Tomato Jam

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Last month I received an email from a reader who had a special request. I now have 3,000 recipes on One Perfect Bite and she asked if I could sift through them and pick those my family most enjoyed or share the ones I thought were exceptional. I've been giving her suggestion some serious thought, and while I haven't yet committed to the undertaking, I've been taking a more than cursory look at the recipes that I've already featured here. The recipe for Tomato Jam is one I pulled while sorting through my condiment collection. It will seem an odd choice to many, but it was first featured because it was an unusual way to use the tomatoes that drip off vines at this time of year. The jam was originally a summer-only spread, but now that Roma are available year round, I make the jam whenever I get a hankering. When I work with winter tomatoes,  I store them in a brown paper bag and let them sit in the pantry until they are blood red and fully ripe. If I'm patient and let them ripen, the winter tomatoes are every bit as good as their summer cousins, and I can enjoy my jam year round. The spread makes delightfully simple appetizers. Crusty peasant bread is sliced and lightly toasted before being schmeared with cream cheese and topped with spiced tomato jam. While this homely treat may not be fit for the queen of England, your king and mine will enjoy finger food that bears no resemblance to tea sandwiches. The jam is easy to make and is nearly foolproof, but it must be watched and stirred to prevent scorching. I do hope you'll give this simple recipe a try. Here is how my Tomato Jam is made.

Salmorejo - Chilled Spanish Tomato Soup - Away A While Recipe Favorites

Salmorejo - Spanish Chilled Tomato Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a wonderful soup, and while I suspect it might become a favorite of those of you who are adventurous eaters, it will not have universal appeal. Salmorejo is a bit like gazpacho, but it is richer and much deeper in flavor than its more mild mannered cousin. It truly has attitude. I suggest that the first time you make this, you judiciously add vinegar to the soup. I personally found that the 2 tablespoons listed in the recipe below was overkill, and tended to make the soup more sour than I enjoy. I've found that a tablespoons works well for me and mine. While this cool and creamy tomato soup is nearly effortless to make, I do suggest you prepare it a full day before you plan to serve it. You will find that its flavor greatly improves with age. This is one of those soups that demands to be served with a thick crusty peasant bread. I'm told that in Spain they actually use the bread to mop up the last traces of soup remaining in the bowl. A glass of Rioja and a lovely crisp salad would also be wonderful accompaniments. I do hope, if only for the sake of novelty, you'lre tempted to give this soup a try. Chilled soups are a wonderful addition to summer meals and there are not a lot of recipes for them floating through cyberspace. This one is worth your time and effort. Here is how this version of Spanish Salmorejo is made. You'll find the recipe here.

                    

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Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a confession to make. I am at heart a bread, soup and salad kind of gal, and, should the occasion ever arise, my last meal request would include all three, with a glass of good red wine thrown in to wash it all down. I'm fond enough of soup that it's not limited to my winter kitchen. While my summer versions  are lighter than their winter cousins, warm weather does not keep soup from my table. The soup I'm featuring tonight is Anne Burrell's take on a Tuscan peasant favorite, Pappa al Pomodoro, and it is perfect for a a warm summer evening when tomato vines are heavy and dripping with blood red fruit. While the soup is nearly effortless to make, there is one pitfall that you should try to avoid. Bread should not be added to the tomato base more than 30 minutes before you plan to serve the soup. Not only will it soak up the liquid if allowed to sit too long, it will also become slimy and the once pleasant texture will become downright unpleasant. If you can avoid that hurdle, I think you'll really like this soup. It is a personal favorite of mine and we have it several times a month when local tomatoes are plentiful. If you have never had a bowl of this peasant favorite, I hope you will give this near effortless version a try. Here is how the soup is made.