How to make Tomato Jam | 蕃茄果醬

The first time I tried tomato jam was in Dundurn castle, Hamilton.  The historians dressed in the traditional clothes, presenting this preserve that they had made on site for the guesses to try.  The jam contained chunks of candied tomatoes.  It tasted more like a marmalade than jam and it was perfect to pair with soda cracker.

I asked the historians for the recipe and here it is.  It is a very straightforward recipe and my jam turned out nicely.  I hope you will also give this recipe a try.

How to make Tomato Jam | 蕃茄果醬

Ingredients: (yield about 1 cup)

6 Tomatoes

1.5 cups Sugar

1/2 Lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon Chilli Flake (optional)

材料：(約1杯)

6 個   蕃茄

1.5 杯   糖

1/2 個   檸檬汁

1 茶匙   辣椒碎 (隨意)

DIRECTION:

Bocconcini, Basil, and Tomato Salad | 水牛芝士九層塔蕃茄沙律

An impressive and super easy salad to prepare.  The freshly chopped basil and tomato perfectly marinade to each other, bringing the classic summer salad flavour.  With the bouncy bocconcini, it is just the cheer in the cold month.

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cups Bocconcini

1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved

10-15 Black Olives (Kalamata and Nicoise)

10 pcs Basil Leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup Flat Leaf Parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon White Vinegar

5 tablespoons tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
pinch of Salt

材料：
2/3 杯  水牛芝士
1 杯  車厘茄，切半
10-15 粒 黑橄欖
10-15 片  九層塔葉，切碎
1/4 杯  香芹，葉部份，切碎
1 茶匙  白醋
5 湯匙  初搾橄欖油
少撮  鹽

METHODS:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.  Toss to combine.  Chill for 15-20 minutes before serving, if desired.

做法：
1. 在一只大碗內加入所有材料；拌勻。可雪15-20分鐘再食用。

Tomato, Egg and Tofu Soup 蕃茄蛋絲豆腐湯

Sometime you want some soup but feel too lazy to make it. And this recipe is for such occasion. All you need is to scramble the egg and then let the soup to simmer for 15 minutes. Then, you have a bowl of nutritious soup. Hope you enjoy this recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 large Tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 block medium tofu or silken tofu

2 Eggs, beaten

3 cups Water

1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. Heat up vegetable oil over high heat.  Add beaten egg.  Quickly stir fry until it is well cooked.

2. Add water and tomatoes.  Boil the soup until the tomatoes soften; about 15 minutes.  Add tofu.  When the soup comes to a boil again, turn off the heat.  Season with salt to taste.

Scrambled egg with Tomato on Tofu 蕃茄炒蛋配豆腐

For sure we limit our grocery shopping to the minimum during the pandemic. Now we will only go once a week. In the first week, we usually eat like a king because the food is newly stocked up. However, the food becomes scarce and cooking becomes tricky when it comes to the second week. This week is just the week that we have only two tomatoes, a few eggs, and a block of tofu left in the fridge. Along with a can of spam, I cooked this dish to add some extra nutrient to our diet. It is super easy to make and I hope you will enjoy this recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:

4 Eggs

2 Tomatoes

1 Block Tofu

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/3 teaspoon Salt

1 tablespoon Sugar

12 teaspoon Cornstarch

DIRECTION:

1. Drain the tofu; cut it into small blocks. Reheat them in the microwave and then place them on the serving plate. Set aside.

2. Cut the tomatoes into wedges; whisk the eggs.

3. Heat up oil over high heat. Add egg. Fry until it is coagulated.

4. Add tomatoes, salt, and sugar. Continue to stir fry until the tomatoes are heated up.

5. Mix a little water with the cornstarch. Stir it into the tomato mixture. Cook a bit more until the sauce is thicken. Turn off the heat.

Lemony Lentil Soup

It is a wonderfully filling and delicious soup that can warm your body up in a cold weather.  It is something that I would make a big pot and bring it to work everyday for lunch.  I know the list of ingredients looks so long, but do not let that intimidates you.  Most of the items are just spices.  I hope you will enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Green Lentils, rinsed

1 Yellow Onion, peeled and chunked

2 Carrots, cut into bite size

2 Potatoes or green bananas, cut into bite size

1 Zucchini, cut into bite size

3 Tomatoes, cut into chunked

7-8 Garlic Cloves, peeled and minced

2 cups Canned Diced Tomatoes

1 cup Cilantro, roughly chopped

4 Limes, juiced (can be substitute for lemon)

4 cups Vegetable Broth

2 cups Water

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (for frying)

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Power

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1-2 tablespoons Red Chili (optional)

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. Heat up the oil over high heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Fry until they are fragrant; about 5 minutes.

2. Add lentils, zucchini, potato, tomato and carrot.  Stir fry for about 5-10 minutes.

3. Add diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, water and all the spices.  Bring it to a boil over high heat and then continuously cook for another 15 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat.  Add cilantro and lime juice.  Season the soup with salt to taste.

Garlicky Tomato Spinach Salad ｜蒜辣車厘茄菠菜沙律

The farmers market near my work has finally opened.  During the morning walk today with the children, we took the opportunity to visit the local farmers and showed the children those beautiful seasonal vegetables.  They were so excited when they saw the yummy fruits and tomatoes they always like.  I bought a small box of mixed cherry tomatoes to make salad for the dinner.  My husband loves to see those colourful vegetables.  To add some kick to the ordinary green salad, I added some minced garlic.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of Cherry tomatoes, halved

3 cups Baby spinach

2 sprigs of Basils, leaves only, thinly sliced

5-7 Garlic Cloves, minced

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

材料：

1 杯  車厘茄，切半

3 杯  菠菜

2 枝  九層塔，菜部份

5-7 顆  蒜頭，切幼粒

3 湯匙  橄欖油

2 湯匙  意大利黑醋

DIRECTION 做法:

1. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients.  Gently toss them with hands until they are evenly mixed.  Serve immediately.

1. 在一只大碗內，加入所有材料。用手小心地拌勻；上桌。

Greek Salad | 希臘沙律

Greek salad is actually called "villagers' salad"; it is the simple dish that is composed of many fresh vegetables, such as cucumber, tomato, green bell pepper, and onion.  Traditionally, Greek salad does not include lettuce and any other types of bell pepper, nor the addition of elaborative seasoning other than dried oregano and a pinch of salt.  Feta cheese is always presented in chunks or a block, and it will never be crumbled.  A generous amount of olive oil and purplish black olives are a must too.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tomatoes, medium

1/2 Cucumber

1/3 Red Onion

1 Green Bell Pepper

10-15 Black Olives (I used Kalamata and Nicoise)

100 gram Feta Cheese

4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Red WineVinegar

1/2 teaspoon Oregano, dried

pinch of Sea Salt

材料：

2 隻  蕃茄，中型

1/2 條  青瓜

1/3  紅洋蔥

1 隻  青燈籠椒

10-15 粒  黑橄欖

100 克  羊酪芝士

4 湯匙  初榨橄欖油

1 湯匙  紅酒醋

1/2 茶匙  奧勒岡香料，乾燥

少撮  海鹽

INSTRUCTION：

1. Cut tomatoes into wedges; cut onion in thin slices.

2. Halve cucumber lengthwise; remove the seeds and cut it into 1/2 cm pieces.

3. Cut bell pepper in half and remove the seeds.  Cut the pepper into 1/2 cm stripes.

4. On a serving plate, arrange the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, feta cheese, and olives.  Before serving, drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and red wine vinegar, and sprinkle oregano and sea salt.

做法：

1. 蕃茄切瓣；洋蔥切幼絲。

2. 青瓜切半，去籽；把其切成1/2cm塊。

3. 青椒切半，去籽；再切成1/2cm 條狀。

4. 把蕃茄、青瓜、青椒、羊酪、橄欖和洋蔥排盤。淋上橄欖油和紅酒醋；灑上奧勒岡香料和海鹽，即成。