Tomato Jam

There are lots of versions of this recipe with many variations in the list of ingredients. This one comes from Chef Wes Fulmer of Motor Supply Bistro here in Columbia. The recipe Eddie Wales handed me called for fifteen tomatoes. The recipe at Very Vera calls for eight. I really wish that the recipe called for a weight of tomatoes rather than a number. Right now, I’m choosing to err on the side of more tomatoes and tomato flavor.

1. Core out and score 8 - 15 tomatoes on the bottom.
2. In a medium stockpot bring 1 gallon of water to a boil. Place the tomatoes in and blanch until skin starts to separate from the flesh.
3. Meanwhile dice 1 large yellow onion and one bunch of fresh thyme. Sautée them and set aside (if you have time before the tomatoes are done).
   
4. Place tomatoes in an ice bath immediately. Peel and rough chop.
5. Place the roughly-chopped tomatoes, onions, and thyme in a medium rondo or small stockpot on medium-low heat. Add 
• 1 c. sugar
• 1½ c. rice wine vinegar, and 
• 3 large bay leaves
  and cook on low heat for about 2-3 hours until almost all liquid is gone.
6. Spread on a half sheet tray and let cool.
7. Enjoy!

Feel free to add other flavors as your taste buds dictate. Ginger is nice. As are cloves.

New York-Style Pizza Crust

This is based on J. Kenji López-Alt’s New York Pizza recipe. His recipe makes three pies; we only ever make two crusts. It is well worth reading the original and following his link to the windowpane test to make sure you have good gluten development.

Oil the insides of two 32 oz. lidded containers (I tend to use quart-sized deli rounds) and set them aside.

Into the bowl of a food processor, put

• 15 oz. / 425 g. bread flour (~ 3 c.),
• 1 Tbsp sugar,
• .23 oz. / 6.6 g. kosher salt (~ 2 tsp.), and
  
• 1⅓ tsp. instant / rapid rise yeast.

 Pulse to combine.

Add

• 2 Tbsp EVOO and
• 10 oz. / 283.3 g. lukewarm water.

Run the processor until the dough forms a ball that rides up along the side of the bowl (~15 seconds) and then continue for that much time longer (~30 seconds total).

Turn out onto a lightly-floured surface, knead a couple of times (feel free to check the dough by using the windowpane test), cut the dough in half, form into balls, and put them into the oiled containers. Refrigerate for one to five days, checking every now and again that the lids haven’t been blown off the containers (don’t ask me how I know that this can happen).

At least two hours before needed, take the doughs out, punch them down, reform the balls, drop them pinched-side down back into the oiled containers, and let them warm and rise on the counter until doubled in volume.

After this, it’s nearly the same instructions from the Thin Crust recipe, but for convenience, I’ll paste them in here:

[Insert two hours worth of music & other chores here.]

• Place a pizza stone, cast iron bistro pan, or some other such item into an oven and preheat to 450℉.
• Punch down the dough.
• Get out some parchment, sprinkle with semolina (I switched from corn meal and like the texture slightly better), and place a dough ball onto it. With fingers & knuckles, work the ball out into a rough disk (feel free to pick it up by the edges and let gravity do some of the stretching), then start rolling out the dough from the center, shifting 90° with each stroke.
• When the dough is ~13", sprinkle with a bit more corn meal semolina,
• prick all over with a fork,
• flip,
• brush with olive oil, and
• top with desired toppings.
• Transfer to heated stone or iron in the oven. (I slide a thin metal pizza pan underneath the parchment, just set the parchment with the pizza down on the hot stone or iron, and slide the fake peel out; the parchment makes a convenient tool for removing the cooked pizza from the oven and for containing the mess when cutting and serving.)
• Bake for ~12 minutes, 
• check for desired browning of the crust, and either leave in for a bit longer or
• take out, cut, and serve.