July is Tomato Time
Three of my favorite recipes to cook with tomatoes!
The sun filled long days of July accompanied with blistering heat is the beginning of what is often called the dog days of summer. The humid heat at this time of year can be stifling for us humans. However, tomatoes love the heat, and this is when they start to ripen and if we have cared for our vines in our gardens while they grew, we are rewarded with a bountiful harvest. As a chef who gardens this is the time when I to start making soups and sauces for freezing for the cold winter season where we will long for the heat filled long days of mid-summer. When we reheat and use them, as we close our eyes will be transported from the cold dark days of winter to the midsummer season filled- with lovey red ripening tomatoes. Here are three of my best recipes for preserving and using the tomato harvest for delicious healthy meals.
Tomato Sauce
Yield: 1 quart
1 qt Tomato Concasse (skinned and de-seeded chopped tomatoes)
½ cup Onion, Chopped fine
1 Tbl Garlic, Chopped fine
3 Tbl Olive Oil
1 Tbl Flour
1 Tbl Balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Thyme leaves, fresh
1 tsp Oregano, fresh chopped
2 tsp Basil, Chiffonade
1 tsp Kosher or sea salt
½ tsp Black pepper
1. Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent
2. Add the flour and stir in
3. Add the tomato concasse or canned diced tomatoes
4. Add the rest of the ingredients
5. Cook down to the desired constancy
Puree if desired to make a thin silky tomato sauce
How to make tomato concasse
See the photo steps above
- Core and score tomatoes and plunge into boiling water to loosen the skins
- Shock in ice water
- Peel the tomatoes with a paring knife
- Cut in half across the equator of the tomato to expose all the seeds
- With a knife, fingers or spoon remove the seeds
- Tomatoes are ready to be chopped or diced (tomato concasse)
Tomato Concasse can be frozen for later use and is a great to preserve the harvest.
CREAM OF TOMATO FENNEL SOUP
Yields: 6 cups
See the photo below
Ingredients:
2 pounds Roma Tomatoes cut in quarters
1 cup Red Bell Peppers large diced
½ cup Yellow Onions, large diced
½ cup Leeks, white part only, rinsed well and large diced
½ cup Celery, large diced
1 cup Fennel, large diced
1 Tablespoon Garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons Olive oil
3 Tablespoons All-purpose flour
½ cup White wine
2 Tablespoons Tomato paste
6 cups Water or Chicken Broth
1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoons Sugar
½ cup Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil chopped
1 Tablespoon Fresh Chives chopped
To Taste Salt and pepper
Olive oil for roasting the tomatoes and bell peppers
Instructions:
1. Toss the quartered tomatoes and bell peppers in a small amount of olive oil.
2. Roast for 30 minutes at 400 F.
3. Sauté the onions, leeks, celery, fennel, and garlic in three tablespoons olive oil.
4. Add the flour and stir in.
5. Add the white wine.
6. Add the water or chicken broth, balsamic vinegar and sugar.
7. Bring to a light boil and skim of the scum and reduce to a simmer.
8. Cook for 1 hour while skimming off any scum.
9. Puree in a blender and return to the pot and cook 30 minutes.
10. Strain and add ½ cup of cream, and continue to cook until the right consistency is met.
11. Add the chopped herbs, season with salt and pepper if needed and serve.
Smoked Tomato Relish
Yield 2 1/2 to 3 cups
See the photo below
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Shallots, finely diced
1 teaspoon Black pepper
1 teaspoon Granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons Fresh basil chopped
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
¾ cup Extra virgin olive oil
5 each Medium slicing tomatoes
1. Blanch, peel and de-seed the tomatoes,
2. Indirect smoke with wood chips for 10 minutes,
3. Remove the tomatoes from the smoker and cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature,
4. In a large bowl mix the shallots, black pepper, sugar, basil and salt with the balsamic vinegar,
5. Whisk in the olive oil,
6. Dice the tomatoes and mix in,
7. Serve with grilled steak or chicken.
