AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Where There's Smoke, There's Deliciousness (Recipe: Roasted Wellfleet Clams with Smoked Tomatoes) DATE: 9/14/2009 10:30:00 AM ----- BODY:

How do you smoke a turkey? From the butt-end.... ba-da-bum!
(Thanks goodness I have a day job!)

When I preserve tomatoes for the winter, I stew a case for all-purpose cooking, and smoke a case for a more jazzy supply. The smoked tomatoes add depth to so many of my favorite dishes, including -- Beef Stew, Chicken Enchiladas, Ricotta Ravioli with Tomato Sauce.

I don't have a proper smoker, but I use my Weber Charcoal Grill. While the fire is blazing in the grill, I soak 2 cups of apple wood chips in water or wine. Just as the fire starts to wind down, I drain the wood chips, and toss them on the smoldering charcoal. I replace the cooking grate, and fill it with tomatoes (and as I did the other night -- also jalapenos and chicken). I'm careful to place the food away from the direct heat. I don't want the food to cook too quickly. And, should there be a flare-up, I don't want the food to burn. I cover the grill, leaving the vents just cracked open... and walk away for at least 30 minutes.

With the smoked tomatoes, I make another summer-time favorite, enjoying the last few sparkles of the warm weather....

Roasted Wellfleet Clams with Smoked Tomatoes and Grilled Bread
2 tablespoons butter
1 onions sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 dozen Wellfleet or other littleneck clams
3 smoked tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
4 slices of crusty bread for grilling

1. In a large skillet, over medium - high heat, melt butter. Add onions and garlic and cook until they're soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add clams and toss in butter/onion mix until well coated and the clam shells begin to roast
3. Add tomatoes and white wine. Cover pan, and cook for 5 minutes or until all the clams have opened.
4. Toast or grill bread
5. Serve clams with grilled bread for soaking up all the yummy juices.

Optional: Serve with grilled corn and/or chicken.

Labels: clams, smoking, tomatoes

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types DATE:9/14/2009 04:08:00 PM Ah, the secret of the smoked tomatoes, and they are delicious! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

noble pig DATE:9/14/2009 05:06:00 PM I am laughing at the joke but my goodness this looks delicious...smoked tomatoes...mmm. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

adele DATE:9/15/2009 08:51:00 AM Smoked tomatoes? I like this idea... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:9/15/2009 07:25:00 PM Love the addition of a smoky flavor with clams, without having to use bacon. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:9/17/2009 09:16:00 AM T.W. -- glad you liked the tomatoes! What have you used them with?

noble pig -- I'm glad someone appreciates my warped sense of humor.

adele -- they're addictive.

Lydia -- exactly! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: More Adventures in Smoking: Bluefish DATE: 10/11/2008 02:45:00 PM ----- BODY:

There are several truths in my culinary world: everything fried tastes better and everything smoked tastes better. Obviously, there are exceptions to the rule – thinking about all the fresh vegetables coming out of the garden and about that smoked oil.

Bluefish fits perfectly into that rule. Some people enjoy it fresh, but with a strong, oily flavor it’s better suited to smoking and more universally liked that way. I love having little snacks in the fridge for when unexpected guests come over, and smoked bluefish is a great option. Whole Foods sells smoked bluefish pâté but I was wholly disappointed to discover it contains high fructose corn syrup. The only solution is to make my own.

Smoked Bluefish Pâté
To smoke bluefish: Season ½ pound filet with salt, pepper and a little sugar. Start a charcoal fire on the grill. Meanwhile, soak wood chips in water. When charcoal fire starts to fade, prepare to smoke and move quickly: Drain wood chips and toss on top of the embers. Replace the grate on top of the grill and put the bluefish on the grate… away from the fire. Close the grill and the vents on top – leave the vents on the bottom open. Let fish smoke for 30 minutes or more.

In a food processor fitted with a plastic blade, combine bluefish with 4 ounces cream cheese, 1 tablespoon brandy, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Pulse to combine. Stir in chopped scallions. Serve with crackers.

Labels: dips, fish, recipes, smoking

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:10/12/2008 07:05:00 AM My first taste of smoked bluefish pate was from Legal Seafoods, soon after we moved to Boston 30 years ago. I found it completely addictive, and we used to buy it at their fish market all the time. I haven't had it for years, but now I'm craving... ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Adventures in Smoking DATE: 10/09/2008 02:10:00 PM ----- BODY:

Welcome to my journey of culinary exploration. What started as a way to incorporate more bacon into my diet, ended in a discovery of a new taste sensation!

It all started with a post by Canary Girl. She wrote about bacon mayonnaise: mayonnaise made with rendered bacon fat instead of the usual vegetable oil. I was beside myself with the genius of this idea. But as I thought about it, the logistics seemed somewhat challenging. Bacon grease solidifies at room temperature which would make it seemingly difficult to emulsify into mayo. The really beauty of the idea, my thought- process continued, is the smoky, salty fat. So if I made “smoked” oil, then I could make mayo without bacon – and have a recipe that my non-pork eating friends would like.

Given my history of setting fires in other people’s kitchen, smoking oil wasn’t one of my better ideas. This is what I did… I lit a charcoal fire (yes, that’s right, open flame) in the Weber grill on the patio. When the embers started to fade, I threw on soaked wood chips. I put the grate on, and on the side without the flame, I put on a pot of canola oil. Oh, and as long as I was smoking, I put a second pan with home grown chilies and more oil. Thank goodness I’m still here to tell the tale, because I could have created a massive fire. But I didn’t and I ended up with some smoky oil and chilies.

With the oil, I made mayonnaise. Unfortunately, it tasted like the bottom of an ashtray. It probably would have been better with equal parts regular oil and smoked oil. As I recounted my tale to my neighbors they mentioned yet another brilliant idea: popcorn in bacon fat! And so the culinary journey continued…….

I rendered bacon over low heat – wanting to release the fat without crisping the bacon.

When enough fat coated the bottom of the pan, I added the corn kernels. While the corn popped, the bacon continued to crisp. After 10 minutes, I had fluffy popcorn mixed with crispy bacon bits. A quick toss with salt… The bacon flavor was good, but very subtle – I had used three slices for 1 cup of popcorn. Next time, I will need to use more bacon.

Since I also had the smoked chili oil, I decided to pop corn in that. Now THAT was delicious. Surprisingly smoky and unexpectedly spicy, it was a great success for pre-dinner cocktail snacks. Thanks to Canary Girl for inspiring this journey!

Labels: culinary experimentations, smoking

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:10/09/2008 05:27:00 PM Popcorn in bacon fat on Yom Kippur? Oy Vey! What a shanda. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:10/10/2008 09:24:00 AM Bishop22, SSSHHHHH! Don't tell my parents. I guess I should have done a better job of timing this post, eh? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:10/11/2008 06:28:00 AM OK, I was thinking the same thing! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:10/12/2008 03:16:00 AM Bacon popcorn!? YUM. I'm glad the post was inspiring! :D ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Beer Can Chicken DATE: 8/29/2008 01:13:00 PM ----- BODY:

Last week Dina called to say she was having a few people over for dinner and had bought 2 whole chickens to roast. I’m not sure how I got to be so bold, but I suggested she make Beer Can Chicken. Great, she said, as long as you’re the one to do it. Not sure how my day would progress, I tentatively agreed.

I don’t typically buy beer at Whole Foods (much less any beer), but I was there for other things so I thought I’d just buy it there. I was perusing the beer case, when a “team member” offered assistance in my search.

“I’m looking for a beer to make beer can chicken with,” I said.

“What???” he replied.

“You’ve never heard of beer-can chicken??” I asked stunned.

“Nope, what is it?”

“It’s when you stick a can of beer up the chicken’s bum and cook it on the grill,” I answered.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

We settled on Narragansett Bay. The cans were a bit tall, but the flavor profile was just right for such a dish.

Back at Dina’s house, dinner preparations were a bit harried. I didn’t arrive until 6:30 and guests were expected at 7:30. The chickens were still in their packages. No time for any sort of marinade or brine. So I pulled the skin away from the meat and rubbed salt and butter on the meat. I smoothed the skin back over.

Half way through the cooking, we took the chickens off the grill, put some wood chips on the embers, and finished the chickens with a little smoke.

Labels: chicken, recipes, smoking

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:8/27/2008 06:41:00 PM Beautiful! How long did the chicken cook? I've always meant to try this method. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Melissa DATE:8/27/2008 09:36:00 PM *Gasp*

Look at that crispy skin! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:8/28/2008 07:40:00 AM Lydia, these chickens were big, and took over an hour and a half. Normal size chickens would probably take an hour.

Melissa, Nothing like a little butter under the skin to assist the process! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:8/29/2008 08:26:00 AM Would Fred Flintstone have eaten Beer Can Chicken? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:8/29/2008 04:16:00 PM limeduck, I bet he would have liked this one. I guess that's four dishes he would eat. :-) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:8/30/2008 11:23:00 PM The guy at whole foods must have been under a rock for the past few years. Who doesn't know about beer can chicken?
Yours look gorgeous! I always feel like they are a bit violated with the can, but it is such a great method. We use it all the time! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:8/31/2008 07:02:00 PM How about Beer Can Fried Chicken? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:9/02/2008 07:19:00 AM Kristen, I think that guy must have been living under a rock. After he admitted ignorance, we started polling all the other team members. He was the only one who had never heard of it.

Bishop22, I did try smoked and fried chicken once. It seemed like a good idea at the time -- after all, everything fried tastes better and everything smoked tastes better. Alas, the sum was lesser than each of the parts. I think it had something to do with the protein coagulation, the texture of the skin and the chicken's inability to hold onto a crispy crust. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Preserving Summer: Tomatoes DATE: 8/14/2008 08:55:00 AM ----- BODY:

All year, I wait with anticipation for the August tomato – firm and sweet, and slightly acidic, with juice that drips down your chin with the first bite. The varieties of heirlooms available at a “commercial” level are astonishing – satisfying every palate and culinary need. For the sandwiches, there’s Brandywine or Pruden’s purple, for salads, Cherokee or cherry tomatoes. If you prefer an acidic tomato there’s black krim and a sweet tomato, gold turtle egg.

After that first bite, I swear I will never eat a mealy, bland, rock-hard winter tomato again. Of course, come winter, I’m craving a rich osso buco to take the chill off winter. My favorite recipe calls for… you guessed it… tomatoes. It’s a vicious cycle.

The only solution is to preserve the peak summer tomatoes and then store them for winter. It’s a win-win situation – the tomatoes are the most flavorful and cheapest in August. And as a bonus, I can sneak in a visit to Even’ Star Organic Farm in Southern Maryland, where farmer Brett grows an abundance of heirloom, organic, truly vine-ripe tomatoes.

There are two basic options for preserving: freezing or canning. Freezing has one obvious (and big) advantage: it’s a hassle-free process. The primary disadvantage is that you need excess freezer space. And if there’s a power outage, you risk losing your entire stash. Canning has an obvious disadvantage in that it’s a hot, laborious, time-consuming process. But in the end, you don’t need to worry about storage space – the jars can be buried in the basement or in the back of a closet. Climate control is unimportant. Either way, you need to first process the tomatoes.

Plum tomatoes are the classic stewing tomatoes because they have a drier, firmer texture. Alas, their flavor doesn’t compete with other varieties such as Brandywine or Pineapple. Optimally, you can use a 50-50 mix of the two to get the right balance of flavor and texture.

When I can tomatoes for the winter, I usually process 50 pounds or more. For this reason, I take short-cuts on skinning and seeding the tomatoes. I would rather remove the skins as I use the tomatoes (one jar at a time) if at all.

Stewed Tomatoes
This can be as basic or complex as you like. Either way, start with cleaned tomatoes. Take out the core, cut out any bruises or blemishes and cut into chunks. If you’d like, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. When the onions are soft, add the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. You can also add basil sprigs, and season with salt and pepper. When the tomatoes are cooked you can freeze them in one pint containers or can them (see below).

Smoked Tomatoes
This is a personal favorite. A little smoked tomato adds an unexpected depth to almost any recipe. You don’t need a smoker – a regular ole charcoal grill works fine. Wood chips are available at Whole Foods or at a hardware store.

For a Charcoal Grill:
You will need 2 cups wood chips (hickory or apple is great, mesquite is okay) soaked in 4 cups of water or cheap white wine. Drain just before smoking. And, of course, plenty of San Marzano Plum tomatoes, cut in half.

Prepare a fire as you normally would. When the fire is on its last legs (there are still some red embers) get ready to move quickly. Toss the wood chips on the fire. Put the grate on top, and place the tomatoes on the grate, ideally skin side down (should the skins burn, you can remove them, if the flesh burns…). Cover the grill with the lid, open the vents only ½ way. Let the tomatoes smoke for 1 hour.

Puree them for a sauce for lamb or steak, or add them to your favorite recipe for a little zip.

For a gas grill:
Follow the directions as above. Except: Put the drained wood chips in a disposable aluminum tray, and place it directly on top of the gas flame.

Canning Tomatoes
The one thing to remember when canning tomatoes is that you need to boil everything. Boil the jars, boil the tomatoes, boil the tomatoes in the jar. The first two boil are necessary to sterilize the jars and the tomatoes, the third boil is to create a vacuum seal in the jar.

So to be clear, the process goes like this:
1. Purchase canning jars. I prefer the wide mouth because they are easier to fill. Consider buying a variety of sizes. Even if you are only canning one kind of sauce, the variety will enable you to maximize your tomatoes – if a recipe calls for a small amount of tomato, you open a small jar, instead of opening a large jar that may not be completely used. Also, buy a pair of “canning tongs”. These tongs are specially designed to lift the jars out of the water.
2. Wash the jars. Put the lids in one pot and the jars in another pot. The pot for the jars should be deep enough that the jars can be covered by at least on inch of water.
3. Cover the lids completely with water and put them on the stove. Bring to a boil, and turn off the heat. Let them sit in the water until you’re ready to use them.
4. Cover the jars completely with water and bring htem to a boil. Continue boiling them for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, bring the tomatoes to a boil, and continue cooking them for at least 10 minutes. Even if you smoked the tomatoes, you still need to boil them.
6. Remove the jars from the water, draining the water out. Fill each jar with tomatoes, leaving about ½ inch at the top. With a clean towel, wipe the lip of each jar clean.
7. Drain the water from the lids and cover each jar. Seal with the metal band.
8. Return the jars to the boiling water and let boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the water and let stand for 20 minutes. Remove the band and test the lids – if it comes off easily, then the seal did not work and you must repeat the process. If the lid is tight, then you are all set!

This year, I canned 12 pints of stewed tomatoes and 12 pints of smoked tomatoes. Alas, I processed more tomatoes than I had jars. I bought more jars and made ketchup with the remaining tomatoes.

Homemade Ketchup
8 cups stewed tomatoes
1 onion
½ cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons salt

Puree onions and tomato. Combine in a stainless steel pot. Cook over medium heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to keep tomatoes from sticking to the bottom.

This will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator or you can jar the tomatoes.

Labels: canning, preserving, recipes, smoking, tales from the farm, tomatoes

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:8/14/2008 09:34:00 AM Great primer on canning tomatoes -- but lazy friend that I am, I think I'll just come and raid your stash instead of canning my own! I'm a big fan of freezing my slow-roasted tomatoes. In fact, that's my project for next week. I make five pounds at a time and freeze them in small containers. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:8/15/2008 07:20:00 AM Lydia, Your approach to freezing tomatoes sounds downright civilized! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Melissa DATE:8/15/2008 12:03:00 PM Kudos to both of you. I would love to preserve them since I'm bummed about the impending close of summer.

Julia, thank you for recommending Culinary Artistry as a learning resource. Much appreciated! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Bernz DATE:8/16/2008 10:10:00 AM I haven't tasted mine yet. Still deciding what soup or sauce or stew or something to use them in. Probably something Moroccan. But I'm looking forward to it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

samaBlog DATE:8/18/2008 12:40:00 PM I thought putting tomatoes in the fridge destroyed a certain flavor enzyme in the tomato. At least that's what Alton Brown said on his show... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:8/19/2008 08:51:00 AM Melissa, Thanks! You'll have to keep me posted on what you think of the book.

Bernz, Let me know what you make with the ketchup.

Samablog, the lore about refrigerating tomatoes is in reference to raw tomatoes. I've done taste experiments... comparing a refrigerated raw tomato brought back to room temperature vs. non-refrigerated toms. The difference was minimal. And in my opinion, I'd rather sacrifice a little texture if it means I can prevent a wonderful tomato from rotting before I can eat it. For cooked tomatoes (as are the tomatoes when you process them) there's no concern in that regard. ----- --------