Roasted Tomato Sauce - for the freezer

Tomato plants in are in high-production mode and they are calling out to me from my garden: “HEY! We’re Ripe! Do something quick!”

Of course, I have made a few gallons of salsa to bring to work and pass out to friends, neighbors and co-workers. They don’t call me the Salsa Fairy for nothing!

But, still more red ripe tomatoes! What to do?

I decided to make a tomato-basil sauce that can be frozen and then thawed in the dead of winter to savor the days of eating fresh tomatoes right off the plants – brushing off the dirt first, of course!

This method is ingenious! You roast the tomatoes, and while they are still hot, you add in the garlic and basil, which cooks them just enough but still retains their freshness. Genius!

Now I will have a reason to smile in February!

Happy End-of-Summer Harvest, Everyone!

– posted by Donna

I first learned that you could freeze tomato sauce from Kalyn at Kalyn’s Kitchen, from whom I have learned so much about putting my freezer to good use. Thanks, Kalyn!
I am apparently in good company of tomato freezing folks: Culinary heavy hitter Davis Leite  just posted about tomato freezer sauce a few days ago.
Janelle at Talk of Tomatoes agrees with freezing the red stuff, too.
And the Naptime Chef makes freezer-friendly sauce that looks so flavorful.

FREEZER TOMATO SAUCE

Makes about 8 cups of sauce

12 to 15 medium to large ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup diced basil leaves
8 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons powdered ascorbic acid preserver, such as Fruit Fresh
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut a large “X” on bottom of tomatoes. Place on baking sheet with “X” side up, then lightly spray with canola oil. Roast for 30 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned. Let cool slightly.

Over a large bowl, hold tomatoes with a KITCHEN TOWEL in one hand (so as not to burn your hand) over a large bowl. With a paring knife starting at top of “X,” peel skin off tomatoes. Discard skins and cores of tomatoes.

Add remaining ingredients to tomatoes in  bowl and mash with potato masher until very small chunks. Let cool to room temperature before freezing.

Freeze for up to 12 months.

Caprese Parfaits

For years, like many members of  the last few factory-farmed, shrink-wrapped, additived-and-preservatived generations, I thought I detested fresh tomatoes. Mealy and bland, almost always refrigerated, only acceptable in thoroughly stewed or sauced form. My mom used to nostalgically describe picking tomatoes as a child, out of my grandma’s garden in upstate New York, and eating them like apples. I could hardly imagine anything more revolting at the time.

Now, of course, we’ve all become much more sophisticated, in our current local, sustainable, seasonal collective consciousness. We know that what we really loathed were the out-of season supermarket imposters, mass-produced and shipped thousands of miles to your January attempt at a  salad (probably involving iceberg lettuce, which, I notice, is making an odd sort of comeback; perhaps it’s ironic, the produce equivalent of a hipster’s PBR). A truly fresh tomato, procured in its natural habitat and life cycle, that is a completely different experience.

I can think of no better expression of Tomato, its essence, the thing-in-itself, than the caprese salad. The first time I tried one, well into my twenties, was a revelation. Not as singularly defining as Julia Child’s sole meuniere moment, but akin to it, one of a series of palate-paradigm shifting moments. My first taste of pesto was another, as was cilantro.

But that first caprese, simple and brilliant – never had I experienced such perfect tomatoes, at their pinnacle in ripe flavor, firm but not tough, supple, not the slightest suggestion of mealiness. And the pairings, oh the harmonious flavor pairings, the basil and fresh mozzarella, with extra-virgin olive oil (used as it is meant to be used, not as an all-purpose cooking fat) and just the most delicate drizzles of balsamic vinegar (another revelation all on its own).  In short, it rocked my world.

This is so simple it hardly warrants a Formal Recipe; heck, I’m not sure it warrants an entire blog post, but I thought they came out so nicely I figured, why not share? Tomatoes are finally starting to ripen, at least around here; it’s been a late season, according to more adept gardeners than I. So I offer up not anything groundbreaking, but just an alternate way to present it as we all savor these tomato days, fleeting as they are and are meant to be.

CAPRESE PARFAITS

A pint or so of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
A cup or so of basil, chiffonaded
16 ounces or so of fresh mozzarella, sliced and then cut into wedges
1/2 cup or so prepared pesto (optional; also fine with olive oil alone)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

If you’re using the pesto, add a few tablespoons of olive oil to make it more pourable. Aside from that, my only advice is to layer in the order of tomatoes – mozzarella – basil and then drizzle a bit of pesto, if using. If not, this is where a touch of olive oil comes in for each layer. Repeat until glasses are full. Top with the prettiest tendrils of your chiffonade.

You might note the absence of balsamic in this; I do love it, but decided to keep the visual Viva Italia color scheme intact. Feel free to choose your own adventure here.

Salute!

– posted by Anne

P.S. I now completely understand the urge to eat a perfect, fresh tomato like an apple. My grandfather’s predilection for slicing  red onions and eating them in thick, buttered slabs, that’s a different matter.

This is a guest post from a Fab Frugal Friend, Kimberly, which I think befits the female friendship symbolism of the fried green tomato – well, ever since the movie at least. (If you haven’t seen it, go rent this classic ASAP!) I had the pleasure of visiting her in Oregon recently, and we got to feast from the fantastic farmer’s markets. Lucky for me, I got to experience her authentic fried green tomatoes (she’s a Southerner) and she was kind enough to come up with a gluten-free version for us!  (Alas, neither one of us thought to photograph them before they were devoured.) The chickpea flour was an absolutely perfect substitute – think about how well the chickpea flour tastes when fried for falafel. .

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AND GRAVY

4 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup chickpea flour, divided
5 to 6 green tomatoes, sliced
1 to 2 cups water, soymilk, or milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tamari or hot coffee, to taste

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. How hot? Kimberly says, “I don’t measure the temperature, but I heat it to the low end of high and I know it’s ready when I stick a wooden spoon in it and little bubbles form all over the spoon.” As it’s heating, combine cornmeal, 1/4 cup of the chickpea flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt with a fork on a plate. Mix about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the milk with 1 tablespoon flaxmeal in a small bowl, also with a fork.  Coat both sides of the tomato slices with the milk/flaxmeal mixture and then dredge in the cornmeal-chickpea flour blend.

Fry until soft on the inside and golden brown and crisp on the outside, doing a few at a time as your skillet size permits. Sprinkle the remaining flour into the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until brown. Then stir in the milk of your choice, salt and pepper to taste, and a bit of tamari or black coffee, depending on desired thickness and flavor.

One more thing: grits on the side. Strongly recommend.

– posted by Anne

I know. I thought it sounded weird at first, too. Jam? From Tomatoes???

I’ll admit, I was desperate. I had so many tomatoes coming on over the weekend screaming “Pick Me! Pick Me!” that I began to get a bit desperate.  I came across a tomato jam recipe and gave it a try. It is great spread on a toasted baguette slice over a thin layer of ricotta.

I decided to spice it up quite a bit, so the jalapenos were my idea. And, I only used about half of the recommended sugar so the jam would have a more tangy savory feel. And, don’t be tempted to squeeze out the seeds and liquid from the tomatoes – that is where all the pectin is that will thicken the jam.

TOMATO CHILE JAM

4 cups diced ripe tomatoes
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 large shallots, minced
3 red jalapeno peppers *
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup apple cider or rice vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Place 1/2 of the tomatoes, ginger and peppers in food processor and process until a smooth puree.

Stir all ingredients together in a large stockpot. Bring to a rapid boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is reduced to a thick jam.

Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for up to 4 weeks.

*If you want more heat, leave seeds and pulp in peppers, since this is where the heat resides. Otherwise, cut peppers in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds and pulp with a spoon.

Other Fab Frugal Tomato Jam recipes out there:
Tomato Jam, andreasrecipes.com
Sicilian Tomato Jam, divinacocina.blogspot.com

– posted by Donna

Each summer I can hardly wait until I start seeing red globes peeking out from between the green leaves of our tomato plants.

There is a fabulous blog celebrating home-grown goodness – Andrea Meyers at Andreas Recipes – she hosts a twice-monthly “Grow Your Own” feature where she highlights recipes from food blogs that feature cooks using ingredients they have grown (or foraged or were gifted) themselves. This salsa post was featured on her blog – check it out to see this and other “GYO” goodness!

There are a million salsa recipes out there, and I have tried my share of them over the last 30 years. Trust me on this – I grew up a few miles from the Mexican border and I have eaten hundreds of salsas. If I am a connoisseur of any one thing, it has to be salsa! This Roasted Tomato Salsa recipe is my absolute all-time favorite!  Roasting about half of the tomatoes quickly at a very high heat give a wonderful roasted smoky flavor, but keeping half of the tomatoes raw gives it the perfect freshness and texture. And, the chipotle chile powder and smoked paprika are delicious in combination with tomatoes.

Don’t skip the EVOO. Olive oil used with tomatoes improves BOTH their flavor and health benefits exponentially.

I love to make gallons (literally) of our family’s favorite salsa and then cruise around the neighborhood like “The Salsa Fairy” handing out pints to friends or leaving them on doorsteps as a surprise treat. Everyone raves about salsa that has roasted tomatoes in the recipe!

You may even be tempted to sit down with a bowl of this with a very large spoon. No, I am NOT kidding.

SASSY SMOKY SALSA

Juice of two limes (about 1/4 cup)
zest of two limes (about 2 teaspoons)
4 cloves garlic
1 large bunch cilantro
About 12 large ripe tomatoes (to make 8 cups smashed)
2 bunches green onions, tops included
1 bell pepper, any color
4 to 6 fresh jalapeños
1 tablespoon each chipotle chile powder and smoked paprika
2 teaspoons salt (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
a few dashes Tabasco sauce, to taste

Core and cut tomatoes in half and squeeze out all juice and seeds. Place half of tomatoes cut side down on a baking sheet and spray with a little oil. Broil about 3 inches from heat for about 5 minutes, until tomato skins begin to blacken in spots. Let cool. Drain off liquid from pan and then pulse roasted tomatoes and remaining uncooked tomatoes in food processor until tomatoes are in small chunks. DO NOT PUREE. Place tomato mixture in a large bowl.

Place lime juice, lime zest, garlic and cilantro in food processor and blend until smooth. Remove seeds and pulp from jalapeños and mince. Remove ends and outer skins of green onions and mince. Remove seeds and white pulp from bell pepper and mince. Add chile powder, smoked paprika, salt and olive oil. Stir all ingredients together and let sit on counter for at least one hour for flavors to blend. Taste. If necessary because tomatoes are acidic, add in a little sugar to taste. If salsa is too runny, stir in a can of tomato paste. Cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days. Serve at room temperature. Makes a HUGE batch!!

Variation: To make salsa hotter, add more hot peppers, such as serranos. Also, leaving the seeds in will make the salsa hotter after seeds have had a chance to blend with other flavors.

Some other fabulous roasted tomato salsas:
Fourth of July Roasted Tomato Salsa, 101 Cookbooks.com
Roasted Tomato Salsa, Karina’s Kitchen
Slow Roasted Tomato Salsa, A Veggie Venture

– posted by Donna