What to do with Tomatoes?

[thomasb]

My outdoor cherry tomatoes are now ripening...and i have a bit of a glut. Any suggestions on what to use them for? Especially welcome are good recipes for sauces etc to use the tomatoes for storing.
Thanks,
Thomas

[thomasb]

[daveandtara]

there are loads on here, try a search!  ;D
for any that have not ripened yet i'm trying tim's lovely recipe for pickled tiny green tomatoes this weekend.
i think it's on here as 'for dave and tara'.
sadly, they shouldn't be opened for at least three months so i won't be able to tell you how they taste for a while, but the ingredients sound delicious so i'm very optimistic!
have fun cooking your glut, (none of my toms have ripened so i'm a bit jealous)
Tara xx

[beejay]

Cherry toms are a bit tricky on the cooking front because they are fiddle to skin. I remember reading a recipe that said skin so many cherry tomatoes - I decided life was too short! Having said that, you can just freeze them as they are & when you want to use them just run under some warm water while still frozen & the skin will come off quite easily. As for sauces, I don't actually ahve any recipes as it's just guesswork. I will just cook a load in a pan, zap briefly with a liquidiser then get rid off the seeds/skin by pushing through this mill thingy I have or pushing through a seive. You then end up with what I assume is passata. You could flavour it with onion, herbs, chilli, garlic or whatever & use in recipes. Cooked french or runner beans are nice in a little cooked tomato.

[tim]

Agree with bj on the cherry toms - especially the plum types like Santa. Open freeze whole. Go into stews or curries. With standard ones peel, cut & freeze.

Sauces? Roast first? Sugar. Reduce till thick? Freeze cubes of sauce?
Bottle or freeze tom juice for drinking? Nice!

Jars etc -
Wares of Knutsford, 36a Princess St, Knutsford, Cheshire, UK. Tel. 01565 751477.

[beejay]

Ooops, forgot about adding a pinch of sugar. Last year I froze a load of large plum toms whole (Olivade) as there were loads ripe just before we went on holiday so I stuffed them in bags & stuck them in the freezer. Main problem is that they take up more room that way.

Just thought of tomatoes on bruschetta - delicious. Chop up your tomatoes into smallish cubes, add a glug of olive oil, bit of crushed garlic & a bit of basil. Serve on top of crispy toasted bread like ciabatta. Sooooooooo good!

[tim]

Room? Yes, but when you have time to skin them they pack quite tight.

Sugar? A GOOD pinch!!

[MissBaritone]

Not a sauce but a great favourite in our house. Pack tomatoes into a clean steralised jar. Fill to brim with vodka. Seal put in a cupboard and forget for at least 3 months. The tomatoes make faboulous snacks for parties and use the tomato vodka for making bloody marys

[Svea]

3 months? hmm, we do it overnight, actually. cut a cross into the bottom of each tomato, stack into jar, fill with vodka, sea salt to taste, squeeze of fresh garlic, and a bit of water to top up. put in fridge and shake every couple of hours. ready to eat the next day. beware, they make you very drunk without you  noticing it - as they dont taste of alcohol! :)

[Doris_Pinks]

Pizza  is another way to use them up! We just cut in half, squeeze the seeds out , chop them up, squeeze again in kitchen roll, then add fresh basil, garlic olive oil and S & P. Put on your dough and top with whatever you fancy!

[aquilegia]

I make sauces with mine. I never bother to skin them.

Bung them whole in a roasting dish, add a splosh of olive oil and a splash of balsamic. Roast on GM5 for about 1-1.5 hours until soft and starting to brown. You can then either liquidise or leave whole. Freeze in batches on 3/4-1pt for enough for two people.

sometimes I spice it up by adding chillis, garlic or peppers before roasting. You can then use it as a basis for any pasta sauce, on pizza or just eat with pasta.

[tim]

Of course, there's always another way!!

[beejay]

Oooooh, I want one!

[Mrs Ava]

After I roasted a couple of pounds worth today I thought to myself...why am I doing this?  Why not just liquidise then freeze!  Shan't bother to cook them down again.

Never thought of doing that with the voddy.......

[flowerlady]

When ever we make a pasta bake of some variety we always add a big handful of baby toms.  Add whole then you get a lovely taste explosion while eating. Yummy ;)

[tim]

Because, Emma, with a little sugar & olive oil, you get that wonderfully rich flavour which is the heart of many a dish?

[Mrs Ava]

I agree Tim, but if making a sauce with tin toms (shock horror!) then I always add a slug of good olive oil, brown sugar, balsmaic or sherry vinegar, garlic and other seasonings and cook loooooooooong and slow.  So I figured I would do the same with my own toms.  Hoping to have a tin tom free year!

[aquilegia]

I do the same EJ. But roasted sauces always taste so much better than non-roasted.

[tim]

It's easy for us with only next door's grandchildren to confuse the issue!!

[thomasb]

Thanks all for your suggestions....

Thomas