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TOMATO RECIPIES CHILLED ORANGE AND TOMATO SOUP 8 tomatoes, skinned Place everything except the yoghurt and seasoning into a blender and liquidise. Season to taste and leave to chill for at least an hour. Just before serving, swirl in a little yoghurt. POTATOES WITH SAGE AND TOMATOES 2 tbsp organic olive oil Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onions with the sage until the onion becomes tender. Add the potatoes and toss with the onions for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, wine, stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook slowly over a low flame for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally. Season with the salt and pepper and add the Parmesan. Remove from the heat and serve. SPINACH AND TOMATO SALAD 250 g spinach, washed and stemmed Pat the spinach leaves dry and then tear the leaves. Peel and chop the eggs and then mix them in a large salad bowl with the garlic, onion, lemon juice and vinegar. Add the spinach, toss well and serve immediately. TOMATO AND AUBERGINE GRATIN 1 medium aubergine Preheat oven to 200C/ 400F/ Gas Mark 6. Cut the aubergine into 3mm thick slices. Place in a colander, cover with salt and leave to sit for 30 minutes. Rinse well with cold water and leave on kitchen towel to drain. Heat half of the oil in a fry pan and fry each of the aubergine slices in batches until golden brown on each side. If the pan becomes dry, add more oil. Drain on kitchen towel. Halve the tomatoes. Arrange to tomatoes and aubergine in a shallow ovenproof dish. Season with salt and pepper and then sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 10-15 minutes until browned. Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving. TOMATO AND CHARD PIE 350 g chard, shredded Preheat the oven to 220C/ 425F/ Gas Mark 7. Line a 20cm/ 8-inch flan dish with pastry and bake blind for 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to 200C/ 400F/ Gas Mark 6. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes, spinach, herbs and seasoning and simmer the mixture for another 5 minutes. Pour this into the pie dish when ready. Place the beaten eggs over the sauté mixture, top with the grated cheese and bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot. TOMATO AND GARLIC SOUP 1 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed Cut the cucumber in half. Dice one section and set aside for garnish. Roughly chop the other half for the blender. In a food processor, puree the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of iced water. Put through a sieve if there are persistent lumpy bits. Add the soaked bread, chopped cucumber, garlic and onion with the oil to the food processor and blend again. Add more vinegar if a sharper flavour is desired. Serve in chilled bowls, garnished with the diced cucumber and croutons. TOMATO AND GREEN PEPPER SALAD 1 large or 2 small green peppers, quartered and de-seeded Place the pepper skin side up under a hot grill and heat until the skin begins to blister and blacken. Wrap in a clean tea towel and leave to sweat and then cool; this makes the skin easier to remove. Once the skin slides away easily, remove it and then chop the pepper into small pieces. Chop the tomatoes and mix together with the peppers. ITALIAN TOMATO AND MOZARRELLA SALAD 75 g mozzarella cheese, sliced thin Place each tomatoes stem down on a board and slice down to within 1/2 inch from the base, each cut about 1/4 inch thick. Place pieces of the mozzarella between the tomatoes. Grind pepper on over the top and sprinkle on some salt. Mix the vinegar, garlic and olive oil together and then drizzle over the tomatoes. Serve each tomato on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle on the basil. TOMATO FRITTATA 400 g tomatoes, peeled and chopped Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes, herbs and seasoning and simmer the mixture for another 5 minutes. Mix together the beaten eggs and cheese in a bowl and then stir in the tomato mixture. Return to the pan and heat like an omelette. Once the base has browned and begins to firm, place under a hot grill to set the top. Great served hot or cold, with a salad. HERBED STUFFED TOMATOES Prep: 5 min, Marinate: 15 min, Cook: 10 min. 4 large tomatoes, cut in half crosswise and seeds removed Preheat oven to Gas Mark 6/200C/400F. Sprinkle inside of tomatoes with salt. Set aside to drain on paper towels 15-20 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients, except pepper, in a bowl. Stuff each tomato half with breadcrumb cheese mixture. Sprinkle with pepper and bake 10 minutes. Turn on broiler. Broil tomatoes 30 seconds to 1 minute until lightly browned. TOMATOES STUFFED WITH SPINACH, RICE AND CHEESE 6 medium to large tomatoes Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4. Cut a 1/2-inch slice from the top of each tomato. Scoop out the seeds and pulp, leaving the shell intact. Sprinkle the inside of the tomatoes with some salt and turn them upside down on the roasting rack to drain while you prepare the stuffing. Heat a wok or large pan over a high heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and spring onions, then reduce the heat. Sauté the mixture until the spring onions have softened, which will take about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chard and sauté for a further 2 to 3 minutes or until it has wilted. Add the rice, soy sauce, pine nuts, and oregano. Remove from the heat. Stuff each of the tomatoes with about a spoonful of mixture and place them in a shallow greased roasting pan with a little space between them. You could prepare up to this point early in the day and the cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Return them to room temperature before putting them in the oven. Bake uncovered until the tomatoes are cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and turn the oven down to its lowest setting. Sprinkle the cheese over the tops of tomatoes, return to the oven and heat until the cheese has melted about 1 to 2 minutes. Watch carefully; they burn quickly! Serve immediately. OVEN-ROASTED TOMATOES Oven-roasted tomatoes have a deliciously concentrated flavour. Serve simply with feta cheese and crusty bread for a summer starter. Serves 4 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Preheat the oven to 240ºC/475ºF/Gas Mark 9. Oil a shallow roasting tin with 2 tbsp of the oil. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthways and lay them cut-side up in the tin. Sprinkle over the oregano or basil and some salt and pepper and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 150ºC/300ºF/Gas Mark 2 and roast for a further 1½ hours until they have shrivelled to about half their original size and concentrated in flavour. Leave to cool. Arrange the tomatoes and the feta on the plates and drizzle over the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with a bit more sea salt and some black pepper to serve. TOMATO AND BASIL SALSA So much more delicious than the ready-prepared versions; fantastic with fish and Mexican food. 1 tomato, chopped Combine the tomato, onion, jalapeno, vinegar, basil and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving. ROASTED TOMATOES WITH MUSTARD Serve on grilled bread or polenta, or along side your favourite fish or meat, topped with chutney. 6 small or 3 large tomatoes, halved horizontally Mix the oil, garlic, mustard and curry powder together in a small bowl. Place the tomato halves on a foiled pan, cut side down, and place under grill for a 3 minutes. Turn the tomatoes over, and and spoon the mixture over the cut side. Place under grill for another 3 minutes. CHERRY TOMATO POPPERS A great snack for the little ones, or appetiser for guests! Fill with anything you like, such as mozzarella and basil, chicken and pesto, smoked mackerel, or tuna and minced olives. You can spear the tomatoes with toothpicks to hold them together. Slice the smallest little sliver off the bottom of a cherry tomato, so that it can stand on its own. Slice in half crosswise, and squeeze some of the seeds out of both halves. Stuff the bottom half with a mixture of mashed boiled egg, mayo, fresh thyme and cracked pepper. Place the tomato hat on top and admire the cuteness! LITTLE TINY TOMATO PIZZAS The best thing about little tiny pizzas is that you can cover them with whatever you like! You don’t have to use the pizza sauce at all and you can experiment with lots of different vegetables like thinly sliced courgettes, mushrooms and olives. Serves 2 2 English muffins, crumpets, or bread rolls, halved and toasted lightly Spread the sauce on top of the bread rounds, and layer on the tomatoes. Cover with the grated cheese, and cook under the grill for a few minutes until the cheese is nice and bubbly. Another way to cook the pizzas is to put the ingredients on top, without toasting the bread first, and bake in the oven at 190°C, 350°F for 10 minutes until the cheese browns, then let them cool a bit before serving. SWEET CHERRY TOMATOES IN CREAM These tomatoes are a yummy addition to chicken, fish, or spooned over pasta, rice or lentils. If you have big tomatoes, just cut each one into 4 pieces and use those instead of cherry tomatoes. Get lots of help from an adult, and be very careful with that hot pan! If you like, you can add any herbs, as well as other cooked vegetables like carrots and broccoli. Serves approximately 4. 1 tablespoon butter In a heavy frying pan, melt the butter with the sugar and salt over medium heat. Stir the mixture while the butter melts. When the butter is melted, add the tomatoes. Keep stirring the mixture, and cook the tomatoes until the tomato skins start to split (just a few minutes). Then add the cream and stir very gently for about 3 minutes. Now serve! FRESH TOMATO SALSA This salad is an excellent dip for tortillas chips, but also works nicely as a complement for chicken or fish. 3-4 tomatoes, chopped Mix all the ingredients together in a salad bowl and serve! STUFFED TOMATOES These tomatoes go really well with pasta, meat or fish. If you like, add some mushrooms and garlic to the mix. Serves 4 2 medium tomatoes, cut in half crosswise Preheat oven to 350°F, 180°C, gas mark 4. Scoop out the tomato pulp. Turn the tomatoes upside down in a colander to drain for a bit. Mix the cottage cheese, mozzarella, oregano and pepper together in a bowl. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, in a baking dish and fill each one with some mixture. Then bake the tomatoes, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until slightly browned on top. CHERRY TOMATO, BASIL AND COUS COUS SALAD Fantastic cold or room temperature as a side to chicken, turkey, fish, lamb or roasted vegetables; served atop lettuce as a salad; or stuffed into hollowed cucumber cups and served as an appetiser. Can be made one day ahead and refrigerated - but wait to add the basil until serving. Serves 6 as a side dish 500 ml chicken or vegetable stock Bring stock to boil in a medium saucepan. Add couscous and remove from the heat. Cover and let the cous cous stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, fluff with a fork, and cool. Mix all the ingredients into the couscous. Season with salt and pepper. PASTA WITH CHERRY TOMATOES & FETA Serves 2 as a main course 250 g small pasta, such as bows, penne, or twists While the pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan over a medium heat and dry fry the pine nuts and salt until the pine nuts are golden. In a large bowl whisk together garlic, parsley, vinegar, oil and salt and pepper. Next add the pine nuts, tomatoes, feta, and freshly cooked and drained pasta, then toss to combine and serve. FRESH VINE TOMATO PASTA This is a simple recipe that brings out the strong flavour of our fresh tomatoes. Serves 2-4 450 g vine tomatoes, Drop the vine tomatoes into a pan of boiling water for 10 seconds, then take them out and plunge them into iced water to cool them off. Core the tomatoes, slip off their skins, slice them through the middle, gently squeeze out the seeds and cut them into large pieces. Marinate your vine tomato chunks in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic, basil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Gently warm the crème fraîche in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat until it thins. Add the tomatoes to the crème fraîche and cook the mixture for 3 minutes. Meanwhile add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until it is just tender. Drain the pasta in a colander and shake off the excess water. Add the pasta to the frying pan, toss together, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, add the Parmesan, and toss again. If you want to do this recipe with cherry tomatoes, miss out the first step and marinate them whole. Add the cherry tomatoes and their marinade to the crème fraîche at the same time as the pasta. MEDITERRANEAN COUSCOUS, LENTIL, CHERRY TOMATO AND FETA SALAD Serve warm or cold under roasted fish, falafel, skewered meats or veggies. 6 side servings 200 g green or brown lentils In a saucepan cover the lentils with water and simmer until they are tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Drain the lentils well. Transfer them to a bowl, stir in 1 tablespoon of vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool the lentils completely. In a saucepan bring 300ml water to the boil and add the couscous and salt. Remove the pan from the heat straightaway and let the couscous stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and transfer it to a large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of oil and allow the couscous to cool. Whisk together the garlic, the remaining vinegar and oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix the couscous, lentils and dressing. Chill the salad until you’re ready to serve it, then stir in the tomatoes, feta and greens. PRAWN AND TOMATO PASTA SALAD Served on lettuce leaves as a main course for 2 250g cooked prawns Combine the prawns, pasta, tomatoes, olives, onion and dill in a medium bowl. In a small bowl blend the mayonnaise and vinegar together with a whisk. Add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate and least 1 hour before serving. |