Tomatoes Preserved in Olive Oil

Inspired by a recipe in La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy.

Preserved Jaune Flamme Tomatoes

Start with small fresh tomatoes, Jaune Flamme produces tomatoes that are generally 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Slice them in half and dry them in a dehydrator until dry and soft, they should be more moist than they would be for keeping as dried tomatoes.

For about 3 1/2 to 4 ounces tomatoes dried as described above:

1 cup good red wine vinegar, warmed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
Chopped fresh mint or dried oregano to taste
Olive oil as needed

Soak the tomatoes in the warm vinegar for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and toss with the salt, garlic, and olive oil as needed to dress them generously. Pack them in a clean jar and add olive oil to cover. These keep well at room temperature.

Serve these with a dollop of fresh goat or sheep milk cheese as an appetizer. They're tasty added to sandwiches or eaten straight from the jar.

Crema di Green Garlic

When my garden gave me a bounty of green garlic instead of mature garlic I needed to find a way to preserve some of it and this is the result. It's a variation on my preparation of Garlic Confit. I had intended to try a Green Garlic Confit but found that green garlic doesn't soften sufficiently. So I pureed the garlic with the oil and butter that it had cooked in and ended up with an utterly delicious creamy spread.

Crema di Green Garlic

8 oz. green garlic, including the tender parts of the stalks
4 oz. dry white wine or prosecco
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 oz. (4 tbsp.) butter
4 oz. rice bran oil (I like Tophé brand) or olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper and additional salt to taste

Slice the garlic into thin crosswise rings. Place in a small deep saucepan and add the wine, salt, butter, and oil. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting, use a flame tamer if necessary. Simmer uncovered very slowly for about 1 1/2 hours. Most of the wine should simmer away, don't allow the garlic to fry in the oil, add more wine or water if necessary. Allow the mixture to cool a bit. Puree the contents of the saucepan until smooth. Taste for seasonings.

This made more than 1 1/2 cups of puree. I filled three 1/2-cup jars with the puree and first refrigerated and then froze them.

What to do with it? The first thing I tried (other than just eating it with a spoon) was spreading it on grilled bread and then adding various toppings such as ricotta and preserved sweet peppers, or ricotta and chopped sauteed broccoli. I also slathered it on asparagus and then roasted the asparagus. It was tasty dolloped on top of some pan roasted wild salmon. I'm sure it would be great tossed with grilled or steamed vegetables. And I don't see why it can't substitute for fresh garlic in my favorite Caesar salad dressing. It's probably good for just about any use that fresh garlic would be good for.

Garlic Cream Marinade
The garlic cream was good as the base of a marinade for some lamb loin chops. I mixed a dollop of the cream with some minced fresh rosemary, white wine, and a splash of fish sauce (soy sauce would probably be a good substitute), tossed the chops in the mixture and let them marinate for about an hour at room temperature before cooking them on the grill.

Onion Variation:

Use the same proportions and method to slow cook the stems of young onions. I used the tender portions of the stalks from the onions shown above. None of the green leaves were used, but some of the inner parts of the stalks were green which was ok. Here's the proportions that I used

22 oz. sliced onion stalks
11 oz. white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 1/2 oz. butter
11 oz. rice bran oil

Follow the method for the garlic cream.

Meyer Lemon Curd

1 cup meyer lemon juice
1 cup sugar
peel from 1 meyer lemon, removed with a vegetable peeler
3/4 cup butter
4 large eggs

Put the lemon juice, sugar, lemon peel, and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Cook, stirring with a silicone spatula or a spoon until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts.

Whisk the eggs lightly in a separate bowl, don't over beat, you don't want a lot of air bubbles. Stir in about a cup of the warm lemon mixture to temper the eggs, then stir the egg mixture into the rest of the lemon mixture. Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (160 F.). Strain through a seive into a clean bowl and discard the peels.

Ladle into hot, sterilized 1 cup canning jars and cap with scalded new lids and rings. Cool and then refrigerate. Should keep in the refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks if the lids seal properly.

Makes 3 cups.

Pickled Sugar Snap Peas

1 lb sugar snap peas, the freshest possible
2 sprigs fresh tarragon
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 fresh or dried chile peppers
1 1/4 cups white wine vinegar, 4 to 6% acidity
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt


Wash and string the snap peas. Pack them into a clean 1 quart canning jar with the tarragon, garlic, and dried chiles. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Pour the cooled vinegar mixture into the packed jar to completely cover the peas, cap and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks before eating. Store the pickles in the refrigerator. There will likely be extra vinegar solution, keep it in the refrigerator for the next batch of pickles.

I used a Spanish Moscatel vinegar that is wonderfully fruity. I highly recommend it if you can find it, otherwise use the tastiest vinegar you can find. A fruity apple cider vinegar would be a good alternative. Just be sure that the vinegar you use is at least 4% acidity since these pickles are not processed and it's the acidity that kills any harmful organisms that might be present.

Green Bean Variation
June 27, 2012

green beans cut to the length of a quart mason jar, 1 pound of trimmed beans
2 sprigs fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon dried green coriander seeds
2 dried mild chile peppers (Christmas Bell), chopped
1 1/4 cups unseasoned rice vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

Use the method above. Although, this time I didn't heat the vinegar solution, just mixed together and poured over the packed beans.

Slow Toasted Aji Angelo Peppers

Preheat the oven to 200F.

Cut the caps off the peppers and cut the peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the core and seeds. Put all the pepper halves in a cazuela, it can be filled about half full. Roast with the convection fan on, stirring every half hour, until the peppers are dry and crisp, about 3 hours.

Cool and store in an air tight container.

Crush to make pepper flakes or grind into paprika. Mildly spicy.