Recipe

I used to get a bit confused at times, with terms like bouillon, stock, jus, glaze, demi glace, broth etc., and thought perhaps the same may be true of others. Its all the same - stock. There are two basic stocks - white and brown. You make white stock by boiling bones in water with [...]

Virtually no well spread table is complete without a good selection of alcohol. Most of us probably stay with the basics of white wine ??? white meat and red wine ??? red meat. Tell me, with what would you serve that Turkish Rakh you picked up at duty free the other day? Or perhaps your [...]

Myths of the tomato - from Wikipedia

There are many legends about the tomato. For example, it has been claimed that tomatoes were not widely eaten in the U.S. until the late 1800s. It has sometimes been claimed that tomatoes were considered aphrodisiacs and so were shunned by the Puritans. Other claims center on the supposed fear that tomatoes were poisonous, based on the fact that they belong to the Solanales Order, or “Nightshade” family, which contains many toxic plants. Many legends also maintain that the tomato was introduced into the U.S. from South America by one particular person; Thomas Jefferson is sometimes mentioned.

Tomatoes’ status as an aphrodisiac may be due to a mistranslation. Legend has it a Frenchman on his travels ate a meal with tomatoes in it and was fascinated with the new taste. He went back to the chef, who was Italian, and asked him what this new ingredient was. The chef said “Pomme de Maure” (Apple of the Moors), but the Frenchman misunderstood and thought he said “Pomme d’amour” (apple of love). The modern Italian word for tomato however is “pomodoro”, which means “golden apple”. Also, there is no plausible connection of the tomato to the Moors.

In the United States, the most famous legend of this sort was introduced by Joseph S. Sickler in the mid-1900s, and became the subject of a CBS broadcast of You Are There in 1949. The story goes that the lingering doubts about the safety of the tomato in the United States were largely put to rest in 1820, when Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson announced that at noon on September 26, he would eat a basket of tomatoes in front of the Salem, New Jersey courthouse. Reportedly, a crowd of more than 2,000 persons gathered in front of the courthouse to watch the poor man die after eating the poisonous fruits, and were shocked when he lived. In his book Smith notes that there is little, if any, historical evidence for any of these legends, and that they continue to be repeated largely because they are entertaining stories.

It is also said that the tomato became popular in France during the French Revolution, because the revolutionaries’ iconic color was red; and at one point it was suggested that they should eat red food as a show of loyalty. Since European royalty was still leery of the nightshade-related tomato, it apparently was the perfect choice. This may also be why the first reported use of the tomato in the U.S. was in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1812, because of the French influence in that region.

There is also a story which claims that an agent for Britain attempted to kill General George Washington by feeding him a dish laced with tomatoes during the American Revolution.

Tomato Curry

This dish is from India . The Indian tomato is similar to western plum tomato. Canned rather than fresh is preferable
It can be done with an equal portion of fresh and canned. Serve with a simple rice dish.

1 large can of tomatoes
3 Tbsp of vegetable oil
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
2 green chili peppers
2 inch fresh ginger (1 teaspoon dried ground)
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon dessicated coconut
1.5 teaspoons salt.

Cooking time: 45 minutes
Drain juice from can of tomatoes and reserve it. Cut the tomatoes in half.
Heat the oil/margarine or oil in a large saucepan.
Peel and slice the onion and garlic. Top and tail the chilies and cut lengthwise.
Peel and slice the ginger thinly.
Fry onion and garlic, until soft.
Add mustard seeds.
Add all the rest of the spices except the salt. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes. Bring to boil and add sufficient tomato juice to make a moist curry.
Sprinkle in the salt and the coconut.
Cover pan and simmer for 30 minutes (Fresh tomatoes 45 minutes)
add more juice as required.

Thai Tomato Fish Soup

2 15 oz cans stewed tomatoes
5 oz white flesh fish; cooked
3 cup coconut milk
1/2 ts red curry paste
2 tb fish soy
1 tb lemon juice
2 tb fresh coriander; chopped or
1 green onion; chopped

Puree the tomatoes in a food processor. Set aside. Then puree the
fish with the coconut milk. Put tomatoes, blended fish and coconut
milk, curry paste, fish soy, and lemon juice in a soup pot. Bring to
a boil over medium heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10
minutes. Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves or chopped green onion
tops before serving.

Tomato Pie

1 (9-inch) deep dish pie crust
1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers
6 large tomatoes
2-3 Tbsp. Fresh basil, chopped
2/3 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 Tbsp. Chopped parsley
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bake pie crust until golden brown. Peel and chop tomatoes and let drain in a colander for 1/2 HOUR.
Mix mayonnaise with Parmesan cheese. Toss tomatoes, basil, and parsley. Place tomatoes in pie crust.
Spread mayonnaise and cheese mixture over the top.
Sprinkle cracker crumbs on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.
Yields 8 servings.

Tomato Pudding

Tomato Pudding Doesn’t sound too appetizing but
TRY IT…. YOU”LL LIKE IT !

1 cup. brown sugar
1 cup. tomato puree
1/4 cup water
2 cup bread cubes
1/4 cu soy butter, melted

Combine brown sugar, tomato puree, and water. Cook 5 minutes.
While tomato mixture is cooking, put bread cubes in a small sprayed casserole and pour butter over.
Top with piping hot tomato mixture. Bake at 325 for 50 minutes. This can be doubled without doubling the butter.
This is not a low-fat recipe, but the amount of butter could be reduced with good results.

French Fried Tomatoes

4 under-ripe tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
Bread crumbs
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 egg — slightly beaten
1/4 cup milk

Wash the tomatoes and cut them in 1-inch slices. Do not peel.
Dust with salt, pepper and sugar. Dip in the egg, slightly beaten and mixed with the milk.
Then roll the sliced tomato in the crumbs,
Place in a frying basket and fry in deep fat hot enough to brown a bit of bread in 55 seconds.
Drain on toweling or paper napkins.

Tomato Salad

1 large red tomato, sliced
1 large yellow tomato, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
8 ounces of mozzarella cheese,sliced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup of chopped basil

Layer all the vegetables and cheese and then combine oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad and top with basil. Chill, if desired.

Cooking rice can take many forms; this is the simplest. Measure out a quantity of rice.

When rice is packaged, it is mixed with a fine powder, sometimes talc, to ensure it doesn’t stick together. We need to get it out of the rice. Therefore, wash the rice till the water runs clear. When done, soak [...]

I had this chess set as a kid. It was a simple foldable one, with a metal board and magnetic pieces. In the reverse, it had a backgammon board. I learnt the basics of the game, but chess continued to hold more attraction for me. That my brother went on to study the game and [...]

I’m not well today - probably the flu. But that doesn’t stop me from cooking. No siree, it doesn’t. So, after making the rice for the ‘How to cook’ series (next post), I was wondering how to use it, besides the obvious curry route.
So… chopped some spring onions and carrots and put them in [...]

Sometimes you wonder where the real world ends and the Internet begins or where the Internet ends and the real world begins. Look at it a little closely. We communicate, look for information, provide information, find jobs, conduct business, accept payments, send payments, advertise and even find mates online.
??? And shopping. Let me not forget [...]

In various conversations with various people over time, I find many people look at cooking, even occassional cooking, as a tedius chore, that needs to be finished off as quickly as possible. I agree all of us are entitled to our own perceptions about things; however, since cooking is something all of us encounter at [...]

I???m sincerely amazed. I just learn that Cher, who incidentally is one of my favorite singers, is sixty one and still going strong! There???s a new show coming up in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, where she replaces Celine Dion and is back on the stage with vengeance. On doing a little bit of research, you???ll [...]

Hello All,
I’ve just bought a new camera and I can’t stop grinning, looking at it every few minutes and occasionally patting it. Seriously, when I look at it, I smile. How much lower can you sink than that. Much lower I say… lets see what symptoms I exhibit over the next few days.
Its an SLR [...]