Tomatoes are excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and fiber. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, which helps aid in disease prevention. Research has been suggested that the combination of nutrients in tomatoes may help prevent cardiovascular disease.
Tomatoes are actually a fruit, but known as a vegetable, that was originally considered poisonous. The tomato is native to western South America and Central America. In 1519, Cortez discovered tomatoes growing in Montezuma's gardens and brought seeds back to Europe where they were planted as ornamentals, but not eaten. Italy was the first to embrace and cultivate the tomato outside of South America.
Leave it to the French; they referred to the tomato as pommes d'amour, or love apples, as they thought them to have stimulating aphrodisiacal properties. Hmmm, my husband is from a French background, maybe that's why he loves tomatoes so much.
In 1897, Joseph Campbell (Campbell Soups) came out with condensed tomato soup (I happen to like tomato soup) which made his company very wealthy and endearing the general public to the tomato. The very first tomato soup recipe was not Campbell's, but a woman named Maria Parloa (cooking teacher) in 1872 whose tomato chowder was described in her cookbook "The Appledore Cook Book" I'm guessing her tomato chowder is similar to a Manhattan chowder, minus the clams.
Tomatoes have a very high acid content which makes them perfect for canning. Tomatoes love growing in the heat, and Florida and California are major tomato producers. For home gardeners, tomatoes are one of the most common plants grown and usually produce more than the grower needs. In 2008, 130 million tons of tomatoes were produced in the world and China was the largest producer, followed by the US and Turkey. California accounts for 90% production of the plum tomato. There are around 7500 varieties of tomatoes grown in the world.
I went outside this morning and picked the most beautiful red tomatoes from my patio. They smelled earthy and tasted fresh and delicious. I simply love growing food and being able to pick it and use it right away.
I hope you enjoy the recipes listed below and eat more tomatoes.
Summer Fresh Corn and Tomatoes
Olive oil
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup shallots, diced
3 scallions, chopped including green part
1 lb. fresh ruby red tomatoes, diced
1 Tbl. fresh basil, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
In large saute pan, add some oil. Add shallots and cook for about 3 minutes, add corn and continue cooking until lightly browned. Remove from heat and let stand for about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, scallions, basil and season with salt and pepper a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Julia's Tomato and Sweet Onion Salad
1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 lb. ruby red tomatoes, sliced
4 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbl. fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
2 tsp. capers, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together olive oil, balsamic and pepper flakes together. Layer onions and tomatoes on a platter, overlapping, sprinkle with mixed herbs, capers and season with salt and pepper and pour over dressing. Sprinkle with cheese.
Creamy Summer Tomato Soup
12 large ripe ruby red tomatoes, peeled and chopped
6 scallions, chopped including green part
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. fresh marjoram
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
2 tsp. lime zest
2 Tbl. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tsp. curry powder (good quality)
3 Tbl. Italian parsley, chopped
Place tomatoes, scallions, salt, pepper, sugar, marjoram, thyme, lime peel and lime juice in a blender. Puree well. Add sour cream and curry, puree again slightly. Pour into covered container and chill. To serve; add into bowl or soup tureen and top with parsley. Simply refreshing.
Julia's Fresh Tomato Salsa
1 1/2 lbs. ripe ruby red tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced (add more if you like it hotter)
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cumin
Add all ingredients into a bowl, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Place in frig for flavors to blend. Serve with hot, salted tortilla chips and a chilled margarita.
Blender Salsa (from my friend Christy in San Diego)
1 1/2 lbs. ripe ruby red tomatoes, seeded and chopped (you can also use good quality canned tomatoes)
1 red onion, chopped
5 scallions, chopped including green part
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small can green chilies
1 lime juiced
2 Tbl. tomato juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
Combine, onions, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro in blender and pulse until finely chopped. Add tomatoes, canned chilies, lime juice, salt, pepper, vinegar and tomato juice. Pulse until just chopped, do not puree. Taste and adjust seasonings then refrigerate.
Creamy Sweet Corn (my dad recently sent me this recipe to try out, I made a few changes and it's very good, thanks dad)
1 Tbl. olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, small dice
1/2 red bell pepper, small dice
2 celery stalks, small dice
8 large ears of fresh sweet corn, removed from cob
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco, to taste
1 ruby red tomato, seeded and small dice
2/3 cup whipping cream
4 Tbl. Italian parsley, chopped
In a saute pan, add oil and onion, bell pepper and celery cook until softened. Add corn, garlic, salt, pepper, Tabasco and cook about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often. Pour in whipping cream and cook over low heat until very creamy about 10 minutes or more. Remove to serving bowl, and sprinkle on parsley.
Roasted Tomato Salad Dressing
10 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
3 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbl. red wine vinegar
2 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. In a bowl, add all ingredients except vinegar and toss, spread into baking dish. Bake about 1 1/2 hours. Place cooked tomato mixture into blender, add vinegar and process. Taste and adjust seasonings, cool before pour over salad greens.
Fantastic Summer Tomato Pie
1 (9-inch) deep dish
salt and freshly black pepper
2 ripe ruby red tomatoes, peeled and 1/2-inch thick
6 slices bacon, chopped
6 scallions, sliced including green part
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1/2 cup Provolone cheese, grated
3/4 sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch of cayenne
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbl. Italian parsley, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a saute pan, and add bacon, cook until crisp and remove to paper towels to drain. Combine flour, cayenne, salt, pepper and dredge tomatoes in this mixture, shaking off excess. Remove excess bacon grease from saute pan and add tomatoes, cooking for about 3 minutes. Remove to paper towels. Layer tomatoes, scallions, olives in crust. Combine both cheeses and sprinkle over top. In a bowl, mix eggs, salt, pepper, cream and nutmeg and pour over pie. Sprinkle on parsley. Bake until set about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove to cooling rack and let cool about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with tossed green salad with roasted tomato dressing.
Spicy Thai Shrimp with Fresh Tomatoes
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 (14 oz.) can good quality coconut milk
1 to 2 Tbl. red curry paste (depending on your taste)
1 1/2 Tbl. fish sauce
4 tsp. palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tsp. fresh lime juice
3 ripe ruby red tomatoes, sliced into sections
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 scallions, chopped including green part
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup salted cashews, coarsely chopped (optional, but I love them)
Cooked rice
Heat a large saute pan and add small amount of oil. Add red pepper, onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add coconut milk, curry and cook 2 minutes until slightly reduced. Add fish sauce and sugar, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Add shrimp, scallions and cook until shrimp are pinkish. Add tomatoes and gently stir for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice and some of the cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings. Place cooked rice on a platter and spoon over shrimp/tomato mixture. Top with remaining cilantro and cashews.
Julia's Over-the-top BLT with Avocado
Most everyone loves a good BLT, but you have to have lots of bacon and it needs to be fried crisply, if you are going to make one, make a really good one, not those wimpy ones you get in some restaurants where you are searching for the bacon.
For the perfect sandwich;
8 slices thick sliced applewood smoked bacon
1 ruby red tomato, sliced not too thin
2 beautiful lettuce leaves (red or green leaf lettuce)
1 Haas avocado, just nicely ripened and sliced
1 sweet onion, sliced thinly
salt and freshly ground black pepper
mayonnaise
2 slices of good quality bread (I like sourdough)
2 slices Havarti cheese
In a skillet fry bacon, until nice and crispy, remove to paper towels to drain. Toast bread until golden brown, spread with mayo. Place onion slices, bacon, avocado slices, tomatoes, salt and pepper, cover with cheese slices and top with lettuce leaves. Slice on diagonal and enjoy. It will most likely slip and slide and fall apart, but that's the fun of eating it.
Spicy Chicken and Tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 slices fresh ginger root, peeled
olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 (1-inch) piece of cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 bay leaves
dash of ground nutmeg
6 to 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (14.5 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
Cooked rice
Slice chicken breasts into large chunks. In a food processor, add onion, garlic and ginger and process to a paste. Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat and add onion paste, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes. Stir in cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and bay leaf. Saute stirring about 2 minutes to bring flavors together. Place chicken in pan and stir around in spices until well coated. Saute until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Add tomatoes to a bowl, and crush with your fingers, add to chicken in saute pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. If sauce gets too thick add a little water and keep covered. Serve rice on platter and pour over chicken mixture. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley.
Stuffed Tomatoes with Crab and Avocado
24 large grape tomatoes
2 cups crabmeat
4 Tbl. mayonnaise
2 Tbl. scallions, finely chopped including green part
2 Tbl. celery, finely diced
2 Tbl. red pepper, finely diced
2 Tbl. Italian parsley, diced (divided)
1 Tbl. chives, chopped (divided)
1 Haas avocado
1 Tbl. sour cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco to taste
Cut a sliver of tomato off the bottom so they will stand upright. Cut the top 1/4-inch off the tomatoes. With a small melon baller, scoop out the seeds and pulp, being careful not to scoop too much. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, onion, celery, red pepper, 1 Tbl. parsley, chives, Tabasco, salt, pepper and crab, mixing gently. In small bowl combine avocado, sour cream, 1 Tbl. parsley, salt and pepper and mash with fork until smooth. Spoon a small amount of avocado mixture into bottom of tomato, top with spoonful of crabmeat and garnish with chives.
Julia's Tomato Chicken Mushroom Saute
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into chunks
1 1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 cups ripe ruby red tomatoes, chopped
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chicken stock (good quality)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 package egg noodles
Italian parsley, chopped for garnish
In a large saute pan, add some olive oil and heat, add mushrooms, onions and garlic and cook about 8 minutes, add white wine and reduce 2 minutes, add chicken stock and reduce. Remove vegetables/wine mixture from pan and set aside. Add more oil, season chicken chunks with salt and pepper and add to pan, cooking until browned and juices run clear. Add remaining ingredients including mushroom/wine mixture. Turn down heat and cover, simmering about 20 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings. In the meantime, bring salted water to a boil and add egg noodles. Cook about 10 minutes until tender, drain. Place cooked noodle on platter and pour over chicken, tomato mixture, removing bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley.
Raw Fresh Tomato Sauce
3 lbs. ruby red garden tomatoes, 1/2-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lb. spaghetti
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup basil leaves, torn
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
In a large bowl, add garlic, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, basil. olive oil, salt and pepper, mix well and let stand about 1/2 hour room temperature. In a large pot of boiling salted water, add pasta and cook al dente. Drain well and add pasta to serving bowl, mix well, taste and adjust seasonings, sprinkle cheese on top.
Julia's Tomato and Olive Salsa
1 1/2 lbs. ruby red tomatoes, diced
1/2 sliced green olives
1/4 cup hot pepper relish (make your own or purchase grocery/specialty store)
7 scallions, sliced including green part
1 Tbl. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. fresh oregano, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a bowl, combine all and season to taste with salt and pepper. I love this over grilled halibut or swordfish, it's simply delicious.
Julia's Tomato Bread Pudding
2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes with juice
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of baking soda
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 1/2 cups French bread, toasted and cubed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
In a saute pan add small amount of olive oil and cook onions until tender. In a 13x9x2 baking dish spray with cooking spray. Place onions in bottom of baking dish, then add bread cubes, drizzle with melted butter. In a bowl combine tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, mustard, soda, salt and pepper. Pour tomato mixture over bread cubes and refrigerate for 2 hours. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, remove and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, place back into oven until hot and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack and let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
Spicy and Cool Tomatoes
6 large ruby red tomatoes, peeled
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into strips
1 large red onion, sliced into thin rings
3/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tsp. celery salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbl. plus 1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup cold water
Peel tomatoes and slice each tomato into 6 wedges, along with place green pepper and onion in large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in large saucepan and bring to boil. Pour over vegetables and chill for 2 hours, turning occasionally. Serve cold.
Tomato Dip
2 ruby red tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced including green part
2 cups sour cream
Tabasco sauce to taste
2 Tbl. Italian parsley, chopped
Combine tomatoes with lemon juice, salt and pepper, let stand for 40 minutes. Add other ingredients and blend, refrigerate until chilled. Serve with vegetables, chips or lightly toasted baguette slices.
Old Fashioned Tomato Soup Cake (love, love, love) I used to make this all the time as a kid. When my mom first made it, I couldn't believe she used tomato soup in the recipe, but it's fantastic and moist
This cake was originally made in 1928 to the 1930's and was very popular in the 60's and 70's and originally called the "Mystery Cake". The famous author M.F.K. Fisher liked tomato soup cake and she says in her book "How to Cook a Wolf (1942) that it's a pleasant cake which keeps well and puzzles people while you are cooking it. If you've never read any of M.F.K. Fisher's books, you definitely should.
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
1 can (10 3/4 oz) Campbell's tomato soup (undiluted)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9 baking pan. Stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves in large bowl. Add the soup, shortening, eggs and water. Beat with electric mixer on low until just blended. Increase speed to high and beat for 4 minutes. Fold in raisins and walnuts and pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 40 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack until completely cooled. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
Decadent Cream Cheese Frosting
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 (8 oz) tub of Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
With hand mixer process cream cheese and mascarpone cheese in large bowl until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and process until smooth. Clean beaters on mixer and in another bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in a little of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it. Then fold in remaining whipped cream. If frosting needs to firm up a bit, place in frig covered for an hour, then frost cake.
Bon Appetit
"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that by believing you may have life in His name."
John 20:31
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