Maryland is tomato center right now. The mature orbs are arriving and I am inundated with a river of them at just 14 plants. I started in early March in my greenhouse, the spring was so warm that I planted them in the ground the third week of April. Our traditional last frost-free day is around Mother’s Day in May and I usually wait until then.
Yes, I had to do something with them or they would rot within a few days of being picked up. Now I’m dealing with the consequences. As soon as I can give them away, a new crop arrives from the garden. We eat them garnishing omelets for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, fried, au gratin, sautéed or even baked in bread for dinner.
I’m a big fan of focaccia bread and you can go crazy with all the vegetables on top. Plum tomatoes are perfect for this! Go to my post on Garden Art: Focaccia Bread for my favorite recipe.
Tomato jam with chocolate as an ingredient? Count on me! I made several batches of tomato jam, one with red tomatoes and chocolate and another with yellow tomatoes and basil. I loved them both, one sweet and one salty.
To fry tomatoes, a great summer side dish, all you need is a few large ripe tomatoes, or half-ripe is even better, and cut into slices about 1/2″ thick. Bread them and fry them in a pan with a mixture of melted butter and cooking oil to obtain a golden, crispy crust that gives them a wonderful crunch and juiciness inside. Finish with salt and pepper and serve with ranch sauce or alone. Delicious!
Layering tomatoes and onions on a puff pastry base is a delicious way to enjoy a variety of tomatoes.
The Upside Down Heirloom Cornbread was a crowd pleaser and delicious too! It lasted several meals and warmed up even better on the second day.
Upside Down Traditional Tomato Cornbread
-
3
Large heirloom tomatoes
Cut into 1/2-inch slices; I added some smaller ones -
2
do
yellow corn flour
Fine or Thick -
1
do
All-purpose flour -
1
t
baking powder -
2
teaspoonful
Salt -
2 1/4
do
Shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
Smoked or natural -
1
do
fresh corn kernels
about 2 ears -
1-2
Jalapeno
chopped and seeded -
1 3/4
do
Buttermilk -
6
t
Butter
Melted -
2
Eggs -
2
t
Sugar - Garnish with additional basil leaves
Preheat to 400 degrees and line the bottom of the cast iron skillet with a round of parchment paper. Spray parchment paper and sides of pan with cooking spray.
Slice the tomatoes and place them on paper towels to drain while you mix the dough.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese, corn, basil and jalapeno. Make a hole in the center.
In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until combined.
Place the tomato slices on the bottom of the prepared pan, overlapping them if necessary. Sprinkle with sugar and top with 1/2 cup grated cheese. Pour the batter over the tomatoes and smooth.
Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.
Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then invert bread onto a serving plate. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Garnish with basil.
Plum tomatoes are perfect for drying. I slice them and put them in a dehydrator and 24 hours later, I have sun-dried tomatoes that I freeze and use for all kinds of recipes later. They are excellent on top of homemade pizzas. An oven at the lowest temperature, around 250 degrees, will do the same thing, but I don’t like the way an oven can heat a house in August.
I have the sauce down to an art! It uses the most tomatoes in the shortest amount of time and I’ve taken shortcuts to do it with minimal effort.
For me there is no need to peel or sow! I wash them, core them and drop the tomatoes into a pot on the stove and let them simmer until they turn into a sauce. Here’s the basic recipe, but you’ll notice I don’t have quantities for much of anything. Play it all by ear. Just add whatever you have on your kitchen counter and I can assure you that you will be successful. Plum tomatoes are perfect for a nice thick sauce, but I add any type of tomato. If the sauce is too runny, add a can of tomato paste to thicken it.
Tomato Sauce Easy Method
An easy to prepare tomato sauce that you can add anything else you have in the garden.
-
Fresh ripe tomatoes, of any kind, but the best are plum tomatoes.
Core large tomatoes and cut them in half. -
1-5
Fresh peppers, any type
Core and chop coarsely. -
Bunch
fresh thyme sprigs -
Portion
Honey - Salt and pepper to taste
- Oregano, dried or fresh
-
1
bay leaf -
1
Chopped Onion - Chopped fresh basil
Core and cut the tomatoes in half and place them in a pot over medium-high heat. An alternative is to place the cut tomatoes in a large roasting pan and roast them at 400 degrees for an hour and then throw them in the Dutch oven to cook further.
When the mixture is bubbling, add the whole thyme sprigs, bay leaf, honey, salt and pepper, fresh peppers, and onion.
Cook for at least one to two hours and remove the thyme sprigs. At that point, all the leaves will disappear and the stems will remain.
Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth.
Continue cooking for about an hour until the sauce thickens to your liking. You could even add a small can of tomato paste to make it nice and thick.
Remove from the stove and add chopped basil and stir.
Once the mixture cools completely, place it in containers and refrigerate or freeze.
I use the most useful appliance in my kitchen to blend everything into a sauce: an immersion blender.
