Tomatoes continue to ripen as summer starts to fade
School might be back in session, but it still tastes like summer
around my house as the tomatoes continue to ripen. While my small
tomato patch has had smaller yields than in the past summers, we
have been supplementing our supply from other sources. I picked up
some beefsteak and heirloom varieties at the Hollister farmers
market on a Wednesday and then ended up with more from an
unexpected source. An aunt planted dozens of tomato plants in her
yard, and now she has around 300 pounds ripening every couple days,
by her estimation. Once a week, she hands over a large grocery bag
full of tomatoes. There are some Romas, some beefsteaks, and some
unidentified varieties such as a yellow, pear-shaped tomato that
has a bit of tartness to it.
Tomatoes continue to ripen as summer starts to fade
School might be back in session, but it still tastes like summer around my house as the tomatoes continue to ripen. While my small tomato patch has had smaller yields than in the past summers, we have been supplementing our supply from other sources. I picked up some beefsteak and heirloom varieties at the Hollister farmers market on a Wednesday and then ended up with more from an unexpected source. An aunt planted dozens of tomato plants in her yard, and now she has around 300 pounds ripening every couple days, by her estimation. Once a week, she hands over a large grocery bag full of tomatoes. There are some Romas, some beefsteaks, and some unidentified varieties such as a yellow, pear-shaped tomato that has a bit of tartness to it.
With this bounty of tomatoes, it seemed only suiting to come up with some recipes that require a lot of them. My first thought was a gazpacho. I’ve never actually made it at home, but had it once at a friend’s house. Her dad made it, and packed it full of jalapenos that were a bit too spicy for my palate. I ate the chilled broth while carefully avoiding the chunks of peppers, sometimes dipping in a piece of crusty bread.
Gazpacho is a Spanish dish that is made with pureed tomatoes and raw vegetables, so it seemed like it would be easy enough to find a recipe without all the hot stuff in it – or adapt one that I would like. I found one that uses just a touch of chipotle for flavor, and cumin, which offers a smokiness that I love in Mexican and Spanish foods.
Since the gazpacho required only 2 lbs. of tomatoes – and we had a lot more than that – I also thought I would try to make a spaghetti sauce from scratch. My mom occasionally made homemade spaghetti sauce from time to time when I was a kid, but it’s been a while since we had it – and I’ve never made it on my own. We generally grab a jar of Prego and doctor it up with cooked mushrooms, seasonings, white wine and a can of diced tomatoes. But with the abundance of tomatoes right off the vine, I thought why not make our own?
With the remaining tomatoes, we chopped them and tossed them in bowtie pasta with shredded basil, parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Below are some recipes to use while tomatoes keep coming off the local vines:
Chilled tomato soup with cilantro yogurt
Recipe courtesy of Eatingwell.com
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 lb. ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. chopped red onion
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 c. fresh corn kernels
1 c. ice water
2 tbsp. lime juice, or to taste
1 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste
1 c. low-fat plain yogurt
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Toast cumin in a small skillet over low heat, stirring, until just fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Combine tomatoes, onion, 2 tbsp. cilantro and chipotle in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the toasted cumin, corn, ice water, lime juice and salt; stir to combine. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour or until ready to serve.
To prepare cilantro yogurt: Puree yogurt and the remaining 1/4 c. cilantro in a blender or food processor until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve (it will thicken slightly as it stands).
To serve, divide the soup among 4 bowls and garnish each with a generous swirl of cilantro yogurt.
Homemade tomato sauce
Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown
20 Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 c. finely diced onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. finely chopped oregano leaves
1 tbsp. finely chopped thyme leaves
1 c. white wine
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans place tomato halves cut side up. Sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper, onion, garlic, and herbs. Bake tomatoes for 2 hours. Check the tomatoes after 1 hour and turn down the heat if they seem to be cooking too quickly. Then turn the oven to 400 degrees and bake another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and process tomatoes through a food mill on medium dye setting over a small saucepan. Discard skins. Add white wine, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
The sauce can be made into a perfect accompany for lasagna rolls, spaghetti or other pastas by adding in fresh diced tomatoes, mushrooms and cooked meat, such as hamburger.
Lasagna rolls
Recipe courtesy of Robin Miller, Guideposts
1 package lasagna noodles
1 c. soft herbed cheese (Rondele or Alouette
1 c. ricotta cheese
5 large basil leaves, shredded
½ c. mozzarella cheese
1 ½ c. pasta sauce
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the soft herbed cheese, the ricotta, half the mozzarella and the basil. Mix well. Lay the lasagna noodles out flat and spread the mixture on each noodle. Roll the noodles up, and secure with a toothpick.
Coat a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and stand the rolls up in the pan. Put pasta sauce on the top of each roll and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and the remaining mozzarella cheese. Add extra sauce into the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese filling melts and top is golden brown.
Serves four.
