A Tomato in Winter

My kingdom for a tasty tomato! Chances are that any tomato you buy during winter will not have much in the way of flavor (with the notable exception of cherry or grape tomatoes that are great out of the container for snacking). But don’t despair! Tomatoes rule!

Today’s picture is of canned Italian Plum tomatoes.

Buy cans that do not have ‘calcium’ in the list of ingredients. Added calcium can prevent canned tomatoes from breaking down during cooking. You want your tomatoes to break down for sauces and soups. Canned tomatoes also make a quick salsa when combined with some chopped onion, garlic and spices.

Plum tomatoes have a higher flesh to liquid ratio, which translates into flavor. Buy whole, peeled tomatoes and, if you can manage it, cans that say Roma or San Marzano (San Marzano is an area in Italy that is renowned for it’s deluxe tomatoes). Italian tomatoes in general are usually a good bet.

Rich in Vitamin C and an antioxidant called carotenoid lycopene, these jewels will help you to survive those winter days indoors.

Do not keep any tomatoes in an open can. Store them in a glass jar or plastic container and, to really be safe, label and put them in the freezer. Kept this way they will be in perfect shape for crowning your next meal and feeding any lion-sized appetite wanting a taste of summer.

Avocado Journey

Now you can judge an avocado for ripeness, know how to open it and remove the pit, here’s an idea for the simplest start to a meal. Serve half an avocado with balsamic vinegar and a little extra virgin olive oil. Along with a dash of salt (kosher if you have it) and some freshly ground pepper, you will have an elegant start to a meal or, if you are not all that hungry, a meal in itself.

It wasn’t necessary to traverse the Road to Guacamole in order to enjoy an avocado. The pleasure of this healthy fruit, just as it is, was always there!

The California Avocado Commission has this nutrition information on its site:

• One-fifth of a medium avocado, or about one ounce, has 50 calories and contributes nearly 20 beneficial nutrients to the diet.

• Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are thought to help prevent many chronic diseases.

• Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including 4% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E, 4% vitamin C, 8% folate, 4% fiber, 2% iron, 4% potassium, with 81 micrograms of lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene.

• Avocados act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene as well as lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.

I guess it’s not always about the journey!

Greetings from Guacamole

Now that you have arrived with everything ready (gather a friend or two, this makes enough for company), here’s the actual recipe:

In a large bowl mix together:

2 ripe avocados (peeled and diced)-use Hass avocados (the small, rough, bumpy kind)
1/2 of a small onion or one shallot- finely chopped
1 or 2 small garlic cloves- finely chopped
1 small ripe tomato- chopped (very, very optional)
1 Tablespoon of lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon of chili powder – or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients with a fork, mashing the avocado against the side of your bowl. Leave some chunks; it’s more fun that way! Also, this is one of those recipes that are totally up for interpretation. Try it this way than adjust to your preference.


Health Note: If you are going to eat this with tortilla chips, do yourself a big favor and choose a brand made with non-hydrogenated fats.

Road To Guacamole- Part Two: Destination Fruit!

After you have determined that your avocado is ready (the skin is uniformly dark the avocado yields slightly to pressure), it’s time hit the road!

Slice through to the pit, rotating the fruit (yes, an avocado is a fruit) so that you have divided it in half. Turn the halves in opposite directions. You will have one half with the pit and the other without. A sharp (but not too heavy) hit of your knife into the pit will release the pit from the fruit to the knife. Another little angled rap of the knife and pit (on the end of the chopping board or counter side) will release the pit. Do not throw the pit away. Along with some citrus juice, embedding the pit in your smashed avocado will prevent it from going brown.

You can now scoop out the flesh. If you want to get a jump-start with the smashing, cut it into cubes while still in the skin.

Are your avocadoes not ripening fast enough? Place them in a paper bag at room temperature for a day or so. If they are ripe and you are not yet ready to hit the road, they will stall in the refrigerator for about a week.

The Road to Guacamole- Part One: Getting Started

I think it’s time that we made something to eat. Lately it’s been about the how-to’s and the instant-eats (apples and such). I thought something requiring a little preparation was in order.

Today is about ingredients. The avocados in the picture aren’t quite ready to eat, but they will be soon and that’s when the fun begins. How to choose an avocado? Most probably they will be bright green and/ or very firm at the supermarket. They will not be ready to eat, but that’s all part of the plan. In their ‘firm-osity’ they will make it to your kitchen counter without getting bruised or damaged on the way. This is not a case of instant satisfaction. Wait until your avocados (you have bought a pair of them in matching color- so that they ripen at the same time) are almost black and soft, not mushy, dimply soft - just yielding to gentle pressure. Because avocados are a tropical fruit, they are best left at room temperature and enjoyed as soon as they are ripe. Like most things used to warm climates, they are not happy chilled and will not ripen in the refrigerator.

While you are shopping in anticipation of future guacamole delight, make sure you are ready with the other ingredients. Here’s a full shopping list:

2 avocados
1-2 garlic cloves
1 lemon or lime
1 small onion or shallot (something that looks like a small, brown, egg-shaped onion)
1 ripe tomato (optional- tomatoes are not in season so you might want to skip this for now)

Ground cumin
Chili powder
Salt and pepper

Love Child

Apples were everywhere at the Farmer’s Market today. There were so many different varieties that it was difficult to keep all the names straight, but no problem remembering this favorite. Let me introduce you to a Honey Crisp, which is just that, sweet (but not too sweet) and crisp. Honey Crisp apples were first produced in 1960, which is totally groovy considering they are the ‘love child’ of two other varieties, the Macoun and Honeygold. The University of Minnesota bred this apple as part of a program to ‘invent’ winter hardy fruit, how cool is that?

Stored in the refrigerator, Honey Crisps can last up to six months, but that would only happen if you were away on a world tour or lost the ability to find the bottom drawer of your refrigerator. These are way too delicious to hang around that long.

If you are craving something just a little more far-out than a solitary apple, add a slice of cheese or a bit of peanut butter.

Strained Relationships

This is a colander (well, two colanders). I know that I have mentioned this piece of essential kitchen gear before, but while we are on the subject of tools, I though I would remind you of this necessary object. If you want to cook and you don’t own one of these things, start saving now! I’ve seen a tennis racquet used as a substitute (in the movies), but that seems like a ‘don’t try this at home’ sort of thing.

So why is a colander so useful? Apart from straining pasta or anything else you need to separate from boiling water, a colander is very handy in the sink for other cooking moments. Place your veg or fruit inside when washing (using cool water please). If you want to keep some fruit on the counter, the extra holes in a colander will make for good air circulation and your fruit will last longer (also rotate your fruit every once in a while, for the same reason).

This is the best of strained relationships…you might even want more than one!