchup. Chioggia beets are pink though, so to up the color, I added balsamic vinegar. And, of course, brown sugar and spices. I always think ketchup tastes like cloves, but those little suckers are pungent. I didn't want to go overboard, so I just added a pinch. After tasting my concoction, I added a bit of smoked paprika and cayenne, for oomph. You can add more cayenne, if you want, but I thought a small amount was more prudent.

The texture, after pureeing, is rather thick and spoonable, rather than pourable. Heinz ain't got nothing on homemade.

We served the ketchup on lamb burgers, and it was really delicious. I think beet bbq sauce made with beet ketchup might be the next step.

Spicy, Smoky Beet Ketchup

2 cups chopped roasted beets
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch ground cloves

Place the beets, garlic, and vinegars in a saucepan and stir to combine. Turn heat on to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until beets are tender. Stir in seasonings and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Puree mixture in a food processor or blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Green Tomato Relish

We've planted tomatoes in containers for several years now. The smaller, miniature varieties grow like gangbusters, but the full-sized fruits are always a disappointment. This year, we put in a raised bed garden and planted it with several types of large tomatoes. They're growing well - yay! But not wanting to have more ripe tomatoes than we can handle at one time, I've been culling them while green. There's only so many times one feels like fussing with fried green tomatoes, so I wanted to do something different. Easier. I thought maybe a green tomato relish could be interesting, but when I looked for recipes on the Web, all I found were supersweet versions that would be best used on a hot dog. I wanted something far more subtle, something slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and not at all pickle-tasting.

Basically, I chopped my green tomatoes, added a bare minimum of seasoning, and was pretty satisfied with that. I served it over pan-seared salmon and barley "Alfredo." (Prepare a package of quick cooking barley, drain and add a big blob of butter, a couple tablespoons of heavy cream, and a handful of grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well, season to taste.)

Green Tomato Relish

olive oil
3 green tomatoes, cut in small dice
1 tablespoon diced onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add tomatoes and onion. Cook for a minute or so, then add the garlic. Stir frequently for another minute, then add the brown sugar and vinegar. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and hot sauce (I like Tabasco's green jalapeno sauce for this) to taste. If you feel the tomatoes need more sugar or vinegar, then add to taste. Cook for another minute or so. The tomatoes should still be somewhat crisp.

Store in the refrigerator in a covered jar until ready to use.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Flashback Friday - September 7, 2012

This post was originally published on July 27, 2009. I have eaten a ton of blueberries so far this year, but haven't actually cooked with them, apart from some lackluster blueberry muffins (from a Top Cheftestant cookbook, no less). Maybe I should make some more ketchup?
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Blueberry Ketchup?

This weekend I got adventurous with blueberries.

I love blueberries and whenever I find them on sale at the supermarket, I buy several pints. They're not just for pancakes and muffins - blueberries are great in sauces and with savory items, too. Plus they're high in antioxidants, so shouldn't one eat as many as possible, especially in season?

I was feeling like a burger, and we had ground lamb in the freezer. What goes with burgers but ketchup? How about blueberry ketchup? And to make it more exotic, I gussied everything up with spices from the East. I stopped short of making my own hamburger buns, but knew we had seeded rye and there's always a selection of cheese in our fridge. Patty melt! Mmmm...always loved those. So here's my version, featuring blueberry ketchup!

The smoky hot mayo and sweet ketchup paired perfectly with the burger, which was somewhat spicy but retained a lot of luscious lamb flavor. I pan-fried the meat but think it would be even better on the grill.

Moorish Patty Melt with Manchego Cheese, Smoky Hot Mayo, and Blueberry Ketchup

1 lb ground lamb
1 T minced onion
1 T minced fresh cilantro
1 T minced fresh mint
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground cumin
1/4 t hot paprika
1/2 t Sriracha or other hot sauce
1/2 kosher salt
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
manchego cheese

Blend first 10 ingredients together and form into patties. Grill or pan fry in a tiny bit of oil until done to your likeness. When burgers are almost done, top with manchego cheese and allow it to melt.

Blueberry Ketchup

1 pint blueberries (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 T minced onion
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 T lime juice
1/2 t ground ginger
1/8 t salt
1/8 t freshly ground pepper
1/8 t ground cardamom

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer until the blueberries pop and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly, then pour the mixture into a bowl through a strainer, pressing hard on the solids to mash them. Add the mashed solids to the bowl and stir well.

Pour ketchup into a glass jar or bowl. Chill until thickened, 3-4 hours. Makes about 1 pint.

Smoky Hot Mayo

1/4 t ground chipotle
1/4 t Spanish smoked paprika
2 T mayonnaise (I used Kewpie)

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl. Place in fridge at least 30 mins to allow flavors to meld.

To assemble sandwich:

Rye bread
sautéed onions
thinly sliced fresh tomato and lettuce, if desired

Lightly toast rye bread. Spread generously with Smoky Mayo. Top with lamb patty, sautéed onions, a dollop of Blueberry Ketchup, lettuce and tomato. Top with second slice of toasted rye.

Serve with Blueberry Ketchup for dipping. Serves 2.

I made some edamame succotash and "crash hot potatoes" on the side. (the potatoes were fantastic tasting AND fantastically simple.)

Posted on Minxeats.com.