Tomatoes
Tomato Jam
A nice use for overripe tomatoes. We've always made it with big slicers; if you used paste tomatoes, I imagine you would need less cooking time. If you wanted to, you could run it through a food mill afterwards and turn it into paste. It's great spread on fried eggplants, crackers with chevre, or stirred into scrambled eggs.
Based on a recipe from thekitchn.com.
4-5 ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 HEAD of garlic, slivered
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Heat the oven to 325°F. Generously oil the bottom of a rimmed cookie sheet or lasagne pan.
Fill the pan with tomatoes, cramming as many as possible in (this helps it not to burn later on). Scatter the garlic on top and sprinkle on the spices. Drizzle with more olive oil - be generous, as it carries the flavors and makes the whole thing come together.
Bake at 325°F for about 3 hours, or until the tomatoes are very soft and there is little visible juice when you stir. I mash them around after the first hour and then every half hour thereafter.
Remove from the oven and let cool. Mash to an even consistency, if necessary. Keep refrigerated - should keep for 2 or more weeks, though you'll probably eat it all before then, or you can freeze it for later.
Dried Tomatoes
This is a simple way to preserve tomatoes – they can be added to soups as is, or soaked for a little while in hot water and then added to scrambled eggs or pasta or salad cukes. A dehydrator is another great investment for local eating in the winter, but the oven works, too. We’ve found a few dehyradors at garage sales over the years – they don’t have to be fancy to work (though the fancy ones do work really well).
Slice tomatoes into ¼ inch slices, removing cores. For cherry tomatoes, cut in half.
Sprinkle with salt, if desired.
Dry in the dehydrator at 120º overnight, turning and drying for another several hours in the morning, or dry on a lightly greased baking sheet in the oven on its lowest setting – it may take up to 24 hours. Rotate the baking sheet occasionally and flip the tomatoes at least once in that time.
Let them cool, then pack in glass jars.
If you want to store them in the pantry, dry them until they are brittle-crisp. If you prefer them chewier, I recommend storing them in the freezer.
Zucchini Ragout with Bacon and Tomato
Officially our favorite way to eat zucchini. It's also especially good with the little yellow scalloppini squash.
This is from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, which is a great cookbook.
Clean and cut the ends from 4-6 small zucchini or summer squash
Cut into 1/4 inch slices and toss with salt. Place into a colander to drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan.
Add 2 slices bacon or pancetta, cut into small pieces.
1 onion, peeled and diced.
Cook for 10 minutes, until tender, then add:
3/4 pound tomatoes, peeled and diced. [She also suggests seeding them, but we never do.]
Cook for 7 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to break down. Add the sliced zuchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the succhini is tender and the sauc is thick. Turn the heat down if the sauce is boiling rapidly or if it starts to stick. At the last few minutes season with:
Fresh-ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons chopped parsely, and 2 teaspoons chopped basil.
Taste for salt, and serve warm or at room temperature as an anti-pasto dish or on top of grilled or toasted bread rubbed with a garlic clove.
Tomato Cucumber Salad
This is adapted from Cooks Illustrated magazine. The key here is to extract and reduce the tomato juices, then add them back in the dressing. It takes a little longer than your average tomato and cucumber salad, but it's really good. This method also makes a nice fresh pasta sauce with really great tomato flavor. Yum.
4 cups chopped tomatoes
salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper
1 small cuke, diced
1/2 c chopped kalamata olives
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
3 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Toss the tomatoes, 1/4 tsp salt, and sugar in a bowl, then let stand for 30 minutes. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and shake gently to loosen seeds and juice, then strain, or place in a salad spinner and spin all the goop out. You should have about 1/2 cup goop.
- Simmer the 1/2 cup tomato goop, oregano, shallot, garlic, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Reduce to 3 tablespoons, 6-8 minutes. Let cool, then whisk in oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste
- Mix cukes, olives, feta, tomatoes, and dressing - and enjoy!
Green Tomato Chocholate Cake
4 cups chopped tomatoes
salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper
1 small cuke, diced
1/2 c chopped kalamata olives
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
3 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Toss the tomatoes, 1/4 tsp salt, and sugar in a bowl, then let stand for 30 minutes. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and shake gently to loosen seeds and juice, then strain, or place in a salad spinner and spin all the goop out. You should have about 1/2 cup goop.
- Simmer the 1/2 cup tomato goop, oregano, shallot, garlic, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Reduce to 3 tablespoons, 6-8 minutes. Let cool, then whisk in oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste
- Mix cukes, olives, feta, tomatoes, and dressing - and enjoy!
Cream together (I use an electric beater):
2 eggs
1 ½ c melted butter
1 ½ c sugar
1 c pureed green tomatoes
Mix:
2 tps baking soda
2 tps baking powder
1 c cocoa
2 c flour
Add:
1 c beer
Optional: sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake 35 minutes in a
greased 13 x 9 inch pan, until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!
A nice use for overripe tomatoes. We've always made it with big slicers; if you used paste tomatoes, I imagine you would need less cooking time. If you wanted to, you could run it through a food mill afterwards and turn it into paste. It's great spread on fried eggplants, crackers with chevre, or stirred into scrambled eggs.
Based on a recipe from thekitchn.com.
4-5 ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 HEAD of garlic, slivered
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Heat the oven to 325°F. Generously oil the bottom of a rimmed cookie sheet or lasagne pan.
Fill the pan with tomatoes, cramming as many as possible in (this helps it not to burn later on). Scatter the garlic on top and sprinkle on the spices. Drizzle with more olive oil - be generous, as it carries the flavors and makes the whole thing come together.
Bake at 325°F for about 3 hours, or until the tomatoes are very soft and there is little visible juice when you stir. I mash them around after the first hour and then every half hour thereafter.
Remove from the oven and let cool. Mash to an even consistency, if necessary. Keep refrigerated - should keep for 2 or more weeks, though you'll probably eat it all before then, or you can freeze it for later.
Dried Tomatoes
This is a simple way to preserve tomatoes – they can be added to soups as is, or soaked for a little while in hot water and then added to scrambled eggs or pasta or salad cukes. A dehydrator is another great investment for local eating in the winter, but the oven works, too. We’ve found a few dehyradors at garage sales over the years – they don’t have to be fancy to work (though the fancy ones do work really well).
Slice tomatoes into ¼ inch slices, removing cores. For cherry tomatoes, cut in half.
Sprinkle with salt, if desired.
Dry in the dehydrator at 120º overnight, turning and drying for another several hours in the morning, or dry on a lightly greased baking sheet in the oven on its lowest setting – it may take up to 24 hours. Rotate the baking sheet occasionally and flip the tomatoes at least once in that time.
Let them cool, then pack in glass jars.
If you want to store them in the pantry, dry them until they are brittle-crisp. If you prefer them chewier, I recommend storing them in the freezer.
Zucchini Ragout with Bacon and Tomato
Officially our favorite way to eat zucchini. It's also especially good with the little yellow scalloppini squash.
This is from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, which is a great cookbook.
Clean and cut the ends from 4-6 small zucchini or summer squash
Cut into 1/4 inch slices and toss with salt. Place into a colander to drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan.
Add 2 slices bacon or pancetta, cut into small pieces.
1 onion, peeled and diced.
Cook for 10 minutes, until tender, then add:
3/4 pound tomatoes, peeled and diced. [She also suggests seeding them, but we never do.]
Cook for 7 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to break down. Add the sliced zuchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the succhini is tender and the sauc is thick. Turn the heat down if the sauce is boiling rapidly or if it starts to stick. At the last few minutes season with:
Fresh-ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons chopped parsely, and 2 teaspoons chopped basil.
Taste for salt, and serve warm or at room temperature as an anti-pasto dish or on top of grilled or toasted bread rubbed with a garlic clove.
Tomato Cucumber Salad
This is adapted from Cooks Illustrated magazine. The key here is to extract and reduce the tomato juices, then add them back in the dressing. It takes a little longer than your average tomato and cucumber salad, but it's really good. This method also makes a nice fresh pasta sauce with really great tomato flavor. Yum.
4 cups chopped tomatoes
salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper
1 small cuke, diced
1/2 c chopped kalamata olives
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
3 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Toss the tomatoes, 1/4 tsp salt, and sugar in a bowl, then let stand for 30 minutes. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and shake gently to loosen seeds and juice, then strain, or place in a salad spinner and spin all the goop out. You should have about 1/2 cup goop.
- Simmer the 1/2 cup tomato goop, oregano, shallot, garlic, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Reduce to 3 tablespoons, 6-8 minutes. Let cool, then whisk in oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste
- Mix cukes, olives, feta, tomatoes, and dressing - and enjoy!
Green Tomato Chocholate Cake
4 cups chopped tomatoes
salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper
1 small cuke, diced
1/2 c chopped kalamata olives
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
3 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Toss the tomatoes, 1/4 tsp salt, and sugar in a bowl, then let stand for 30 minutes. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and shake gently to loosen seeds and juice, then strain, or place in a salad spinner and spin all the goop out. You should have about 1/2 cup goop.
- Simmer the 1/2 cup tomato goop, oregano, shallot, garlic, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Reduce to 3 tablespoons, 6-8 minutes. Let cool, then whisk in oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste
- Mix cukes, olives, feta, tomatoes, and dressing - and enjoy!
Cream together (I use an electric beater):
2 eggs
1 ½ c melted butter
1 ½ c sugar
1 c pureed green tomatoes
Mix:
2 tps baking soda
2 tps baking powder
1 c cocoa
2 c flour
Add:
1 c beer
Optional: sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake 35 minutes in a
greased 13 x 9 inch pan, until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!