You say tomatoes….
It’s British Tomato week this week which made me think – I know it’s only Monday, don’t want to rush at these things…..Personally I’ve never been a fan of a tomato – memories of soggy sandwiches with slices of tomato gone to mush; breakfasts contaminated by thin tomato juices from unexpected tinned tomatoes leaching into the bacon and eggs; tough skins holding flavourless fruit. Yep – definitely not my favourite.
Admittedly I can use them in cooking and do in tomato sauces, soups, tagines, casseroles, dressings – anywhere they can be hidden.
Vegetable Biryiani in Jodhpur with Tomatoes & Silver Leaf
Lately though I’ve noticed a growing tolerance on my part towards the tomato and I might even consider ordering them – frankly unheard of a couple of years ago. None of the perfectly round flavourless, pale offerings though – they have to have a good hit of flavour.
A salad of beautifully flavoured fresh tomatoes cut very thinly with just some salt and pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil, maybe some creamy mozzarella on top with fresh marjoram; well, happy days!
The Spanish breakfast of pan y tomate – toasted bread with overripe tomato flesh rubbed over the toasted crust and more olive oil is a great start to the day and certainly makes a difference to Marmite;
Tostada con Tomate
Smoked cherry tomatoes on a deli board; slices of solid beef tomatoes such as Marmande or Black Russian ripened on the vine for lots of flavour and not too much worry about their shape; halved tomatoes and then blackened on the cut surface on a super-hot griddle and served with steak or chicken and salad
Blackened tomatoes, great flavour
– all of these have brought down my resistance and I’m now looking forward to this year’s tomatoes grown in the greenhouse and hanging baskets.
Tomatoes piled up in a Provencal market
Until then, it’s a quick trip to Annie’s in Totnes for their pile of green, yellow, red and purple tomatoes of all shapes and sizes. How things change….