Five recipes for tomato obsessed cooks

I’m in full tomato mode, a phrase I noticed tweeted this week by the wonderful meals reporter Chris Crowley that tracks intently with my present frame of mind.

I’m going wild on the market, shopping for all method of tomatoes, arranging them on my counter with reverence after which consuming them as if I’ve joined a spiritual order dedicated to this one explicit, extremely seasonal meals.

I make Caprese salad, corn and tomato salad, salad-e Shirazi, pasta with marinated tomatoes, tomato sandwiches fortified with a thick layer of mayo.

I noticed that Ina Garten posted a tomato salad with blue cheese on Instagram, a mixture that I haven’t had in a very long time and one I’ll do this week. (She stated she buys a rotisserie hen to go together with it, and dinner is prepared. If Ina does it, so do you have to.)

I’ll even be making sauce moyo to have with grilled fish. And gazpacho. And tomato tart, and paneer con tomate. I’m a tomato monster. I can’t be stopped.

Chilly noodles with tomatoes

Halved cherry tomatoes present a powerful flavour basis for this chilly noodle dish that’s without delay savoury like gazpacho and refreshingly satiating like naengmyeon, the chilled Korean noodle soup. Impressed, too, by oi naengguk, a hydrating chilly cucumber soup, this dish leans into the wonders of ripe tomatoes and allows you to style them as they’re: uncooked and juicy. Julienned cucumber would style great right here, as would supple poached prawns or halved hard-boiled eggs.

By: Eric Kim

Serves: 4 to six

Whole time: 20 minutes

Substances:

680g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tsp salt

12 to 14 ounces somyeon, somen, capellini or different skinny wheat noodle

¼ cup rice vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sugar

1 giant garlic clove, finely grated

½ tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp toasted sesame oil

480ml chilly filtered water

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

2 radishes, thinly sliced

2 spring onions, thinly sliced at an angle

2 cups crushed or cubed ice

Methodology:

1. In a big bowl, toss collectively the tomatoes and salt. Let sit till juicy, about 10 minutes.

2. In the meantime, deliver a big pot of water to a boil. Prepare dinner the noodles based on package deal directions, drain and rinse underneath chilly water. Put aside.

3. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, mustard and sesame oil to the tomatoes, and toss with a spoon till properly mixed. Stir the filtered water into the tomatoes and sprinkle the floor of the broth with the sesame seeds, radishes and spring onions.

4. Proper earlier than serving, add the ice to the broth. Divide the noodles amongst bowls, and ladle within the broth and any unmelted ice, ensuring every serving will get a pleasant sprinkling of tomatoes, radishes, spring onions and sesame seeds.

Baked Greek prawns with tomatoes and feta

This conventional Greek recipe disregards the notion that seafood and cheese don’t combine, and it really works fantastically, leading to a harmonious stability of flavours. Although it may be made yr spherical with tinned tomatoes, it’s sensational with contemporary candy ripe ones, so greatest ready in summer time. Serve it as a principal course with rice or potatoes, or in small parts as an appetiser, taverna-style.

By: David Tanis

Serves: 4 to six

Whole time: 45 minutes

Substances:

Additional-virgin olive oil

3 giant shallots, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper

900g giant ripe tomatoes

½ tsp crushed pink pepper flakes

680g giant prawns, peeled and deveined

115g Greek feta cheese

½ tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp roughly chopped mint

Methodology:

1. Put 4 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium warmth. Add shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper and prepare dinner, stirring, till softened, about 5 to eight minutes. Decrease warmth as essential to preserve combination from browning. Take away from warmth whereas making ready tomatoes.

2. Fill a saucepan with water and produce to a boil. Add complete tomatoes and prepare dinner for about 2 minutes, till skins loosen. Instantly plunge tomatoes in a bowl of chilly water to chill, then drain. With a paring knife, core tomatoes and slip off skins. Minimize tomatoes into thick wedges.

3. Warmth oven to 200C. Return pan to range over medium-high warmth. Add tomato wedges and season with salt, pepper and pink pepper flakes. Prepare dinner, stirring, till combination is juicy and tomatoes have softened, about 10 minutes. Switch combination to a shallow earthenware baking dish.

4. Put prawns in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, season prawns with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Prepare prawns over tomato combination in a single layer. Crumble cheese over floor and sprinkle with oregano.

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, till tomatoes are effervescent and cheese has browned barely. Take away from oven and let dish relaxation for five minutes. Sprinkle with mint and serve.

Tomato salad with chickpeas and feta

Peak summer time consuming doesn’t get a lot simpler than this contemporary tomato salad. Ripe, in-season tomatoes are greatest, but when they don’t seem to be of their prime, the straightforward strategy of salting them first will draw out most flavour. Roasted nuts and seeds are glorious pantry objects and make an ideal no-cook, savoury-sweet crisp topping. The nut-seed-spice combination is totally versatile; use what you’ve got available, and add fragrant seeds like nigella or fennel if you happen to like. The supermarket-bought granola is optionally available, however it provides a shocking sweetness and much more crunch (go for one that’s as plain as potential and with out dried fruits or chocolate). Make additional topping and preserve it in an hermetic jar for sprinkling over salads and roasted greens.

By: Hetty McKinnon

Serves: 4

Whole time: quarter-hour

Substances:

For the salad:

1.13kg ripe tomatoes (any selection), reduce into roughly 2½-5cm items

1 garlic clove, grated

1½ tsp salt

1 (425g) tin chickpeas, drained

1 (200g) block feta cheese, crumbled

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to style

¼ tsp black pepper

Handful of basil leaves

For the crisp topping:

40g roasted, salted shelled sunflower seeds, roughly chopped (see tip)

30groasted, salted pepitas, roughly chopped

40g roasted, salted almonds, roughly chopped

40g roasted, salted pistachios, roughly chopped

25g plain oat granola (no fruit or chocolate added), roughly chopped (optionally available)

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

¼ to ½ tsp chilli powder or red-pepper flakes

½ tsp salt

Black pepper

Methodology:

1. Place tomatoes into a big bowl and add the garlic and 1 tsp salt. Utilizing your palms or a big spoon, gently toss the tomatoes in order that every thing is evenly coated. Let the tomatoes sit for about 10 minutes (the salt will draw out flavour from the tomatoes).

2. In the meantime make the topping: mix the sunflower seeds, pepitas, almonds, pistachios, granola if utilizing, sesame seeds, chilli powder and salt. Toss to mix. Season with a couple of turns of black pepper and stir every thing collectively.

3. Add the chickpeas, feta, olive oil, ½ tsp salt and black pepper to the tomatoes and toss to mix. Style and regulate olive oil, salt and pepper to your liking. Tear up basil leaves and sprinkle on high.

4. To serve, switch tomatoes to a serving platter or particular person bowls. When you’re able to eat, sprinkle with the crisp topping.

Tip: You need to use unsalted roasted nuts and seeds, however you’ll want so as to add extra salt to the combination.

Parmesan hen breast with tomato and herb salad

For higher weeknight hen, dredge it in flour loaded with freshly grated parmesan and shallow-fry it. The cheese works to create a form of frico, so that you don’t want breadcrumbs for a deeply flavourful crust. When you might make this totally on the stovetop, you danger overcooking the parmesan, and underneath or overcooking the meat. As a substitute, end it within the oven, which yields a juicy, tender breast and retains the parmesan from getting too darkish. Serve with completely ripe beefsteak and cherry tomatoes, jumbled along with salt and herbs and a splash of vinegar to make the tomatoes pop.

By: Sarah Copeland

Serves: 4

Whole time: 40 minutes

Substances:

680g ripe beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes, reduce into wedges (or halved if small)

340g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tbsp sherry or cider vinegar

1 tsp salt, plus for seasoning

¼ tsp black pepper, plus extra for seasoning

170g parmesan

120g flour

2 giant eggs, properly crushed

4 skinless, boneless hen breast, halved (about 1½cm thick)

3 tbsp canola or grapeseed oil

2 tbsp thinly sliced basil

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

Methodology:

1. Toss collectively tomatoes, vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl, and put aside. Warmth the oven to 220C with a rack within the lowest place.

2. Make the hen: line a baking tray with parchment paper. Finely grate half the parmesan on a field grater. Grate the remaining half on the bigger facet of the field grater. Add each to a shallow bowl together with ½ the flour, and whisk collectively. Put the remaining flour in one other shallow bowl, and the crushed egg in one other.

3. Season the hen generously with salt and pepper. Dip the hen breasts, one by one, into the flour. Shake off any extra and dip into the eggs, turning to coat evenly. Shake off the surplus and dip into the parmesan combination, urgent to stick and holding the hen gently by the ends to maintain the coating intact. Switch to the lined baking trau.

4. Warmth 2 tbsp oil in your largest ovenproof pan. When the oil is shimmering, lay the hen breasts within the pan, in batches if wanted. Prepare dinner with out shifting till the coating on the underside is deeply golden brown and releases simply from the pan, 5 to six minutes. Fastidiously flip the breasts and prepare dinner till the opposite facet is simply golden on the surface, about 3 minutes extra. Switch the pan to the oven (or switch the hen to a separate baking tray if wanted for area) and prepare dinner till the juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest a part of the hen registers 73C, 4 to six minutes extra, relying on the thickness of every breast.

5. Sprinkle the herbs over the tomatoes, and drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp oil; serve alongside the hen.

Spiced grilled halloumi

The play between salty, scorching cheese and candy, juicy tomatoes is what makes this dish sizzle. Halloumi is a springy Cypriot cheese that bronzes when hit with intense warmth, however it’s essential to pat it dry earlier than grilling. Pile the singed cheese atop sliced tomatoes, that are seasoned right here with salt and olive oil to pay attention their flavour. The salt may even extract water from the tomatoes, creating a light-weight dressing. Lastly, for texture, every thing is sprinkled with a mixture of crushed coriander and cumin seeds, red-pepper flakes and a contact of sugar (you possibly can additionally use a supermarket-bought or do-it-yourself dukkah if in case you have it available). Serve with grilled bread or pita, or embellish with herbs, cucumbers, grilled peppers, lentils, beans or grains.

By: Ali Slagle

Serves: 4

Whole time: 20 minutes, plus grill heating

Substances:

900g ripe tomatoes (any selection), sliced 1½cm thick

Salt

Additional-virgin olive oil

1 (225-255g) package deal halloumi, sliced ½-¾cm thick

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp red-pepper flakes, plus extra as wanted

¼ tsp granulated or Demerara sugar, plus extra as wanted

Methodology:

1. Put together a charcoal grill for two-zone cooking over medium-high warmth by pouring the coals onto one half of the grill. For a gasoline grill, warmth the entire burners to excessive, then flip off one of many finish burners earlier than cooking.

2. Whereas the grill is heating, organize the tomatoes on a platter with an edge to stop leaking and season with ½ tsp salt. Drizzle with olive oil. Put aside. Pat halloumi dry and drizzle with olive oil to coat on each side. Put aside.

3. In a small frying pan over medium-low warmth, toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and red-pepper flakes, shaking usually, till aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Switch to a chopping board and smash with the facet of your knife till cracked (you may also do that with a mortar and pestle). Switch to a small bowl, add the sugar, and rub together with your fingers to additional crush the seeds.

4. If you’re able to grill, take the halloumi, tomatoes, seeds, tongs and a tightly folded paper towel soaked with olive oil to the grill. Clear the grates with a grill brush, then oil the grates with the paper towel. Grill the cheese over the flame, flipping midway by way of, till properly browned and it releases simply from the gates, 4 to six minutes complete (for a gasoline grill, shut the lid between flips, listening and maintaining a watch out for flare-ups). If the cheese sticks to the grates, give it one other minute on the warmth. Switch the cheese to the tomatoes, then sprinkle with the seeds. Season to style with extra red-pepper flakes, sugar and olive oil.

Tip: Medium-high is 190-230C. It is best to be capable of maintain your hand 10-12cm above the grates for 4 to five seconds. Excessive is above 230C. It is best to be capable of maintain your hand 10-12cm above the grates for two to three seconds.

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