Red ones. Green ones. Yellow ones. Striped ones. Are late-summer tomatoes swallowing your kitchen counter top, too? Here, the weather's been too hot for blanching, peeling, simmering, and canning the fruit. Consequently I'm eating some of the tomatoes fresh, and freezing the rest:
And how do I enjoy fresh tomatoes?
Not a week passes during tomato season when I don't make Tomato Pie. It's nothing more than tomatoes, basil, cheddar cheese, and mayonnaise, baked to puffed perfection on a bed of store-bought biscuits. And boy howdy, it's delicious! Here's the easy recipe.
You might not think that tomatoes and peaches (or nectarines) "go" together, but trust me -- they do! I like to dress the fruit with basil, vinegar, and bits of burrata cheese for the sexiest salad on earth. My step-by-step recipe.
Here's another winner in my "love-apple" repertoire: Puff Pastry Pesto Pizza. You can serve it as the main course for lunch or the first-course for dinner. It makes a terrific after-school snack, too. Yum! The easy recipe.
Cherry tomatoes? I love them slow-roasted...
Or raw in this garden-fresh tabbouleh.
As for the tomatoes that would otherwise perish because of my slothfulness, I freeze them whole. These frozen subjects will wait until I'm ready to turn them into sauce, or to add them to soups and stews.
Warning! Freezing tomatoes is an easy, easy job. Here's the step-by-step:
Take some tomatoes...
And seal them in a plastic bag.
Put the bag in the freezer.
When you are ready to use the frozen fruit, just drop it into a bowl of warm water...
And voila! -- the skin will slip right off!
Will tomatoes lose some of their flavor after freezing? Maybe. But if you simmer the sauce long enough, the flavor that remains will become concentrated. And frankly, I don't mind the extra simmering-time when a snow storm is raging outside my window.
So tell me: Did your tomato plants surprise you with a hefty harvest this year? You can let me know by leaving a comment. As always, I love hearing from you!
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