Tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes!!!

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pignout
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Tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes!!!

Post by pignout » Mon Aug 17, 2015 21:53

the first time in my gardening life, Western Washingtons weather has blessed me with a huge crop of tomatoes . It is because of this that i am asking my fellow sausage makers (and great cooks) for your fav salsa recipes. Both SW style(blk beans and corn) and just regular style. nearly every recipe i have seen on web has NO seasonings and is very bland. Love store bought stewed tomatoes too if you have a recipe send it on. Bumper crop of peppers and onions too! My wife thinks im a litttle touched in the head with my excitement about this but im harmless. Thank you for any and all of your input. Pignout
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redzed
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Post by redzed » Tue Aug 18, 2015 01:41

Pignout congrats on the bumper crop! Nothing tastier than home grown tomatoes, too bad they come all at once. Post a pic if you can.

My tomatoes are really early this year because of the hot summer, if fact they are just about finished and we were eating ripe ones in early July. Mrs. Redzed has a great recipe for a traditional salsa and I will post it in a couple of days when we return home from camping.

Have you thought of drying some of the tomatoes and then using them in a fresh sausage?
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Post by Chef_Raoul » Tue Aug 18, 2015 04:28

here's a recipe I use:

Ingredients
● 11 -15 dried arbor chills ( 8-10 dried arbor peppers for Mild, 11-15 medium, 16-20 for Hot)
● 1 pound tomatoes, blanched in hot water for 1 minute
● 1/2 small yellow onion
● 1 jalapeno (remove seeds and veins to reduce heat, leave for hotter version)
● 1 bunch cilantro
● 3 garlic clove
● 2 teaspoon lime juice
● 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
● 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Take the stems off the peppers and throw away the stems.
2. Place the peppers and seeds in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
3. Next add the blanched tomatoes, jalapeño (sliced), 1/2 yellow onion, 3 garlic clove, handful of cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper and pulse until you have the consistency desired.
4. Cilantro is very much a personal preference. Try the salsa with your chips and adjust cilantro, salt and pepper as needed.

This can be canned by boiling water method, or refrigerated for as long as two weeks.

let me know if this works. If not, I have several others
Also, fresh Pico de Gallo is great as well. I find that to be more requested by authentic Mexican dishes
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Bob K
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Post by Bob K » Tue Aug 18, 2015 14:45

Hey Chef Raul
By dried arbor chills do you mean (arbol) chili peppers?

Sorry I'm from up north :grin:
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Post by Chef_Raoul » Tue Aug 18, 2015 15:00

Yes, didn't notice the spell check correction. sorry.

Being in the Houston area, our Hispanic population has created a lot of salsa and Pico snobs. people demand the best. This recipe is usually well received. But again, if that's not what anyone is looking for, just give a shout, I have probably some 30 salsa recipes.

Also, because of the high acidity of tomatoes, they do excellent in canning, even for those who are not experience with canning. just an open pot in boiling water for 15 minutes. Can do this with just the tomatoes or tomato sauce, marinara sauce, salsa. I have done experiments keeping tomato product canned for as long as 15 years and still maintained product quality.
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Post by pignout » Tue Aug 18, 2015 23:39

Hey Red luv to try your recipe!! If I wasn't so computer challenged id send you some pic's too. picked two flats tomatoes today along with 40 lbs green beans, sweet and hot peppers, softball sized walla wallas along with other things. Best garden in last 30years. Chicken Sh*@t and sun a mighty powerful combo. Can't imagine how your garden could be nearly done on V. island. This must have been a once in a life time summer for you too then. I'm just s. of Olympia. Where does a person go to vacation when you live on VanCouver Island? Your on vacation 365!!!

Chef Raoul I will try the salsa recipe today. I am not a salsa connoisseur by any means but with your recipe and all ingredients being garden fresh it should be pretty darn good! If you have any salsa recipes with corn and beans (what we call sw style up here) send her my way. Will be canning like a mad dog for the next few weeks. Sounds like my hunch was correct, there are so many knowledgeable people on this sight you can find good info about anything food wise. Will hold some ingredients out and save for fresh Pico de Gallo . Would love to have your recipe for that also if you would care to share. Thanks to all. Will let you know how it goes. Kevin
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Post by Chef_Raoul » Wed Aug 19, 2015 00:11

Here is my corn and black bean salsa:

1 (15 ounce) can yellow corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) can white corn, drained
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
and rinsed
1 pound tomatoes diced
1 bunch finely chopped cilantro
2 bunch green onions, finely sliced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 fine diced jalapeno - remove seeds and veins
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1 large avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt (never iodized)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

mix everything together and refrigerate for about 2 hours. If you need to keep this longer than about a day, omit the avocado.
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Post by pignout » Wed Aug 19, 2015 00:34

Chef Raoul, What took you so long lol. can this be canned also? Thank you, Your help is very much appreciated. kevin
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Post by Chef_Raoul » Wed Aug 19, 2015 01:03

Hey Kevin,

Sorry for the slow response, Absolutely, this could be canned as well. I would probably can this at about 5 psig for 20 minutes. I absolutely believe that one of the best investments in the kitchen is a good pressure cooker. There is nothing that compares to an All American. I use it all the time. It cooks beans better than any other method. Red Beans, pork n beans, cowboys beans, pinto.....
If you do consider one, get one bigger one than you think you need, you will always find new ways to use it. It is fantastic for canning. I have their largest model 941 it is a 41 quart pot. It will be something your great grandchildren will use...
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Post by Chef_Raoul » Wed Aug 19, 2015 01:57

Here is my Pico de Gallo recipe:

4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 green onions sliced thin
3 toes garlic chopped very fine
2 - 3 jalapeno, chopped and seeded
2 Tablespoons lime, juiced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoons white pepper

Mix and refrigerate. This needs to be served fresh, it will last for about a week in the fridge

In serving large groups, I find that Anglo groups prefers the salsa, while Hispanic groups very much prefer the Pico. This is generalized to chips, fajitas, tacos, pretty much everything.
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Post by pignout » Wed Aug 19, 2015 18:33

I would be the exception to that some what. I to prefer Pico. Down there you probably have fresh tomatoes year round, Up here we only get good tomatoes for a very short time in they summer other wise there tasteless hot house toms... which are like eating red cardboard. Ive been eating Pico every night with dinner for the last week,with all this farm fresh produce there is NOTHING better. Chef Raoul where do you cook? My daughter went to Blinn college and gets down that way several times a year. Thankz
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Post by Chef_Raoul » Wed Aug 19, 2015 19:40

I've closed my restaurants. Only do weddings, private events and corporate. Much better now.

And I agree with you, I prefer Pico to Salsa any day. Hope this works out for you.
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redzed
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Post by redzed » Sun Aug 23, 2015 06:05

pignout wrote:Where does a person go to vacation when you live on VanCouver Island? Your on vacation 365!!!
Yeah, you are right. We do travel a bit but always try to be on the Island during the summers which are dry and warm. So it is a great place to be and we do a lot of camping. Recently returned from a week on Quadra Island where we cycled 40 some kilometers each day. We had a waterfront site and enjoyed watching the cruise ships returning from Alaska and the humpback whales and orcas splashed around right in front of us. Lots of tourists come here, more Americans now since out dollar tanked and loads of Germands, Brits and Dutch in rented motor homes.

I intended to post my recipe for a sun dried tomato chicken or turkey sausage but it's been a while and I can't find my notes. For the most part, I used the recipe from Bruce Aidell's Complete Sausage Book and copied it for you. Very nice recipe. Len Poli also has what looks like a good recipe and you can view it here. http://lpoli.50webs.com/Sausage%20recipes.htm#FRESH

And I finally deciphered my wife's salsa recipe. Keep on enjoying those wonderful tomatoes! They are good and good for you!

Mrs. Redzed's Salsa Recipe

5lbs tomatoes - blanched, skinned and diced
small jar of pickled jalapenos, finely chopped
6 fresh jalapenos with seeds, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped, chopped
1 yellow or orange pepper, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small can tomato paste
1/3 cup white vinegar
3tbs of coarse sea salt (40g)
2 tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped

Simmer all ingredients for 1 hour. Add cilantro for the last 10 minutes.
Can be eaten fresh or canned.

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redzed
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Vegetarian Tomato Sausages

Post by redzed » Sat Aug 29, 2015 16:53

Hey Kevin here are a couple more suggestions for you as you grapple with that bumper crop of tomatoes. Stan and Adam Marianski have recently published a new book, The Art of Making Vegetarian Sausages. Just click on the large banner at the top of this page to enter our sister site meatsandsausages.com. You will see the book at the bottom left of the page. Many of the recipes from the book are also available on the web site and two in particular are there just for you!
http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage ... ian-tomato
http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage ... mato-sauce
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Bob K
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Post by Bob K » Sat Aug 29, 2015 17:18

I like vegetables but I could never define a vegetable stuffed round tube as a sausage! :sad:
Maybe Veg rolls :idea:
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