In the middle of a tomato glut! Why do tomatoes all become ripe at the same time? And, also, what about the ones which never turn red? All the hard work of growing, looking after and nurturing them to end up with almost too many of the little red bombs! Sun-warmed tomatoes picked straight from the vine are arguably the ideal way to enjoy tomatoes. What can you do with them once you’ve made gallons of soup and tomato sauce for the freezer, eaten them fresh, fried and baked and given away pounds?
Beefsteak tomatoes are best for these 3 recipes
Stuffed Tomatoes (1) Fish
- 170g cooked leftover salmon fillet, flaked
- 1 tbsp shredded smoked salmon
- 1/2 tbsp ready-made mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- splash balsamic vinegar
- 2 large firm tomatoes, cut in half from top to bottom, seeds removed and reserved
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the inside. Lay cut side down on some kitchen paper. In a large bowl, mix together the flaked salmon, smoked salmon, mayonnaise, garlic, ketchup, scooped out tomato flesh and balsamic vinegar until well combined. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and pile back into the tomato shells, using the tops as lids.
Stuffed Tomatoes (2) veggie
Cut off the tops, scoop out the insides as above. Bake in the oven for about 10 – 15 minute at 190 – 200oC. Now add any chopped up (small) vegetables; left over rice, quinoa or couscous, herbs (parsley, mint or basil), garlic (of course). Put all the ingredients you want in a bowl with the scooped-out flesh, mix well and put back into the shells. You can put the lids back on or top them with breadcrumbs and or cheese.
Stuffed tomatoes (3) – meat
- 2 – 3 tomatoes
- 1 shallot, finely chopped125grams lamb mince
- 15 grams fresh breadcrumbs
- 150 grams button mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
- salt and pepper
- Sauce: 4 medium tomatoes, cut into quarters 25ml rapeseed oil 1 garlic clove chopped
Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas6. Slice the tops off the beef tomatoes, reserving the tops as before. Scoop out the flesh and put in a saucepan. Mix the shallot, mince, breadcrumbs, mushrooms and tarragon in a bowl. Season. Stuff the tomatoes with the mince mixture (do not overfill as the mixture will expand when cooking and split the skin) , drizzle with oil and place the lids on top. Place the stuffed tomatoes in the oven and bake for 10 – 15 minutes. Sauce: Put quartered tomatoes into a saucepan, plus the flesh from the beef tomatoes. Add oil and garlic, season and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Place the baked tomatoes on a serving plate and drizzle over sauce
Spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce
- 200g spaghetti or linguine
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 300g tomato, diced
- 125g ball mozzarella or burrata (see tip, below), torn into pieces
- handful of basil leaves, torn, to serve
Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Meanwhile, put the chilli, shallots, oil, lemon zest, vinegar, sugar and tomatoes into a big mortar. If yours isn’t big enough, put it all in a bowl and just use the pestle in that. Add a good amount of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and bash everything together. Drain the pasta and toss together with the tomato mixture and mozzarella or burrata. Scatter over the basil and serve immediately.
It’s worth getting hold of burrata – a softer, creamier relative of mozzarella – for this dish. It will go oozingly melty and create a sauce that clings to the pasta
Fried green tomatoes with garlic mayonnaise – a recipe for the ubiquitous green tomatoes – but is so good that if I were you, I wouldn’t wait for the end of the season but just use them when you have them, even if early on! If you haven’t got polenta, you can use flour, breadcrumbs or a thin tempura like batter instead. There is something quite perfect about the green-apple tang of an unripe tomato with the warm, mealy notes of crisp polenta. Serves two.
- 4 medium to large green tomatoes
- 2 eggs and a little milk
- 90g plain flour
- 3 tablespoons fine ground polenta
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- Oil for frying
Slice the tomatoes thickly, about three or four from each fruit. Break the eggs into a small, shallow bowl and beat them lightly. Stir in a tablespoon or two of milk. Mix the flour and ground polenta, season with salt and black pepper and the leaves pulled from the thyme branches. Tip onto a large shallow plate. Press a slice of tomato into the flour and polenta mixture then into the beaten egg then back into the polenta again. Shake off any excess. Don’t worry if bits of tomato show through here and there, you want a light, crisp coat, not armour-plating. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes. Warm the oil in a frying pan. Lower some the tomatoes into the pan, one at a time – otherwise they will stick together- then let them colour lightly on both sides. I turn mine after a minute or two. Cornmeal burns quickly, so I keep a watchful eye on the tomatoes as they cook. They should be ready in four or five minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. Serve with garlic mayonnaise.
Sweet Tomato Jam is given a nice kick by the addition of ginger.
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons grated ginger
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (125ml) red wine vinegar
- 1/2 firmly packed (100g) brown sugar
- 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
- 450g chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon honey
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and onion, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the vinegar, brown sugar and chilli, and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until sugar dissolves. Stir in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30-35 minutes until thick. Stir in the honey and cool to room temperature.
NB I know some of above is for more than one but now is the time to cook for more when you have so much to hand!
Ailsa cooks for One 