Without restarting the whole fruit-or-vegetable debate about tomatoes, let's muse for a while on what a thoroughly versatile veggie the humble tom really is. As ingredients go, not only are they rather good for you, they're damn tasty, too.
Tinned tomatoes are our best friend, and they're perfect for those "F*** this!" moments when you want food, but don't want to spend too much time cooking. For a quick and tasty brunch, try Gypsy Eggs, an irresistibly saucy egg dish that you're sure to make time and time again. For something a bit more exotic, tinned tomatoes turn okra from a slightly scary, and sometimes slimy, veg into a stunning side dish.
Combine tinned and fresh tomatoes in this Tomato and Chilli Risotto, it's seriously comforting and totally worth all the stirring. And while we're on the topic of comfort food, it's hard to beat creamy carbs with tomatoes when you've had a crap day.
It wouldn't be a round-up of tomato recipes without good old tomato soup. It might not be soup-weather quite yet, but this is Blighty, a downpour could be mere moments away. If you really can't face hot soup when the weather's warm, try a chilled gazpacho instead.
Is it too much to dip tomato bread into tomato soup? I didn't think so, either. Ours is a no-knead recipe, so you won't even have to go all Paul Hollywood on the dough to get great bread! But baking with tomatoes isn't limited to bread, you know. Spread some sun-dried tomatoes over puff pastry and bake for some dangerously moreish pizza twists, or add them to your muffin mix for a savoury treat. If baking's not your thing, just whack some tomatoes on sliced baguette, stick 'em in the oven and make bruschetta instead.
You thought I'd forgotten about Bloody Marys, didn't you? Not likely! If you haven't tried Hazel's Bloody Mary Tomatoes then you haven't tried tomatoes at their most exciting. For a Mexican twist on the traditional Bloody Mary, try a Michelada. Cheers!
Want more recipe inspiration? Check out the rest of our top ten recipe compilations.
I made this today: http://foodinjars.com/2010/09/tomato-jam/
ReplyDeleteI stick to the recipe except I add about 2 tbs of slightly crushed nigella seeds. It's so good, I have to hide the pots from my family in order to not have them steal my entire stash every time they come over!