Category: Tomatoes

[caption id="attachment_12187" align="aligncenter" width="660"] The frosty red orbs above are frozen roasted tomatoes that are wonderful in this soup.[/caption] Simple bean and sometimes bean and grain (often farro) soups are a mainstay of much of central and northern Italy. This is a hearty one that is better the next day and freezes well. It takes a bit of time to fully develop the flavors and textures but is worth every minute. And I suggest soaking the farro and beans together overnight, so plan ahead. Alternatively you can use already cooked/canned beans and the farro will do fine without soaking but will take a little longer to get tender.   I'm not a stickler for authenticity and sometimes use pinto beans (and added some already cooked white beans later in the process in the above version) though borlotti beans would be traditional, and excellent. So use what you have and mix and match beans if you'd like. You can also substitute barley or wheat berries for the farro (which is a variety of wheat). You can also leave out the bacon and it will still be rich and delicious. ... Read more »

This is a quick way to process a bunch of green tomatoes and the resulting fresh salsa verde-like sauce is versatile. Use it to make a simplified pork or chicken verde using it instead of the roasted chile and tomatillo sauce. Employ it fresh in tacos or fry it for a few minutes and scramble some eggs in it . . . Quantities and ratios are completely scalable and changeable. Make it spicier, heavier on the cilantro and garlic, etc. ... Read more »

This a hearty but bright side dish/salad that is beautiful to boot. The tang of the green tomatoes offsets the sweetness of the squash.... Read more »

This dish comes together quickly if you have cooked or canned chickpeas on hand and some roasted tomatoes in the freezer. Canned, roasted tomatoes will work perfectly as well. You can vary the herbs and spices to your taste and stretch the meat by adding egg and/or bread crumbs if you'd like. You can also substitute lamb for all or part of the beef.... Read more »

This late summer dish is warmly spiced and can easily be made into a meal by adding a few cups of chickpeas, or some crumbled sausage or eggs cracked and cooked right into the vegetables. Or enjoy as is with the spiced yogurt and some good bread. And feel free to change the ratio of eggplant to tomato based on what you have and scale up or down as needed. And if you don't have harissa (a paste of peppers and spices) you can adapt--see below.... Read more »

This is simple comfort food that complements most anything and is delicious the next day. You can dress it up with different herbs and/or spices, toss in other vegetables or leftover, cooked meat or sausage, etc. If you don't have fresh tomatoes, canned will do just fine. I do love to make this in late summer when I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with.... Read more »

  This comes together quickly and is rich (though vegan), and fragrant and suitable for many different leafy greens--mustard greens, collards, kale or turnip greens. You could substitute chickpeas for the potatoes or sweet potatoes.... Read more »

Korma is a loose term originating in Southeast Asia, given to meats and/or vegetables braised in a spiced sauce to which yogurt or cream are added towards the end. This is a deeply flavorful version that can accommodate different vegetables (winter squash, kohlrabi, turnips) or chicken. It also comes together quite quickly.... Read more »

All the dishes on this site with frikeh (parched green wheat) have yogurt in common. I must branch out but it is a lovely combination.  Frikeh is parched green wheat. It is smoky, chewy and delicious. You can substitute regular wheat berries, farro or barley or even small green lentils (that keep their shape when cooked) for the frikeh in this dish. Consider adding a little smoked paprika (pimenton) if you are not using frikeh to intimate that smoky flavor.   Frikeh is often sold cracked, rather than in whole kernels, in grocery stores and cooks more quickly in that form and has a much finer texture and increases in volume from dry to cooked more than the whole kernels. Adjust quantities and cooking times as needed. ... Read more »

During my time in Italy, I ate versions of this simple, flavorful dish all over the country. It's often made it with maltagliati which means badly cut pasta, the bits and pieces of odd-shaped pasta that are left over from the commercial pasta making process. They are sold in bags, just like regular pasta. Now I use whatever I have on hand.  ... Read more »

–adapted from smittenkitchen.com   You can vary the quantities and ratios here with no problem. More tomatoes will make it a little moister and might take a little longer to cook and more bread will make it denser and more crisp. I use less cheese than the original and love it that way. You can vary the herbs and increase the quantity if you’d like. ... Read more »

There are many variations on this theme, most use mozzarella or another gooey cheese. I made these when I had just one medium-sized globe eggplant to use. It comes together quickly and is good hot and at room temperature.  ... Read more »

This is a quintessential summer salad that takes 5 minutes to put together. Add feta or fresh mozzarella if you'd like but the simplicity of this is just lovely.  ... Read more »

There are so many nights when I'm grateful for the work I put in at times when I don't need to put dinner on the table in 30 minutes. Things like already cooked beans and a jar of veggie bouillon base and frozen, roasted tomatoes all add so much flavor. You can just as well use canned beans and tomatoes for this quick, satisfying soup.   An onion, some celery and these pantry ingredients turn into a simple soup/stew topped with a garlicky parsley sauce. The beans, tomatoes and rosemary were so flavorful and rich I didn't need the sausage at all (but my boys, big and small, love a little meat now and then). You can make it more broth-y by adding more stock and/or bean cooking liquid, you can certainly add carrots or any kind of greens or other vegetables. You could toss in a handful of two of small pasta if that entices your eaters to enjoy it more. . .  ... Read more »

  This recipe is adapted from one of the first cookbooks I ever bought, Cooking From an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and John Cohen. You layer thin, herb-rich omelets/crepes with tomato sauce and a little Parmesan. It's an elegant, delicious and beautiful dish.  ... Read more »

--adapted from World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey   A choka is a dish from Trinidad but with heavy Indian influence and is made with a variety of vegetables. Roasting (preferably over fire--but in a hot oven in my case) is a typical characteristic of chokas. This one is fresh, savory and bright and delicious with rice or bean dishes or with flat breads or chips even--as a side or salsa.... Read more »

--inspired by World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey   Serves 4   Richly flavored, hearty yet relatively light, this North Indian combination of flavors is so delicious and beyond a bit of chopping a cinch to make. You you can adjust the level of heat with more or less cayenne and by using/omitting the seeds of the fresh pepper. You can adapt the ratio of potatoes to tomatoes to suit your needs just be sure to keep enough liquid in the pan to keep it a just a little saucy.  ... Read more »

  Fresh, sweet, savory and good as is with chips, in tacos, mixed with black beans, etc. ... Read more »

There are many versions of this classic Spanish soup, served cold or at room temperature (when it was first made, before refrigeration) and most include tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, garlic, stale bread, a bit of sweet pepper and olive oil and wine vinegar. You can play with the ratio based on what you have and/or your tastes.  ... Read more »

  I love the time of year when I can make ratatouille, when sweet peppers, eggplant, summer squash and tomatoes are all at their peak--usually beginning early August and lasting until mid-to late September. In my cook-with-what-you-have version quantities are easily adapted and the ratios are not critical so scale up or down as needed. It is important to cook some of the vegetables separately so that you don't crowd the pans and steam them rather than sautéing them. You want the browning and sweetness that comes with direct contact with the hot skillet.   It is a rich, stew-like dish in which the vegetables all break down a bit. It is not beautiful but it is GOOD! Serve with some good crusty bread, another salad, a frittata or some such. It’s even better the next day and delicious at room temperature as well.... Read more »