My new coworker gave me about half a dozen fresh tomatoes from her garden. I'm delighted, but I never, ever buy fresh tomatoes and I have no idea what to do with them.
Any ideas beyond slice them up and sprinkle salt on top? I was hoping to do something cool with them. Posted by MattP (Member # 10495) on :
Salsa
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Chop one or two up, cook them alittle, throw them in the pan with scrambled eggs. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm...
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
You can make a really nice spaghetti sauce.
Scoop them out and mix the chopped up insides with some seasonings and chopped other veggies, then drizzle with olive oil for a fun salad.
Slice them in half, then top in some way (a little salt, a thin layer of dijon mustard, followed by a mix of bread crumbs, shredded parmesan, and butter is classic; most variants that include cheese and bread crumbs seem to work well, I've added pesto, for instance), then broil them.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Tomato soup.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Try a good caprese
Cut into thick slices. Season with salt and pepper. Cover each slice with fresh mozzarella. Sprinkle with a good extra-virgin olive oil (and balsamic vinegar if desired). Add fresh basil (roll leaves and cut into thin strips across the roll.
Delicious!
Posted by Eduardo St. Elmo (Member # 9566) on :
Ketchup? Or perhaps one needs to have royal permission to create that... Posted by Javert Hugo (Member # 3980) on :
Awesome. These are great ideas!
Posted by Flaming Toad on a Stick (Member # 9302) on :
Chuck them (tomatoes are le yucky).
Or evaporate all of their water and eat them as chips. (Sun dried tomatoes are le win).
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
We have lots of extras this year, as well (we love fresh tomatoes, but have more than we can keep up with), so we've been making Salsa. Yummy.
You want I send you the recipe we use?
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Go see a really bad comic.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Two things we've been doing with ours:
Sliced on bagels, with cream cheese and pepper.
Chopped and tossed with steamed or sauteed zucchini and fresh basil. (Don't cook the tomatoes. And if you choose to steam rather than sautee the zuke, a little olive oil and basalmic vinegar adds a nice flavor.)
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Slice...insert between meat, bread, cheese and lettuce...enjoy.
Mmmmm...now I'm hungry.
Posted by Javert Hugo (Member # 3980) on :
I would LOVE the recipe, farmgirl.
Sadly, I don't like sandwhiches and I don't like tomatoes on hamburgers.
The bagel thing sounds very interesting...
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Slice off the top, squeeze the seeds out over the trash can, dice them, and use them in any recipe that calls for canned diced tomatoes for a fresher, richer, sweeter taste. I generally figure 5-7 fresh tomatoes per can, depending on size.
Or make spaghetti sauce.
Or gaspacho (blech!) Posted by Luet13 (Member # 9274) on :
You could have a tomato sandwich though! Super yummy. All you do is toast some white bread, slather with mayo, or your favorite spread, slice tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, put on bread and eat. And if you like hot sauce, that doesn't hurt either.
Ooh, or bruschetta. Which is essentially tomatoes chopped up with olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Eat on crusty Italian or French bread.
Every year we have an overabundant harvest of tomatoes. So my mom roasts them in olive oil in the oven, then packs about a cup into individual ziplock bags and freezes them. Then, whenever I'm making sauce, or anything that calls for tomatoes, I defrost the frozen baggies and voila, yummy fresh-ish tomatoes.
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
quote:Originally posted by Javert Hugo: Sadly, I don't like sandwhiches and I don't like tomatoes on hamburgers.
And you call yourself a Javert! Posted by Selran (Member # 9918) on :
One thick slice of tomato One thick slice of mozzarella cheese (the real stuff) A little fresh basil Some balsamic vinegar
Stack a tomato slice on top of the cheese then top with the basil and splash on the vinegar.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Review a lot of really good movies.
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
Because of this thread, I had a toasted tomato sandwich with mozzarella cheese for lunch.
Also, I am seriously considering eating the rest of the tomato from which I pulled slices for the sandwich. Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Here's the salsa recipe my mom has been using every friday for lunch at school.
2 large tomatoes or 3 small tomatoes- 1/2 in dice 1/2-1 jalepeno pepper or mild or sweet pepper- 1/4 in dice 2 slices of a large onion- 1/4 in dice 2 cloves garlic finely chopped or pressed 1 Tbs cilantro or parsley juice of one lime salt black pepper
For guacamole she switches the tomatoes for avacado, the rest is the same.
Posted by DeathofBees (Member # 3862) on :
Best way to peel tomatoes: Blanch them. Drop whole, washed tomatoes one at a time into boiling water and allow to roll until skins split. Remove tomatoes from water with slotted spoon and drop into ice bath. When cool, skins easily peel off. This also works with peaches.
Meat Sauce
1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey 1/2 C onion, finely chopped 1 head garlic cloves, finely chopped (I use a mini-food processor to get my garlic and onions really, really tiny) 5-7 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced (or 1 29-oz. can stewed tomatoes) 12 oz. can tomato paste 1 palmful dried basil 1 palmful dried oregano 1/2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and deveined (for sweetness!) 2 C water 2 C fresh mushrooms, sliced 1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1. In large saucepan, sautee ground meat, onion, and garlic over med-high heat until meat is browned. Drain excess grease.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, and oregano to meat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer.
3. Place red bell pepper and water in a blender and puree. Add to sauce and keep simmering.
4. Add mushrooms, green bell pepper, and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer one hour or more, adding water as necessary according to your desired thickness.
5. Cook spaghetti al dente. Place spaghetti in a skillet or another large saucepan over med heat and spoon desired amount of meat sauce over noodles. Thoroughly mix sauce and noodles and cook together about 5 minutes.
6. Place spaghetti in pasta bowl. Top with freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese. Serve with salad and fresh garlic bread. Enjoy!
(For extra zip, add two jalapenos, stemmed, but not seeded, to the red bell pepper and water in the blender)
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
my dad makes lovely tomato salad. it's just tomatoes, onions, cream, and salt and pepper. eat with fresh bread.
I love tomatoes. I am allergic to them but man i love them
Posted by ricree101 (Member # 7749) on :
quote:Originally posted by Javert Hugo: My new coworker gave me about half a dozen fresh tomatoes from her garden. I'm delighted, but I never, ever buy fresh tomatoes and I have no idea what to do with them.
Any ideas beyond slice them up and sprinkle salt on top? I was hoping to do something cool with them.
Personally, I'd say just eat them, but I'm weird like that, apparently.
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kama: my dad makes lovely tomato salad. it's just tomatoes, onions, cream, and salt and pepper. eat with fresh bread.
I love tomatoes. I am allergic to them but man i love them
You might say, you love them to death?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:Originally posted by ricree101:
quote:Originally posted by Javert Hugo: My new coworker gave me about half a dozen fresh tomatoes from her garden. I'm delighted, but I never, ever buy fresh tomatoes and I have no idea what to do with them.
Any ideas beyond slice them up and sprinkle salt on top? I was hoping to do something cool with them.
Personally, I'd say just eat them, but I'm weird like that, apparently.
Boon would be with you on that one...
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Ricree is Boon? I'm so confused.
Anyway, this thread inspired my dinner. Whole wheat pasta with lots of pesto on it and small diced garden tomato on top. Yum.
ETA: As soon as I hit submit I see that I misread kq's comment -- I thought she wrote, "Boon, I would be with you on that one." So now I get it. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:Originally posted by Uprooted: Ricree is Boon? I'm so confused.
Anyway, this thread inspired my dinner. Whole wheat pasta with lots of pesto on it and small diced garden tomato on top. Yum.
No, Boon is Boon. She just likes to eat home-grown tomatoes straight off the plant, hand to mouth.
And also *gags and runs to bathroom*
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
See edit above. And I gather that my original read was very, very wrong.
Posted by littlemissattitude (Member # 4514) on :
Why do you need to do anything to a tomato before you eat it? Just rinse it off and take a big bite, just like you would eat an apple. It's a little messier than eating an apple, I'll admit, but I think it also tastes better than an apple and there's no core to dispose of. Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
quote:Originally posted by littlemissattitude: Why do you need to do anything to a tomato before you eat it? Just rinse it off and take a big bite, just like you would eat an apple. It's a little messier than eating an apple, I'll admit, but I think it also tastes better than an apple and there's no core to dispose of.
My Mom has a huge garden, and whenever I visit she'll toss me every cherry tomato she picks.
"Shouldn't I rinse them off first?"
"Nope. It's clean dirt."
Posted by ricree101 (Member # 7749) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen:
quote:Originally posted by Uprooted: Ricree is Boon? I'm so confused.
Anyway, this thread inspired my dinner. Whole wheat pasta with lots of pesto on it and small diced garden tomato on top. Yum.
No, Boon is Boon. She just likes to eat home-grown tomatoes straight off the plant, hand to mouth.
And also *gags and runs to bathroom*
Oh yay, I'm not the only one. Usually whenever I mention this to other people, they get this horrified look on their faces and say something to the effect of "you eat it like an apple?".
Edit:
quote:Originally posted by littlemissattitude: Why do you need to do anything to a tomato before you eat it? Just rinse it off and take a big bite, just like you would eat an apple. It's a little messier than eating an apple, I'll admit, but I think it also tastes better than an apple and there's no core to dispose of.
When I eat them, I tend to take a small bite, drink the juice inside, then eat until I come to another pocket of juice. A little weird, maybe, but I find it to be a lot less messy than just trying to eat it.
Posted by Javert Hugo (Member # 3980) on :
I tried it two ways.
For dinner, I sliced it up, put salt and pepper, and sprinkled olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and shredded low-fat mozzerella cheese on top.
Yeah, I know. It's all I had, and I was both hungry and lazy. I melted the chees slightly, and that helped. The vinegar, oil, cheese, and tomato pockets were downright heavenly.
Then, this morning, I tried the fresh tomatoes in scrambled eggs with chedder and onions idea. That was also very yummy, although the eggs were a little watery and so cooked slightly different. Still, yum. Posted by Qaz (Member # 10298) on :
If they are Romas, cook them.
If they aren't, they are probably too watery to cook. You'll end up with a bunch of hot water and a little bit of tomato.
Here are some cool things to do:
* chop into chunks with onion, and chunks of mozarella (not shredded), and douse with wine vinegar
* slice and eat on toast
Posted by littlemissattitude (Member # 4514) on :
quote:Originally posted by Javert:
quote:Originally posted by littlemissattitude: Why do you need to do anything to a tomato before you eat it? Just rinse it off and take a big bite, just like you would eat an apple. It's a little messier than eating an apple, I'll admit, but I think it also tastes better than an apple and there's no core to dispose of.
My Mom has a huge garden, and whenever I visit she'll toss me every cherry tomato she picks.
"Shouldn't I rinse them off first?"
"Nope. It's clean dirt."
That sounds like something my father - who grew beautiful, delicious tomatoes in our backyard - would have said.
The tomatoes he grew didn't need rinsing, either, because he didn't use any kind of pesticides on them...we used the pick the tomato worms off the plant and smash them method instead. But it's better to rinse store-bought tomatoes, I think, because you don't know where they've been or what's been sprayed or sprinkled on them.
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