Cooking
The answer to yesterdays contest comes from Harold McGee's masterpeice On Food and Cooking (page 330 for those reading along).
"Because tomato leaves have a pronounced fresh-tomato aroma thanks to their leaf enzymes and prominent aromatic oil glands, some cooks add a few leaves to a tomato sauce toward the end of cooking, to restore its fresh notes."
Which can be added to tomato sauce (towards the end of cooking) to restore its fresh notes?
A. Basil
B. Tomato leaves
C. Parsley
D. Mint
As to those who thought the leaves poisonous, according to McGee, tomato leaves have long been considered potentially toxic because of the alkaloid tomatine. But recent research shows that that tomatine binds to cholesterol molecules in our digestive system, so we absorb neither the alkaloid nor the cholesterol. In fact, ingesting the leaves reduces cholesterol!
Honorable mention to the vodka answer, tomatoes do contain alcohol-solvent flavors that are only released by the addition of alcohol, which is why adding wine or vodka to tomato sauce adds more flavor than you might think...
Congratulations to the winners, kitchenmage, Ginger and Barbara your copies of Very Pesto will be on their way to you shortly.
- Trapanese Pesto Recipe
Summer is bright red, hot, juicy and sweet. So it's ironic that tomatoes don't really become ripe until the last gasp of Summer and into early Fall. To savor a bit more of the flavor of Summer, I recently made a delicious variation on the Genovese...
- The Father Of American Gastronomy
"I like a well-tailored plate of food, and I want things to look and taste like what they are. I detest cooking that masks one flavor with another, and I dislike fussy presentations that don't respect the identity of the ingredients. A tomato is...
- Spaghetti Salad: Recipe
I think you can argue that it isn't really Summer until tomatoes are juice-down-your-chin ripe. When a tomato is at it's sweet peak, I'm not alone in believing it should be eaten raw. In countries where tomatoes are grown, there are lots...
- Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
There are many versions of eggplant parmesan. I probably like them all. The earthy sweetness of the eggplant and tomato sauce, the gooey mozzarella, and the sharpness of the parmesan all come together to make something delectable. Eggplant parmesan was...
- Grilled Mozzarella Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches Recipe
Lots of people pooh pooh the George Foreman grill. Not me. I think it's great for roasting vegetables, making shish kebabs and grilling delicate things like fish. But most of all I love it for being a makeshift panini press. Last night's grilled...
Cooking
Contest: Tomato Sauce Trivia
The answer to yesterdays contest comes from Harold McGee's masterpeice On Food and Cooking (page 330 for those reading along).
"Because tomato leaves have a pronounced fresh-tomato aroma thanks to their leaf enzymes and prominent aromatic oil glands, some cooks add a few leaves to a tomato sauce toward the end of cooking, to restore its fresh notes."
Which can be added to tomato sauce (towards the end of cooking) to restore its fresh notes?
A. Basil
B. Tomato leaves
C. Parsley
D. Mint
As to those who thought the leaves poisonous, according to McGee, tomato leaves have long been considered potentially toxic because of the alkaloid tomatine. But recent research shows that that tomatine binds to cholesterol molecules in our digestive system, so we absorb neither the alkaloid nor the cholesterol. In fact, ingesting the leaves reduces cholesterol!
Honorable mention to the vodka answer, tomatoes do contain alcohol-solvent flavors that are only released by the addition of alcohol, which is why adding wine or vodka to tomato sauce adds more flavor than you might think...
Congratulations to the winners, kitchenmage, Ginger and Barbara your copies of Very Pesto will be on their way to you shortly.
- Trapanese Pesto Recipe
Summer is bright red, hot, juicy and sweet. So it's ironic that tomatoes don't really become ripe until the last gasp of Summer and into early Fall. To savor a bit more of the flavor of Summer, I recently made a delicious variation on the Genovese...
- The Father Of American Gastronomy
"I like a well-tailored plate of food, and I want things to look and taste like what they are. I detest cooking that masks one flavor with another, and I dislike fussy presentations that don't respect the identity of the ingredients. A tomato is...
- Spaghetti Salad: Recipe
I think you can argue that it isn't really Summer until tomatoes are juice-down-your-chin ripe. When a tomato is at it's sweet peak, I'm not alone in believing it should be eaten raw. In countries where tomatoes are grown, there are lots...
- Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
There are many versions of eggplant parmesan. I probably like them all. The earthy sweetness of the eggplant and tomato sauce, the gooey mozzarella, and the sharpness of the parmesan all come together to make something delectable. Eggplant parmesan was...
- Grilled Mozzarella Tomato & Pesto Sandwiches Recipe
Lots of people pooh pooh the George Foreman grill. Not me. I think it's great for roasting vegetables, making shish kebabs and grilling delicate things like fish. But most of all I love it for being a makeshift panini press. Last night's grilled...