Recipe of the week
Tomato Passata
This is the tomato passata recipe from Cornersmith that I follow religiously every year when we have a glut of tomatoes. We use it through out the year on pizza bases, as a pasta sauce base and any other way I can think of using it! The recipe calls for roasting the tomatoes, which adds sweetness and a depth of flavour.
Ingredients
5kg ripe red tomatoes, washed, halved
500g onions, chopped
1 garlic bulb, cloves separated, peeled, bruised
1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil
1 bunch basil, leaves torn
method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 2 baking trays and line with baking paper.
Spread tomatoes, onion and garlic evenly across prepared trays, then season with 1 tbs salt flakes and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Divide oil evenly between trays and toss to combine.
Roast, swapping trays halfway, for 45 minutes or until tomatoes are blistered and onion has softened. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes, then stir through basil.
Pass tomato mixture through a mouli or nylon sieve into a bowl and extract as much juice as possible. Reserve any remaining seeds and skins to make tomato conserva. (see recipe)
Sterilise bottles and lids and pour passata into hot jars. Tap jars on a work surface and run a clean knife around the inside to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rim of the jars with paper towel and seal.
Line the base of a large stockpot (it should be deep enough to submerge the jars under water) with a tea towel and, working in batches if necessary, add jars, making sure they don’t touch the sides of the pot or one another.
Roughly matching the water temperature to the temperature of the jars (this prevents the jars breaking when the water is added), pour in enough water to completely cover the jars. Slowly bring to the boil over medium heat. Boil for 40 minutes, adding more boiling water when necessary so the jars are completely submerged at all times, or until the jar lids are puffed up and convex. Using a heatproof jug, carefully remove enough water from the pot to allow you to carefully remove jars from water using oven gloves or a thick tea towel. Set aside at room temperature overnight.
The next day, the jar lids should be concave, confirming they are vacuumsealed. If lids are not concave, passata should be stored chilled and used within 2 weeks. Sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
Tomato Conserva - using seeds and skins from the Tomato Passata recipe
For the conserva bruschetta, preheat oven to 100°C. Grease a large baking tray and line with baking paper.
Spread tomato seeds and skin mixture over prepared tray and roast for 1 hour 45 minutes or until slightly charred around the edges.
Transfer roasted seeds and skin to a bowl and, using a stick blender, whiz until smooth, then tightly pack into a sterilised jar. Cover with a 1cm-deep layer of oil and store, chilled, for up to 1 month.
To make bruschetta, spread tomato conserva onto grilled sourdough and drizzle with extra oil. Scatter with chilli flakes, oregano and thyme to serve.
Christmas Sugar Cookies
These are lovely as a gift for friends at Christmas time. They are lots of fun to decorate with the children, let them get creative. I must give credit to Martha Stewart for this recipe. No one does cookies better than Martha. I love her, dearly. Probably a bit too much.
Ingredients
2 cups plain flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup castor sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assorted candies, sprinkles, or coloured sugars, for decorating (optional)
Christmas cookie cutters
In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Divide dough in half; flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic; freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place in a resealable plastic bag, and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight).
Preheat oven to 190C. Line baking tray with baking paper or a silicon mat. Remove one dough disk; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Roll out 3mm thick between two sheets of floured baking paper, dusting dough with flour as needed. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer to prepared baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, chill 10 minutes.) Reroll scraps; cut shapes. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 18 minutes (depending on size). Cool completely on wire racks. To ice cookies, spread with the back of a spoon. Let the icing harden, about 20 minutes. Decorate as desired.
Cooks Notes:
Use flour on utensils to keep dough from sticking: Dip the cookie cutters and dust the spatula before transferring uncooked dough to a sheet. Rolling dough between two sheets of floured parchment will keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. Using a marble rolling pin will keep the cookie dough cool while rolling.
Royal Icing to decorate
Ingredients
240 g pure icing sugar, sifted twice
1 egg white
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Using an electric mixer beat the egg white, gradually adding the icing sugar a tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat the icing until it is thick enough to hold its shape. Add the lemon juice, beat well and cover the surface of the icing with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
Tip:
Avoid using icing sugar mixture as it contains a small amount of corn flour which keeps it soft. This makes it unsuitable for piped work as it will spread and won’t set properly.
Reheating your Christmas Pudding
STORING
Please store in the fridge.
REHEATING
Traditional steamed method
Remove pudding from refrigerator about 12 hours before it is to be reheated. Prepare for reheating the pudding about 3 hours before it is to be served.
Have large pot one-quarter full of boiling water, place a tea towel in the bottom of the pot and place a saucer upside down on the tea towel. Gently lower pudding basin into pot, (the water should come up two thirds of the basin) simmer for 1 to 2 hours.
To serve, remove from the pan or steamer, take off the lid, run a plastic knife around the edge of the pudding, put a plate on top, turn it upside down and give the basin a little tap to help unmould the pudding. Then remove the basin.
Can I reheat a Christmas pudding in the microwave?
Yes. Contrary to popular belief a Christmas angel will not lose its wings if you use a microwave to reheat your Christmas pudding. To reheat a whole, large pudding, remove the foil and parchment paper, cover it with microwave-safe plastic wrap, then microwave on MEDIUM (50%) for about 15 minutes.
To reheat a single serving, cover the slice with microwave-safe plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH (100%) for 30 to 60 seconds.
These times are only a guide; you should check the oven manufacturer's instructions.
Merry Christmas
Lot of love
Emma Jane
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