Add Raisins And Nuts To Create A Tomato Conserve

Dear Laura: I hope you can help me. I’m looking for a recipe for Ripe Tomato Preserves or Conserve. I think it had nuts, orange and lemon peel. I haven’t made it for several years and can’t find my recipe. Thank you. - Norma

Dear Norma: By definition, preserves contain small whole fruits or larger fruits cut into pieces of uniform size, held in a syrup varying from the thickness of honey to a soft jelly. The goal is to produce a plump, glistening, mellow and clear product while retaining the original shape of the fruit.

Conserves are a variation on a jam or marmalade. These spreads combine two or more fruits, often including raisins and nuts. They are soft and easily spread. The mixture you describe fits in this category.

Tomato Conserve

5 pounds ripe tomatoes

8 cups sugar

1 orange, sliced thin, seeds discarded

1 lemon, sliced thin, seeds discarded

1 cup raisins

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts

Scald tomatoes, cool and remove skin; cut out core and quarter, draining off all liquid. Put into bowl in layers, covering each layer with sugar, and let stand overnight.

In the morning, drain the syrup that has formed into a saucepot; reserve tomato solids. Boil the liquid until jelly test is reached (the liquid sheets from a metal spoon, or registers 232 degrees on a jelly and candy thermometer).

Add tomato pulp, orange slices, lemon slices, raisins and salt. Simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking, until fruits are transparent. Add nuts during the last 5 minutes of cooking; stir well.

Ladle hot conserve into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes (at altitudes between 1,001 and 3,000 feet) completely immersed in a boiling-water bath.

Dear Laura: I am looking for a recipe for canning tomato salsa so I can keep it for a few months.

Also, when I tried canning green beans a few years ago - I followed the book’s directions exactly - they all turned out either tough or hard. I boiled them for the recommended time. Could you tell me what went wrong?

I have one more request. Is there a good sugar cookie recipe? I’d like one that has good taste and is somewhat soft. All the ones I’ve tried are hard and have no flavor. Thank you for your time. - Carroll, Spokane.

Dear Carroll: Answering in reverse order: 1) The following sugar cookie recipe is a favorite from my childhood. The cream of tartar adds a lemony flavor and promotes the soft texture. If desired, a small amount of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom or other spices could be included for additional flavor.

2) The most likely problem with your green beans is that they were either too mature or had been picked too long before you started processing them. Process only fresh-picked beans, and boil more mature specimens for a longer time.

A note with the directions for canning green beans in the new “Ball Blue Book Guide To Home Canning, Freezing and Dehydration” reads: “The processing time given applies only to young, tender pods. Beans that have almost reached the shell-outstage require a longer processing time. Add 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts.”

3) The following salsa recipe was developed at Washington State University’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition to ensure adequate acid for safe canning. Do not vary the ratio of ingredients. Use only vine-ripened tomatoes, avoiding those that are overripe or spoiling as their acid content will be too low for safety.

Mom’s Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3-1/2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Cream margarine, shortening and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

Combine flour, baking soda and cream tartar; stir or sift to blend. Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture until thoroughly blended. Cover and chill thoroughly (4 or more hours).

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Removing a portion at a time from refrigerated container (keep remainder chilling in refrigerator) roll on lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutters in desired shape(s). Transfer to cookie sheet; sprinkle with colored sugars, if desired.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to brown on edges. Remove to paper toweling or wire racks to cool. Repeat with additional portions of dough, rerolling any scraps.

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for several days, or package and freeze for longer storage. If desired, decorate with varied colored frostings and sugar sprinkles or small candies.

Canned Tomato Salsa

4 cups peeled, cored and chopped tomatoes

2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped long green chiles

1/2 cup seeded, chopped jalapeno peppers

3/4 cup chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups vinegar (5 percent acidity)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon cilantro

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot into pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes at altitudes between 1,001 and 6,000 feet. Begin counting processing time after water returns to a boil.

Yield: 4 pints.

Cook’s Notes: One and one-half (1 ) cups bottled lemon juice may be substituted for the 2 cups of vinegar. If using vinegar, select one that indicates at least 5 percent acidity on the label.

This recipe is best when made with pastetype tomatoes (Roma) but gives satisfactory results when made with slicing tomatoes.

xxxx

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Laura Carnie The Spokesman-Review