This summer has not been the best for tomatoes, but I take what I can get. My plan for growing them on the kitchen roof was thwarted by a long, wet spring and an even wetter summer. So, it is off to the shops I go, returning with a mixed bag of fruit in every colour from acid green to almost black, tiny orange tomatoes like children’s sweets and some still on the vine, that at least come with the heady scent of the freshly picked.
The answer to a tomato whose flavour disappoints is to cook it. The heat of an oven or hob will enrich the fruit’s soul, and the natural seasonings of garlic, onion and basil will work their magic. This month, I baked plum tomatoes with sausages and lentils, and made a fresh tasting soup with smaller fruits, summer carrots and feta. I particularly enjoyed the tomatoes sliced and coated in breadcrumbs. Fried till the crumbs were crisp, we ate them with a herb mayonnaise – I used coriander but basil would be good.
On the occasion I found fine tomatoes smelling of deepest summer – yes, there are some around – I have eaten them thinly sliced and trickled with olive oil on my breakfast toast, with maybe a leaf or two of shredded basil. I have also diced them finely for a salad with hot, crisp gnocchi, and crushed them into a gazpacho with sweet, orange-fleshed melon and coriander leaves. A gently flavoured soup to eat outdoors on a rare, glorious sunny afternoon.
Tomato and carrot soup
There is a freshness and subtlety to a soup made with tomatoes and summer carrots. This is a useful recipe for using up tomatoes that are underwhelming or over-ripe. I include a crumbling of salty white feta at the end, but you could use tofu to keep the recipe vegan.
Serves 4-6
onion 1 large
groundnut or vegetable oil 5 tbsp
carrots 400g
vegetable stock 1.5 litres
thyme leaves 2 tsp
tomatoes 500g
feta 200g
Peel and roughly chop the onion. Warm half the oil in a large saucepan, then add the onion and let it cook, for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, till they are starting to soften. Roughly chop and stir in the carrots.
Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then add the thyme leaves. Lower the heat, add salt and black pepper and leave to simmer for about half an hour till the carrots are truly soft.
While this cooks, chop the tomatoes and put them in a shallow pan with the remaining olive oil, a little salt and black pepper and let it cook over a gentle heat till thick and slushy.
Ladle the soup into a blender and process to a smooth, thick puree and check the seasoning, then pour into bowls. (Make sure not to overfill the blender jug. I do this in at least two batches.) Spoon the soft tomatoes into the bowls of soup, then crumble the feta between them.
Crisp gnocchi with tomatoes
Crisp, hot gnocchi, crunchy radishes and ripe, soft tomatoes. A salad of contrasts. I use the vacuum-packed gnocchi from the chiller cabinet. Take care when adding to the hot oil, as they have a tendency to spit and pop. I keep a lid to hand.
Serves 2
red onion 1 small
red wine vinegar 2 tbsp
ready-made gnocchi 400g
olive oil a little
assorted tomatoes 400g
radishes 8-12
cucumber 250g
parsley a small bunch
garlic 2 cloves
olive oil 4 tbsp
Peel and very finely dice the onion and put it into a small bowl with the red wine vinegar.
Bring a deep pan of water to the boil and salt generously. When the water is bubbling vigorously, add the gnocchi. (If you gently rain the little dumplings in, rather than adding all at once, the water won’t go off the boil.) When they have all risen to the surface (a matter of 3 or 4 minutes) carefully remove them to a bowl using a draining spoon and toss with a little olive oil – it will help to keep them separate.
Dice the tomatoes and put them in a large bowl. Halve or thinly slice the radishes as you wish, then add them to the tomatoes. Peel the cucumber, slice it lengthways and remove and discard the inner wet core of seeds. Cut the flesh into small dice and toss among the tomatoes and radishes.
Finely chop the parsley leaves and add to the tomatoes. You will need about 3 heaped tablespoons. Chill the salad in the fridge while you fry the gnocchi.
Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Warm the olive oil in a shallow, non-stick pan over a moderately high heat, add the garlic and the gnocchi and leave over the heat until the underside of the gnocchi has crisped. Shake the pan from time to time to make sure the dumplings don’t stick, or carefully dislodge them with a palette knife. Turn them over and lightly brown the other side. They are done when they are lightly crisp.
Drain the onion and add it to the salad. You can dispose of the vinegar, it has done its work, taking the pungency from the onion. Season lightly. Gently toss and transfer the tomato salad to a serving dish, then scatter the gnocchi and garlic in the salad. A splash or two of olive oil is all the dressing needed.
Fried tomatoes with coriander mayonnaise
This is the sort of dish I make for a casual kitchen lunch. Something to make while standing at the cooker, passing crisp, fried tomatoes to everyone as they come sizzling from the frying pan.
Serves 4
For the mayonnaise
egg yolks 2
dijon mustard 1 tsp
white wine vinegar 2 tsp
olive oil 125ml
groundnut or vegetable oil 125ml
coriander leaves 3 tbsp, finely chopped
lime juice to taste
For the tomatoes
fine, dry breadcrumbs about 200g
eggs 2
tomatoes 4, large, firm, not too ripe
groundnut oil for shallow frying
Make the mayonnaise: put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl, stir in the mustard, a good pinch of sea salt and the vinegar. Whisk in the oils, a few drops at a time at first, then, as it starts to thicken, increasing to a thin, steady stream, whisking all the time. Stir in the coriander and season to taste with lime juice and a little more salt. Set aside to chill.
Tip the breadcrumbs on to a large plate. Break the eggs into a small, shallow bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Season with black pepper. Cut the tomatoes into thick slices.
Press the slices of tomato, one at a time, first into the beaten egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Push down firmly to coat the slices with crumbs. Warm a shallow layer of groundnut oil in a shallow pan over a moderate heat. Test the heat with a few breadcrumbs, they should colour quickly. Lower the slices of tomato into the hot oil (the best results will come from not crowding the pan, cooking only a few at a time), then turn over with a palette knife when the undersides are crisp and golden. When the other side is ready, lift out and drain briefly on kitchen paper, transfer to a plate and serve with the coriander mayonnaise.
Tomato, sausage and lentils
Serves 3
groundnut oil 2 tbsp
sausages 6 large (about 750g)
onions 2 medium
garlic 3 cloves
dried small, dark green lentils 150g
chilli sauce 1 tbsp, or to taste
yellow mustard seeds 1 tsp
tomatoes 500g
Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli oil 2-3 tsp, or to taste
Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6. Warm the oil in a shallow ovenproof pan over a moderate heat, then brown the sausages lightly on all sides. Take your time over this, turning them now and again so they colour evenly.
Peel and roughly chop the onions, then add them to the pan, letting them soften in the hot fat. Peel and crush the garlic, then stir into the onions. While the onions soften, cook the lentils in a pan of boiling water for about 20 minutes till almost tender.
When the onions are soft and starting to turn pale gold, stir in the chilli sauce, yellow mustard seeds and a seasoning of sea salt, then chop and add the tomatoes. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, then drain the lentils and stir them in. Transfer to the oven and bake for 35 minutes till hot and bubbling. Scatter the Lao Gan Ma over the surface, pushing it down among the lentils and tomatoes, and serve.
Melon and tomato gazpacho
The coarse side of a box grater will produce a pleasingly rough texture somewhere between finely chopped and a smooth puree. Or to put it another way, this can be soup or salad. It is preferable to using a blender or food processor. If coriander isn’t your thing, use basil leaves.
Serves 4
tomatoes 500g, ripe
cantaloupe 1kg, ripe, or other orange-fleshed melon
mineral water 100ml or so, chilled
coriander leaves a good handful
lime 1
olive oil 1 tbsp
ice cubes 100g, crushed
Halve the tomatoes, then coarsely grate their cut sides over a bowl. Discard the skins. Cut the melon in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, reserving as much of the juice as you can, then cut away the skin.
Put the melon flesh into the jug of a blender and reduce to a coarse puree, then stir into the grated tomato. Correct the consistency with ice-cold mineral water to bring it to a pleasing texture (start with 100ml and see how you go).
Finely chop the coriander leaves and fold them through the tomato and melon, then season lightly with salt (so good with the melon), a squeeze of lime juice and a very little black pepper. Chill thoroughly. This is not optional.
Just before serving, stir in a tablespoon of olive oil and a handful of crushed ice, and ladle into bowls.
Courgettes with tomatoes and basil
The way to go with young courgettes and homegrown tomatoes.
Serves 2
tomatoes 4 medium to large
olive oil 4 tbsp
garlic 3 medium cloves
red chilli 1 small
thyme a small bunch
courgettes 8 young, thin (about 450g)
lemon 1
Roughly chop the tomatoes and put them in a medium sized saucepan with 2 tablespoons of the oil and let them cook over a moderate heat for 15-20 minutes until soft. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and stir into the tomatoes. Finely slice the chilli, removing the seeds if you wish and add to the tomatoes.
As the tomatoes start to soften, pull the thyme leaves from their stalks – you will need about 1 tablespoonful – and stir them into the tomatoes with a generous seasoning of salt and black pepper.
Cut the courgettes in half from stalk to tip. Warm the remaining olive oil in a shallow pan over a moderate heat, then place the courgettes, cut side down in the pan and let them cook for 8-10 minutes or so, until they are pale gold in colour and starting to soften. Turn each one over and continue cooking, keeping the heat quite low.
Squeeze a little lemon juice – you won’t need the whole lemon – over the courgettes, spoon the tomatoes and their juices on top and eat warm or room temperature.