Simple & Flavourful Cherry Tomato Sauce

Marge (00:00:07) - Welcome back, my friends. I hope you're looking forward to this week's episode of Bite Me, because we are doing the much anticipated cherry tomato sauce. Welcome to Bite Me, the show about edibles, where I help you take control of your life. I'm your host and certified Gonger Marge and I love helping cooks make safe and effective edibles at home. I'm so glad you're here. And thank you for joining me today. Yes. Welcome back, everyone. Thank you for listening and following along. I really appreciate your support over these years. Can you believe we're into episode 201? Last week's episode with Chef Jordan Wegman was episode 200, and sometimes it kind of blows my mind. So this was episode 201. Thank you for being here and helping to make my dreams happen. So before we get into this week's recipe, we have a couple of things to get through. First, my Weed Word segment that I've started not that long ago. I've had a few coming in here and there. There have been a lot of fun to listen to, but this one comes from my friend, temple grower, who's one of his favorite weed words.

Marge (00:01:19) - He said in chat was electric lettuce. I think a lot of us probably know the weed words, jazz, cabbage and devil's lettuce, but this is kind of a combination of the two to create the whole new electric lettuce. And I do kind of like that, actually. I might have to start using that one myself. And if you're trying to talk about weed and places where perhaps it's not particularly welcomed, maybe online, Instagram, Facebook, any of those places where weed is met with a suspicious eye, even though it's 2023 and has been well documented about how weed is not the threat to our health and wealth and sanity as it once was back in those Reefer Madness days. But you can always use the word electric lettuce and people may have no idea what you're talking about. They could just be thinking you you picked up some fire sprouts and lettuces at the local farmer's market last weekend. I know I did. But in any case, I also wanted to say thanks for TJ for submitting this. I don't think he realized I was going to use it on air, but here we are.

Marge (00:02:27) - Next we have the cannabis fact, and I did start this a little bit ago and I came to an article that was talking about. Can't. Things you can make with hemp. So this is more of a hemp fact than more than anything. And I am also a panel member on the Sunday show for high on Homegrown. And if you have had not had the opportunity to listen over there, then by all means check them out. They are doing some really cool things. High and homegrown. Does their Sunday show live that I participate in, And then they also have a lot of guest interviews as well with some really great cannabis minded folks. I am typically not on those interviews just because of the time zone conflict. They're running a show with five panel members from all around the world. It can get pretty difficult with time zones, but I'm also working on all these great things for Bite Me, the show about edibles. So I don't really make those too often, but I am there most Sundays and I we always cover some interesting news articles.

Marge (00:03:27) - And this one that I had for this week fits in nicely with some more interesting things that you can make with hemp that you might not be familiar with. It was from the entrepreneur. Canadian Fiber composite manufacturer secures a $40 Million to Hemp fund hemp projects. And the article itself was just talking about how this company really sees the the value in using hemp as a as a manufacturing input, if you will. And it's interesting because not really using traditional hemp, but they're using fiber processing and bio composites. So a lot of so what they're doing is using the waste product from the from the hemp industry and using that to make interesting things. And a couple of the interesting things that they were making they were going to be making with this biomass is to produce lighter prepress for the automotive industry. I have no idea what those are. I'm going to have to look those up and find out. Large dimensional panels to replace plywood in RV sidewalls cause for wind turbine blades and boats and compounded pellets to replace glass reinforced plastics.

Marge (00:04:39) - So I thought that was super interesting, especially because, you know, you could be driving literally driving around in a hemp mobile at some point down the road. But it just goes to show the the the breadth of the things that you can do with hemp. It's so fascinating to me because usually you think of happen, you think of the traditional stuff, definitely worthwhile. But, you know, rope and textiles and paper. But this is definitely moving far outside of that. So pretty interesting some of the things that you can make with hemp. And lastly, I just wanted to read out a lovely review that I got from Jim McKenzie, 82, in the United States, and they left a review saying, wow, talk about knowing her stuff. Very interesting show to listen to. Would recommend to anyone wanting to know more about edibles. And I just want to say thank you for leaving that kind review. Reviews like this really helped make the show more discoverable. And considering that podcasts are getting more and more popular every year, it's a really growing medium and there's so many great podcasts out there.

Marge (00:05:42) - Reviews like this really helped make my tiny little show, my little corner of the Internet a little more searchable or findable to other edibles enthusiasts like you and I. So thanks again. And if you feel like leaving your own review, you can do that on any of your podcast platforms, the preferred one that you use and I will definitely get it. So thanks again for that review. Now let's get into cherry tomato sauce. So I had the opportunity to attend the Lift Expo recently and I had a great time checking out the food and the beverage workshops and demonstrations. And what I found notable this year because I've gone. I think this is my third year in a row since the pandemic. They did take a hiatus for during the pandemic, as did everything else. But it was notable this year because edibles and beverages really seem to play a large part in the Expo events. And if you haven't listened to the episode that I did with Chef Jordan Wegman, I definitely recommend that you go over and have a listen to that because it gives you a better sense of how infused food and beverage is becoming the path to reducing stigma around cannabis use.

Marge (00:06:57) - For myself and perhaps for you listening as well, I sometimes have to remind myself that a lot of this stigma still exists in places for me, in my perspective, I live in Canada, so it's legal, but I also work in cannabis. I'm doing this podcast, I'm on the high end homegrown podcast. I'm talking connecting to other cannabis minded folks for interviews and and all kinds of things. And so I've surrounded myself with people who even, even if they don't consume, are comfortable and understand the value and the benefits that cannabis brings to so many people. And I have to remind myself that there's still plenty of people out there who are can a cautious, if you will, for lack of a better term, maybe candid, curious. But there's plenty of people who are still babying those stigmas surrounding cannabis, which come from some pretty general basic stereotypes, if you will. Food and beverage is becoming the path of reducing stigma around cannabis use, because I think it's such a safe entry point for those who are curious about cannabis because we all have to eat and infusing foods in a beautiful, delicate way is such an easy way for people to dip the toe in, if you will.

Marge (00:08:10) - I feel the same way very much about cannabis topicals as well. So Chef Jordan is also going to be spearheading the taste at Lyft in San Francisco in August. So if you're in that area, it looks like they're putting on a fantastic program all around some food and beverage content. And I wish I could go, but if you're in the area, it is definitely worth checking out and I'll link to it in the show notes. Now, speaking of Jordan, he is the one that generously shared this recipe with me that I might try it out and share it with all of you. And he is a this is one of his favorite go to recipes to infuse because it is so easy and I can see why. There's several things I love, love, love about this recipe. So first of all, it's super simple. And if you know me and if you listen to this show for a little while, you know, I tend to lean towards the simpler things to infuse rather than things that are, you know, overly complicated.

Marge (00:09:03) - Although I've done both, I have done both. And there is a time and place for something that's a little more involved, more of a project oriented type of edible. But sometimes you want something simple that you can infuse. It's not going to take a whole bunch of time and energy. And because this is a tomato sauce, it's super versatile. You can use it for a whole lot of things. I'll probably be first using it for the traditional pasta, but you could do a lot of things with this tomato sauce. And the other nice thing about it is that the ingredients are easily found year round. There aren't any unusual, weird ingredients. You're going to have trouble sourcing. And if you have the bounty of fresh tomatoes and basil at the end of the summer or you know somebody that does, or you're able to go to local farmers markets or what have you, this is going to be even better. Now, I don't have, you know, fresh local tomatoes here yet, but I was able to go to the store and I picked up some cherry tomatoes on the vine.

Marge (00:09:57) - They were a greenhouse grown, but they were Canadian greenhouse grown tomatoes. So I'm always hoping that by choosing something that's grown closer to home, it's going to be a little fresher. The flavors are going to be a little nicer than if it's been shipped for thousands of miles before it gets to my local grocery store. So if you can do that, if that's an option for you, then by all means take it. And they all looked really they looked really nice. The little cherry tomatoes on the vine are a pretty attractive vegetable, I have to say. I probably popped a few into my mouth while I was taking them off off the stem. It's also going to be a very easy dish to adjust the potency of the sauce up or down based on your own tolerance. So in my particular instance, in this case, I infused it with CBD. I actually use the olive oil because I'll be serving that to my mother in law and my husband who are not really interested in getting high and, you know, for a variety of different reasons.

Marge (00:10:55) - And I can put some CBD in it, let them know there's CBD in it, and there's usually no issue with that. And the olive oil works perfectly. This was something that I got from. Flower and pharma chef Julie Hauser, and she is an upcoming podcast guest. So you can listen for that. And this line of oils that they sent me is really lovely and has I've actually used it quite a bit now. If I was in the US, I'd probably be able to get my hands on the THC version as well. But alas I could, could not. I often do enjoy being able to make things with CBD so that I can serve it to more people. But the really nice thing about this particular source as well is that if you're so inclined and you really want to, you could always add some THC oil and whip it up in a blender at the last second. If you really wanted to add the THC to a portion of the source, I mean, it might be a little extra mess for you, but it is possible.

Marge (00:11:52) - Now, the other nice thing, too, is it calls for a small like it's a it's an all of oil based source. In some ways, it's an olive oil based source. And you can easily adjust the cannabis oil again, if you or someone with a much higher tolerance, you're just going to be eating this for yourself. You know, the tolerance of the people that are dining with you, you can certainly make this stronger if needed. But I do enjoy myself, the CBD infused source, because then I can also finish off my meal with an infused bite of the chocolate coffee cake that I've been working on. I think I've made that chocolate coffee cake now probably three times, and I made it first time for the podcast for the episode, but I've enjoyed it so much. I've made it a couple more times because like Chef Lucas suggested on the episode, I've made this cake, and then I cut it up into pieces and I, I calculate the the potency of it and I label the package or the container very clearly.

Marge (00:12:51) - So anybody who's pulling that out of the freezer knows that there is THC in this is what you want to do. You don't want to be dosing people inadvertently because that also sucks. But I just put it in the freezer because, well, I kept it out of the freezer at first, but I think he said it. It keeps for about five days in the refrigerator. But he's like, by all means put it in the fridge freezer. And so I pull out a couple of pieces based on my tolerance and perhaps how much I want to feel that evening. And just those two pieces. It's sweet and chocolaty with that coffee flavor, and it's enough to indulge my sweet tooth and to get me to get those feel good cannabinoids in me. So I have a nice relaxing evening. And so I feel like that marries well with the CBD. That's going to be the CBD that's in the source. So you can still get the best of both worlds. So. That's sort of my take on it at this point.

Marge (00:13:42) - Not everything has to be just. Just has to have a ton of THC dumped into it, unless if that's what you're looking for. Of course. But, you know, the beautiful thing about cannabis, there's so much nuance to it and so many ways you can play around with it and make it better or make it suit your lifestyle. So what do you need for this recipe? So it really couldn't get any simpler. Two cups of cherry tomatoes, two basil leaves, salt pepper, olive oil, cannabis oil actually called for some water. And that's it. That's what's so wonderful about it. It's so simple. So I went to the store the other day and I picked up some of these beautiful looking cherry tomatoes and some basil. I am going to be going to the farmer's market next weekend and I'm going to be picking myself up some basil plants because sometimes I really hate buying basil and other herbs at the grocery store because they always come in those plastic containers and they don't really keep that well in those things.

Marge (00:14:34) - And I just want the bounty of basil whenever I need it. I did infuse a few last year. I decided to branch out. Two years ago I did my first basil infused olive oil. It was so lovely. I used all of it over the winter time because I used fresh basil that I picked up from the market and you basically infuse it in a jar of olive oil for about six weeks. Perhaps you give it a bit of a shake every day and then you strain out the basil and then you've got this basil infused olive oil. So I tried it again last year, but I branched out. I think I also did Rosemary Time and Sage. They all turned out just as nice as well. But you know what? At the end of the day, it's the basil infused one that I reach for time and time again. So if you're going to do one, do the basil infuse. There's just something about basil, that classic pairing of basil and tomatoes as well. I'm actually trying the same little technique with.

Marge (00:15:30) - Um. Raw cannabis flower. So we'll see how that goes. This is I put it in a pretty small jar, so I didn't waste too much of it, but I grew some cannabis and I took some small buds more near the bottom of the thing. I wasn't taking any huge colas or anything like that, but I took some nice looking buds and I put them in the jar and a clean glass jar, and then I poured the olive oil over it and I'm going to do the same thing. I'm going to give it a bit of a shake every day for six weeks, and then I'm going to strain out the cannabis and then we'll see how well it preserves the turbines. So it should be interesting experiment because I feel like it's going to be very low in it hasn't been carboxylate or dried or anything like that. So it's not really something that I'm using intending to get high or anything, but maybe something is a finishing oil or for that taste and flavor. I mean, I have all these great chefs on my show and they're always talking about turnings and food pairings.

Marge (00:16:23) - I really want to give this a shot. So anyway, I digress. We were we were talking about the ingredients for this sauce cherry tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, olive oil and your infused cannabis oil and some water and that's it. And essentially, you're going to wash your tomatoes, take them for tomatoes on the vine. You take the vines and tops off and then you put the washed tomatoes in your saucepan or your pot, add your olive oil, add your salt and pepper and water, and then you let it sort of simmer on the stove for 20 minutes. And it's going to release a lot of the juice from the tomatoes. The skins are going to they're going to split. Then you can either use an immersion blender or put into your blender. I put mine in the blender even though I have an immersion blender. I guess I just didn't feel like digging it out, which probably would have been the easiest thing without with a lot less mess. When you put it into the blender, this is where you're going to add your cannabis oil and your basil leaves.

Marge (00:17:16) - You blend it up until it's smooth and there you go. You can use it immediately or you can let it cool and then refrigerate it and that's it. And I also feel like this is something that if you are a gardener or you like to go to markets or you know somebody that's giving you tons of cherry tomatoes because they have so many growing, I've often had neighbors like that or like, Please take some of these tomatoes from me. I have way too many. I feel like this would be a sauce that would freeze really nicely, too. That's essentially it. I mean, it doesn't get much nicer than that. So thank you to Chef Jordan for sharing this recipe with me. And if you give it a try, let me know how you find it. So that's it. It doesn't get any simpler than that, does it? And I can see why he has this as a go to recipe. So if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with somebody that has an affinity for cherry tomatoes.

Marge (00:18:06) - You can always email me as well at Stay Hi, I Bite Me podcast or find the podcast hotline. You can leave me a voice message. I love hearing your voices and you can stay up to date with news events, giveaways with the newsletter. So I do suggest you sign up for that Bite Me podcast.com and consider using the products and services on the market recommends page because that really helps to support this show. So that's it for this week my friends I'm your host, Marge, and until next time, stay high.