Tomatoes are one of my favourite foods. When the fresh summer tomatoes start to ripen I love to eat them from the vine or make toasted tomato sandwiches.
Another reason I like tomatoes is because when they ripen they are so easily preserved. Just wash them, put them into plastic bags and then into the freezer. They are ready to go into whatever I want to add them to, soups, stews, chili or sauces: simply take out the number that I want, run them under hot water and the skins slip off.
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Once skinned, I can defrost them in the microwave and then puree them for a sauce or add them straight to a hot pot of soup or stew.
Slow-roasted tomatoes
We don’t often think of roasted tomatoes, but baking them for a long time at low heat gradually concentrates them into a soft, rich, intense tomato flavour. These are great right from the oven as a side dish or toss them with pasta. Cooled, they are wonderful in a sandwich or salad.
Preheat the oven to 250 F (120 C). Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper:
4 to 5 large ripe tomatoes
1 teaspoon icing sugar 5 mL
1 teaspoon salt 5 mL
1 teaspoon ground black pepper 5 mL
olive oil
fresh basil, thyme or other herb
of your choice
Cut the tomatoes into 3/4 inch (two cm) thick slices, place on parchment on baking sheet. Combine sugar, salt and pepper and sprinkle over the tomatoes.
Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and then sprinkle with chopped herbs. Bake for two hours, then let cool to room temperature.
Source: The All New All Purpose Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker.
Sun-dried tomatoes
Dear TEAM: How does a person use dehydrated or sun-dried tomatoes? From our crop I have a large amount that I have dehydrated. It is time I learned some useful cooking hints for them. – B.B., Ladysmith, B.C.
Dear B.B.: Sun-dried or dehydrated tomatoes have been dried until they are crisp. They are sold in plastic bags in this dry state or you can buy them in oil. When recipes refer to sun-dried tomatoes, this is the same as dehydrated tomatoes.
Unless they are already packed in oil, sun-dried tomatoes will need to be reconstituted before use by pouring boiling water over them and letting them soak for five minutes until they are soft and pliable.
Drain the liquid but save it to add flavour to stocks and sauce. Pat the tomatoes dry and use as directed in your recipe. You can also use wine, broth or other cooking liquid to reconstitute. Once reconstituted, store them in the refrigerator and use within three days. To reconstitute in oil, simply cover the dried tomatoes with oil and refrigerate for 24 hours.
For commercially prepared, oil-packed dried tomatoes, drain tomatoes from the oil and use. Always be sure that those left in the jar are covered with oil, which may mean adding more oil as you use the tomatoes. Don’t toss out that oil when you’re done with the tomatoes. It will pick up flavour from the tomatoes and be great in salad dressings or used for stir-fries and sautéing. Once the jar is opened, store it in the refrigerator and use within four months.
Cook with sun-dried tomatoes
The flavour of sun-dried tomatoes is quite intense, so a little goes a long way. Many enjoy eating sun-dried tomatoes as a snack, especially children. Although the dried vegetable is wonderful with pasta, it can also be added to vegetables, meat and bread.
In the recipes I looked at, often six tomato halves are softened and then chopped and added to stir-fries, salads or used as a pizza topping. The softened tomato chunks can be added to cornmeal muffins, pizza dough or a focaccia bread dough.
A penne for your thoughts
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes 250 mL
3 cups sliced mushrooms 750 mL
4 cups dry, uncooked penne 1 L
pasta
4 slices raw bacon, cut crosswise into
half-inch (1 cm) sections
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced red onion rings 250 mL
2 cups chopped fresh spinach 500 mL
2 tablespoons chopped fresh 30 mL
basil (or 1 teaspoon/5 mL dried basil)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red 2 mL
pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese 30 mL
2 tablespoons chopped fresh 30 mL
parsley
Pour one cup (250 mL) boiling water over sun-dried tomatoes and let soak for five minutes. Drain and chop. Set aside. Save the water for soup.
Place mushrooms in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup (60 mL) water. Microwave on high power for five minutes. Drain and set aside.
Cook penne according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
Fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Do not discard drippings. Add onions, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, cooked mushrooms, basil and red pepper flakes.
Cook and stir for five minutes until onions are tender.
Toss bacon-vegetable mixture with hot pasta until evenly distributed. Divide pasta among four serving dishes. Top each plate with freshly ground pepper and a quarter of the cheese. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
Source: Looneyspoons: Low-Fat Food Made Fun! by Janet and Greta Podleski.
Sun-dried tomato sauce
This sauce can be used on pasta or pizza.
1/4 cup oil from tomatoes 60 mL
(or 1/4 cup/60 mL canola oil)
1/4 cup unsalted butter 60 mL
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, minced
3 carrots, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds 5 mL
2 cans (28 oz.) undrained, 796 mL
tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped sun-dried 175 mL
tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine 250 mL
salt and pepper
Heat oil and butter in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic and fennel and sauté for 15 minutes. Stir in canned tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, wine, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for one hour, stirring occasionally. Transfer sauce to a blender and process until chunky.
Source: www.cookscom
Sun-dried tomato spread
2 tablespoons chopped, 30 mL
sun-dried tomatoes, either drained
oil-packed or water softened
4 ounces cream cheese, 125 g
softened
chopped fresh parsley
Beat together tomatoes and cream cheese.
Use as a filling for small cream puffs or spread on crackers and top with parsley. A meat slice, shrimp or cucumber slice could also be added.
Sun-dried tomato dressing
Makes about 3/4 cup (175 mL). This dressing can also be used as a simple pasta sauce.
2 small shallots, quartered
1-2 cloves garlic, halved
6 sun-dried tomato halves in oil,
drained and coarsely chopped
6 brine-cured black olives, pitted 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 30 mL
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 15 mL
or chopped fresh basil
salt and ground black pepper, to taste 1/2 cup olive oil 125 mL
With the food processor running, drop in shallots and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Stop the machine and add the tomatoes, olives, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper. Process until finely minced.
With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process until smooth.
Taste and adjust the seasonings. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate.
Source: The All New All Purpose Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker.
Frost is in the air
Dear TEAM: A while back you suggested that it was unsafe to can tomatoes that had been frozen. Could you define how frozen? How badly do the leaves have to have been hit, until they are black and limp or just a touch of frost? What is the reason they can’t be canned? – G.H., Kindersley, Sask.
Dear G.H.: This is a good question because we all hate to lose tomatoes. I contacted the Bernardin home canning information line at 888-430-4231 and this was the response:
“Frost-touched tomatoes should not be used for canning because they are lower in acidity. Frost-touched tomatoes can be used for cooking or freezing. You can even make juice if it will be frozen and not canned. You should, of course, cut out any bad spots before using for cooking or freezing. The tomato is a tropical plant in origin, so even the lightest frost will kill the vines and affect the fruit.
“Tomatoes have normal pH values that fall close to 4.6, the dividing line between high and low acid foods. For this reason, tomatoes preserved in a boiling water canner must have acid such as citric acid or lemon juice added to each jar. This has been scientifically calculated to determine how much citric acid or lemon juice should be added to each jar. When the tomatoes are frozen, the acidity is reduced even further and so it would be difficult to judge how much more acid would need to be added to make the canned product safe.”
Betty Ann Deobald is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
