I had SO much fun with this experiment! I chose to use tomatoes as my primary ingredient, that I picked up from a local grocery store on the way to my cottage. My dad keeps his smoker out there, so I had the idea to try smoking the tomatoes before turning them into a succulent jam. I cut them each in half while the smoker heated up, awaiting the soaked Maplewood smoking chips. Once everything was ready, I placed the tomatoes on the top shelf of the smoker, where the heat is less intense, and left them for a good 3 or 4 hours, until they were still firm but strongly infused with the smoke flavour. I let the tomatoes rest for a night in a glass bowl covered tightly with seran wrap, and the next day I prepared my jam. I began by frying up some bacon on the stovetop until crispy, and setting it aside. I prepared the tomatoes by removing the peels and stems, then diced them into a chunky consistency. I diced up some white onion and sweat it down in the leftover bacon fat, then added my tomatoes, sugar, red chill peppers, apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper. I added a bit of the smoky tomato juice from the bowl that I let the tomatoes rest in, and brought the mixture to a boil. I added the bacon to the mixture, and set it on a low temperature so that it could reduce and become the thick/sticky/sweet/salty/heated unique jam that I was aiming for. Taste-testing along the way, the jam went from good to delicious as its sugars concentrated and meshed with the flavours of the sweet, salty, smokey and spicy components. It's finishing flavour is complex, having an initial smokiness that is followed by the natural sweetness of the fruit in addition to the dissolved sugar. The saltiness in the occasional piece of bacon that you bite into is a pleasant surprise, and you're left with a faint bit of heat on your palate that compliments the flavours perfectly. I was extremely pleased with my finished result, especially as this was my first time actually using a smoker and experimenting with different methods of food preparation. I used a very basic way of preserving my jam, sanitizing the jars and lids in boiling water then once filled, boiling in a tall pot of water for just over an hour. They sealed wonderfully and I am definitely more confident in my preserving abilities now, looking forward to the next time I do it. The Recipe:Ingredients: 8 ripe tomatoes, halved 4 pieces bacon 1 white onion, chopped 1 cup white sugar, granulated 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1/2 tsp red chill pepper flakes Salt & pepper, to taste 1. Smoke tomatoes as explained above, then peel and dice. 2. Fry bacon until crispy, set aside and reserve some of the fat in the pan for onions. 3. Sweat onions until translucent, then add tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, chill flakes and salt & pepper to taste. 4. Bring mixture to a boil; crumble reserved bacon then add to pan. Reduce to low heat and cook for about 45 minutes, until thick and a deeper crimson colour. 5. Can in sanitized jars, removing air pockets and sealing tightly. Boil jars in tall pot for just over an hour, then let cool on the counter. |
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![]() This Saturday, I went to the St. Lawrence market just down the street from where I live. I chose to go there because I have already been there several times and am always satisfied with the fresh, Ontario produce that I come home with. It's a cool set-up and I like the way that I can freely roam around and look at all the diverse products that the vendors are selling. To select a unique fruit to buy, I strolled around the market and looked for anything unfamiliar looking. I stumbled upon the Jelly melon, asked the vendor about it and decided to purchase one for a mere $2.00. Upon researching this funny-looking fruit, I learned that it also goes by many different names such as Horn melon, kiwano, and blowfish fruit among others. Having origins from Kalahari, Africa, it is mainly produced in New Zealand in the summer months. It is a fruit created from the Cucumis metuliferus traveling vine plant, and it is part of the Cucurbitaceae family alongside other melons, cucumbers and squashes (specialtyproduce.com, 2014). I got mine for a steal, however they usually range from$5-10 on the market, depending where you go. When it comes to eat and cooking this fruit, I would keep it simple and make a vinaigrette out of it to put on a salad, as it is very acidic and would emulsify well with some olive oil and spices. I did not enjoy how many seeds were in it, so I would strain them out.
The taste of the kiwano was pretty sour, and reminded me of a mix between an unripe banana and a lime. It smelled fairly mild but lime-like, and its aggressive exterior continuously poked me with its sharp spikes as I shook it only to hear nothing, then observed the bright green, seed-filled interior. This was a fun experience and I will continue to go to St. Lawrence Market as long as it is open. I prefer supporting local, Ontario farmers and their deliciously fresh produce over a grocery store any day. /uploads/3/8/9/6/38962229/img_4883.mov I really enjoy experimenting with new foods, especially if I hear that they have a positive effect on our health. This week, I tried Chinese Okra for the first time. Upon removing the ends and tough ribs that I felt on the hard exterior, I sliced it into 1cm pieces and revealed its somewhat slimy, white interior. It almost resembled a cucumber on steroids. Its taste was dull, as I had guessed by its smell that it would have a somewhat “grassy" taste to it. Slightly bitter and and an odd texture of soft/slimy/hard, I wasn’t a fan of it raw. However, when I put it into the frying pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper, its taste magnified and the rough skin turned softer and slightly crispy while the inside melted in my mouth. Its grass-like taste was much less and it tasted more like a zucchini, somewhat crunchy and mild tasting, a perfect ingredient for scrambles and gumbo.
This evaluation taught me that I need to really focus my palate by paying closer attention to what I put in my mouth. It was interesting to feel the texture of the foreign vegetable and use all of my senses to try and identify what it tasted like. From now on, I am going to make a conscious effort to try a new food every week and expose my palate to different cuisines and cooking styles. |