Colin's Tomato Jam

Colin’s Tomato Jam

Colin got up early the morning after Thanksgiving, and astonished me by making a wholly irresistible tomato jam.  I'm not normally a big fan of pepper jelly, apricot salsa, or any of the other sweet-hot offerings you see around these days.  But this one 's different: it has plenty of tartness from both lime and tomatoes, and the seasonings nicely balance out the sweetness and the tomatoes' cooked-down richness.  I think this would be fine on omelets and frittatas, and simply great with savory soufflés.

Colin Killick
(via Mark Bittman, NY Times)
November, 2010

1 1/2 lbs good ripe tomatoes (Roma are best) cored and coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 Tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeño or other pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced, or red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste

Anne’s Ukrainian Borscht with Meat

Anne’s Ukrainian Borscht with Meat

 Anne Milton
February, 2010

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not Ukranian—not one bit.  

My father's Russian Jewish family came over here bringing a recipe for meaty 'winter' borscht—a deep maroon, sweet-and-sour stew thick with prunes, tomatoes and cabbage—it's delicious, and maybe I'll post the recipe someday.  When I joined Boston Organics a couple years ago, I began getting relatively exotic things like celery root and parsnips along with my beets in the wintertime.  I originally found Ukranian Borscht described in a book called Cooking in the Litchfield Hills—a find-raiser for the Pratt Nature Center in New Milford, CT—so I don't know who provided the recipe.  Because the Pratt Center recipe contained many different root veggies, I started fiddling with it, adapting it to my taste and to the contents of my Boston Organics box.  Eventually, a new variant was born.  The borscht unquestionably shares DNA with the original recipe, but I have to call it mine as well, since the proportions, much of the method, and all the notes are my own.  If any actual Ukranians would like to weigh in on this subject, I'd be intrigued to hear from them!

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. beef flank steak or short ribs
, untrimmed (total meat weight excluding bone about 1 lb.)
1 1/2 quarts water

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 medium carrot, scraped

1 medium celery root, peeled, 1/4 cut out for broth, remaining cut in 1/2-inch cubes

1 whole small onion, peeled, stuck with 2 cloves

4 whole allspice berries, roughly crushed
1-2 medium-large, or 3-4 small red or golden beets, without tops (don't use more, or it will overwhelm the soup.)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon tomato paste

2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tablespoon butter

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 medium parsnip, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 medium rutabaga or 2 purple-top turnips, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup chopped cabbage (optional; use more or less to taste)


1 small potato—unpeeled, if you prefer—cut in 1/2-inch cubes (optional: use depending on quantity of other vegetables)
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried dill, or 1-2 teaspoons fresh, minced
1 teaspoon crushed dried parsley, or 2-3 teaspoons fresh, minced

3/4-1 cup sour cream or drained yogurt


Quinoa Tabouli

Quinoa Tabouli

Based on an original tabouli recipe from David Killick
Adapted with quinoa by Anne and Colin
September, 2010

1 cup raw quinoa, (click here for online sources) rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 medium red or white onion, chopped
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
1 small bunch fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1 small mild green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large English cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (optional)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (or more to taste)
juice of 3 lemons (or more to taste)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste (optional)

Spiced Lamb Meatballs

Spiced Lamb Meatballs

Colin Killick
September, 2010

1 lb ground lamb
½ white onion, finely minced
½ bell pepper, finely minced
1 clove garlic, crushed
approximately ¼ bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, finely minced or 1 jalapeno and 1 chipotle pepper (optional)
2 sun-dried tomatoes, softened in boiling water and finely minced (optional)
2 tsp ground cumin (or more if you really love cumin)
splash Maggi seasoning (click here to buy) or Worcestershire sauce*
splash balsamic vinegar
salt to taste
dash black pepper
dash white pepper

Tomatillo- Cilantro Pesto

Tomatillo- Cilantro Pesto

Colin Killick
September, 2010

approximately 3/4 bunch cilantro
1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled  and cubed.
juice of 3 limes
¼ cup finely grated hard Mexican cheese (cotija is good) or use ricotta salata
½ cup shelled pumpkin seeds, toasted in skillet until lightly browned
½ cup caramelized onion* (optional)
1 Hatch or serrano chile, chopped.
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
splash red wine vinegar

Cauliflower Stilton Cheese Soup

 I had half a cauliflower, some cabbage and a potato left from my Boston Organics box, so I decided to try out this variation on cauliflower-cheese soup using the Huntsman cheese I got at Russo's Market in Watertown.  It's delicious: very rich and creamy, the tang of the cheese nicely balancing the sweetness of the vegetables.  Easy to prepare, too!

 Cauliflower Stilton Cheese Soup

Anne Milton
October, 2010

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 cloves garlic, slivered
1 small unpeeled potato, scrubbed and cut in chunks
1 cup chicken stock (or use vegetable broth)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 large onion, diced
1 cup shredded cabbage (optional)
1-2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly-ground is best)
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
4 oz shredded Huntsman—Stilton and Double Gloucester—cheese (or use half Stilton and half cheddar)
Salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)

Kharcho: Georgian Soup with Walnuts and Fresh Herbs

Kharcho: Georgian Soup with Walnuts and Fresh Herbs

Anne Milton

October, 2010

(Adapted from a recipe by DJ Park

via food.com January, 2002)

1 lb. boneless lean beef or lamb, cut in big chunks
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
6 cups meat stock: beef is best, but chicken will also do
6 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
1 bay leaf
1 medium/large tomato or a 16 oz. can diced tomatoes

Georgian Walnut Sauce

Georgian Walnut Sauce

Anne Milton
(adapted from various sources)
October, 2010

1/3 cup dried sour cherries
4 oz walnuts
2 cups parsley or cilantro leaves, washed and thoroughly dried (about half a bunch)
3 or 4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 1/2 teaspoon khmeli suneli* Georgian spice blend
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (freshly-ground is best)
1/4 teaspoon dried mint
1/4 cup sesame tahini
juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 teaspoon honey (optional)

Smoked Salmon on Fresh Corn Pancakes

Smoked Salmon on Fresh Corn Pancakes

Anne Milton
July, 2010

2 ears corn, not shucked
1 cup plain, unsweetened goat-milk yogurt (or use crème fraiche)
1/2 red bell pepper
1 small medium-to-hot green pepper (jalapeño, serrano, etc.)
2 Tablespoons minced red onion

The Corn Pancakes Experiment

Well the corn pancakes came out pretty good.  My fresh corn wasn't the best: it was that Georgia stuff we've been getting lately, and I thought the kernels were a little starchy and tough; the pancakes would be greatly improved by using sweet, just-picked corn.  But my husband (Mr. Anonymous from the comments) said they were very good and didn't notice anything amiss about the corn.