Storing Tomatoes and Crockpot Tomato Sauce

Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen have been a source of inspiration to many home cooks.  Personally I really like the idea that things are tried, tested out and re-tried to get things right.  Having someone else doing that eliminates a lot of trouble and waste in your own kitchen. 

Recently, Cook's Country published an article on how to store tomatoes.  You can read the full article here: Storing Tomatoes.  In short, they found that storing tomatoes stem side down allowed the tomatoes a longer shelf life.  Since I grow a lot of tomatoes in the summer time, this is invaluable to me; especially because it is often several days before I can give some of them away.

Another tip for storing tomatoes:  Do not put them in the refrigerator.  There are two reasons for this.

1. Tomatoes loose their texture and freshness when stored cold.
2. Cold stored tomatoes have less flavor - at least until they warm up a bit.

"Yeah but," you may say, "I need to be able to store them until I can use them."  Granted, but the best bet is to use them as they ripen.  Keep them, stem-side down in a colander or bowl on the kitchen counter.  How do you know if a tomato is really ripe?  Depending upon the variety it will have a very deep red color and give ever-so-slightly to pressure.

So, still have too many tomatoes to use fresh or cook?  How about making your own tomato sauce?  I append here a couple of links to tomato sauce recipes that you can find online as well as my own.  Enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Pasta/Pasta-Sauces/Tomato-Sauce/Top.aspx

http://homecooking.about.com/od/condimentrecipes/r/blsauce49.htm

My own recipe for tomato sauce varies from time to time, but at its most basic (without olive oil, garlic, onion, parsley, oregano or other Italian spices) consists of the following:

Simple Crockpot Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs of tomatoes seeded and peeled.
• 1 teaspoon (or to taste) of Kosher salt.
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of generic honey (do not use any highly flavored type such as clover) - again, adjust to taste.

Directions:

• Cut the seeded and peeled tomatoes in half and place them in a crockpot. (I use a crockpot because I have better results than in a pan on the stove.)  Be sure to cover the crockpot with its lid.  :-)
• Turn the crockpot to its lowest setting above "warm" and let cook for 6-8 hours.
• Stir the mixture every couple of hours and check the texture and consistency.  I usually mash the tomatoes a bit each time to get a finer consistency.
• When you judge that the cooking has given you a fairly thick and somewhat smoother sauce than you started with, turn off your crockpot and allow the mixture to cool.
• When the mixture is cool enough not to burn you, process in a blender to make it even smoother - depending upon your needs.

Can or store in refrigerator up to 10 days or in a freezer up to 3 months.

Tomato tips and Spaghettini con Feta.

In the past, I have seen recipes calling for "seeded" tomatoes, or telling the cook to "seed" the tomatoes.  It was not until recently that I went looking for tips on just how to do that. 


Now, please understand... I was raised in a household that used or reused every last bit of food, and seeding the tomatoes would be considered rather silly.  Nevertheless, some recipes really need to have the tomatoes seeded, e.g.; tomato sauce, tomato juice, etc. 


So I went looking for videos on how to seed a tomato.  Following are two links for videos (thank you Internet!) on the process.  The first is fairly simple and the second included peeling them as well.  And it appears that it isn't rocket science after all.

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-seed-tomato-131479/

http://www.ehow.com/video_2346596_peel-seed-tomato.html


So given that we are discussing peeling and seeding, I am including a recipe that requires seeded tomatoes.  I pulled this one from one of my recently published recipes on my Facebook page.  I have cleaned up some of the spelling errors along the way.

This take on a Cooks Country recipe for Pasta Caprese uses Feta Cheese instead of Mozzarella and to add it at the very last.  Mangiare!

Behold!   

Spaghettini con Feta

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves , minced fine or pressed through a garlic press
• 1 small shallot , minced fine (No Shallot?  Use a small bit of Red Onion - a couple of tablespoons worth)
• 1 + pounds ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (if you are lazy like me, and don't want to seed the tomatoes, at least get the dice size small)
• 10-12 ounces fresh Feta  cheese , crumbled into smallish (I used the Bulgarian Feta from the Milk Pail in Mountain View - good moisture content and fragrant)
• 1 pound (but you can do this with less - just cut the recipe in half) whole grain or whole wheat Spaghettini pasta (Whole grain is a must for health and thin spaghetti keeps one from being overwhelmed by the whole grain.)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil  (TIP:t use some kitchen shears to slice it up - doesn't bruise the basil as much)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon of McCormicks "Perfect Pinch" Mediterranean Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

1. Whisk oil, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, garlic, shallot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, honey, pepper flakes and Mediterranean Seasoning together in large bowl. Add tomatoes and gently toss to combine; set aside. Do not marinate tomatoes for longer than 3/4 of an hour - 20-30 minutes is best.

2. While tomatoes are marinating, bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil in stockpot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and spaghettini, stir to separate,and cook until al dente. Drain well.

3. Using a large non-stick fry pan, fold the tomato mixture into the pasta.  Gently toss to combine. Turn heat on under pan to medium-low and warm only for 5 minutes. Stir in basil and Feta; adjust seasonings with additional salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice or honey, if desired.

Serve immediately in some pasta bowls with a lite salad and maybe some bruschetta toasts or crusty bread to soak up the juices in the bottom of your bowl.

Note - you can substitute Farfalle (bow-tie) or Penne pasta if you want a heartier dish.

Cultures and Tomato Dishes

Unless you have an allergy or other aversion to tomatoes, it is likely that you grew up with some sort of tomato as part of the food you ate.  But there are many cultures where the tomato, while not unknown is hard to come by and rarely used. For example the tomato, being a "new world" food was not present in traditional Chinese cooking - although now days it has been incorporated in to at least a few menu items such as Tomato Beef. Japanese cuisine has also adopted the tomato and it is of note that tomatoes are featured heavily in vegan recipes.

Cultural cuisine transplants are also apparent in at least some African cuisines (and there are a number of these).  However, the tomato along with chile peppers were brought to African by their European colonial conquerors. We can also see that European cuisines adopted the tomato and developed a number of recipes for them.  And although maybe they are less used in the far northern climates due to the conditions needed for growing them, a quick perusal of the Internet shows that the tomato is present in at least a few dishes in most (if not all) northern European cuisines.

I challenge the reader to find the most unusual use of the tomato in any given cuisine.  If you also have the recipe, I will publish it (with correct attributions of course) on this blog.

In the meantime, here is a recipe for a cheesy, tomato frittata.  It makes a good weekend breakfast of brunch item and can be refrigerated for later when you can re-heat or simply bring it up to room temperature.  If this is a lunch or dinner item, serve with your favorite white wine - my favorites would be a Granache Blanc or perhaps an Albarino from WineShop At Home.  Salude!

Cheesy Egg and Tomato Frittata

Ingredients

½ lb ripe cherry or grape tomatoes – heirlooms or home grown have the best flavor

1 scallion sliced fine

5 oz Brie; rind scraped off, cut into cubes
2 oz Mozzarella cheese; grated
1 oz Fontinella cheese; grated (or use a similar softer cheese – even Havarti can be nice)

2 T Chopped fresh oregano  (1 T dried)

1/3 c Chopped fresh basil
4 lg Eggs

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp Spike (optional)
½ c Heavy cream (can sub half & half, but use only 1/3 c)
¼ c Milk

Olive Oil

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
• Wash and drain the tomatoes thoroughly on paper towels. Cut the cherry or grape tomatoes in half and set aside
• Lightly oil a medium-sized cast iron pan and start to warm on a medium flame on the stove top.
• Beat the eggs, cream, milk salt and pepper and fold in Basil and Oregano.
• Pour the egg mixture into the warming pan – if the egg mixture begins to solidify too quickly lower the heat under the pan.
• Add the cubed Brie to the egg mixture, placing the cheese cubes evenly around the pan in the egg mixture.
• Add the grated mozzarella and fontinella over the egg mixture.
• Place the tomatoes on top of the cheese just added.
• Remove the pan from the stove-top and place in the oven to bake for 35-45 mins. or until the center is set (use a very skinny knife or a toothpick to test).
  

Carefully remove the pan from the oven and set atop a stove grate or on a trivet. Allow the frittata to cool 10-15 mins. before you cut to serve. 

Slice frittata into wedges to serve.

Serve with a simple spinach or romaine salad dressed with a vinaigrette.

Why?

Specifically, why tomatoes?  "What's to say about tomatoes?" you may ask.  Answer:  More than you probably want to know.

I got the idea about Tomato Mama because I call myself the "Tomato Whisperer" and grow lots of tomatoes during the late spring and summer months.  (Sometimes the tomato bushes even last until November.)  And because I love figuring out ways to use and eat and enjoy them.  Love new recipes, so if you have a favorite one, send it along and I may print it.

OK.. 'nuff of that.  The point of this blog is to have a good time and share tomato tips and recipes with others.  I also aim to educate with a bit of history as well as info on how canned, dried, etc. tomatoes are harvested and delivered to the company the cans them and sells them to your local supermarket.  And, darn it!  I just love fresh ripe tomatoes!  I even like fried green tomatoes and the tomato cousin (of sorts) the tomatillo.  I get spoiled by my home-growns and am VERY picky about the tomatoes I buy at the markets (farmer's or super) - but more about that another time.

Along the way, and beginning tomorrow, there will be 365 ways to eat, use, enjoy tomatoes.  I welcome thoughts, comments, questions and ideas about the "other" fruit of the vine. 

So, let us begin with a little history.  Wikipedia says that the tomato is a savory, typically red, edible fruit, as well as the plant (Solanum lycopersicum) which bears it. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler climates.

The tomato is often considered a perennial and is a member of the Nightshade family.  It was widely used by Mesoamerican (read Aztec, Maya, etc.) although for a while it was viewed with suspicion, due to its relationship with Nightshade, by Europeans.  How it came to be domesticated and other historical tidbits is covered very nicely by the Wikipedia article.  Suffice it to say that it was eventually domesticated and it flourished in Mediterranean climates although it wasn't known to be grown in England until the late 1500's.

So more history....?  No, not right now.  I shall be doling out bits of history as I go along and hope to capture and keep your interest over time.

Tomorrow:  recipe for Spaghettini con Feta and a bit about growing tomatoes - generally and here in the Bay area.