If you're anything like us, you don't want to stop eating tomatoes, even when they're not in season — but you don't particularly want to eat tasteless tomatoes either.
Enter chef and Milk Street: The New Rules author Christopher Kimball who has FOUR brilliant ways for transforming tasteless out-of-season supermarket tomatoes into delicious additions to pretty much any meal.
1. ROAST THEM
Slow roast your tomatoes in a 325° oven for about three hours, Chris suggests, and add three ingredients:
- Light balsamic vinegar (You can use regular, if you'd like, Chris says.)
- Tomato paste
- Olive oil
"Slowly roasting low-moisture tomatoes—such as plum and Roma—concentrates their flavor and caramelizes their natural sugars for a mellow sweetness with just a touch of tang," Chris says in his new book The New Rules: Recipes That Will Change The Way You Cook. "Add them to sandwiches, soups or stews, or toss with pasta. Serve over polenta or grilled or fried fish. Chop a few and toss with fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley, and thyme, for a quick relish, or serve over polenta or grilled or fried fish."
Or just eat them on their own — they're that good!
GET THE RECIPE: SLOW-ROASTED TOMATOES
OR SIMMER THEM
2. … TO MAKE TOMATO PASTE
"Tomato conserva—fresh tomatoes cooked down into an intense, concentrated paste—is an old Italian recipe devised as a way to preserve summer produce," Christopher says.
Essentially, all you need is four pints of tomato, oil and water.
"In this case, [water and oil] do mix," the chef explains. "It allows you to cook down on a long slow simmer for about an hour. You get this incredible concentrate. And that can be the basis for pizza or anything."
GET THE RECIPE: TOMATO CONSERVA
3. … TO MAKE TOMATO SAUCE
With a pound of tomatoes, EVOO, water and garlic, you can have a delicious tomato sauce in about 40 minutes. After it's cooked, add sage and smoked paprika, Chris suggests.
Pro tip: Always keep smoked paprika in your pantry. "It doesn't cost a lot of money," the chef says about smoked paprika, "[but] it completely changes [the dish]."
GET THE RECIPE: SLOW-SIMMER TOMATO SAUCE
4. OR PICKLE THEM
Using 12 ounces of tomatoes, cider vinegar, dill, hot pepper flakes, a little bit of sugar and salt, you can pickle your tomatoes in about an hour or two, Chris explains.
"A quick pickle in seasoned vinegar highlights and brightens the tomatoes natural sugars and acidity," the chef explains in The New Rules.
GET THE RECIPE: PICKLED TOMATOES
