Tomatoes everywhere

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Scalloped tomatoes is a rich comfort food that your family will love. Photos/Karen Freeman
Black Beans and Corn is a great way to use your summer tomatoes.

August 3, 2011

Tomatoes everywhere

FOR THE DAILY SOUTHERNER Karen Freeman The Daily Southerner Wed Aug 03, 2011, 03:39 PM EDT

TARBORO — It has been a good summer for my tomatoes. I have tomatoes everywhere. A lot of them are small but I have hundreds. We have given them away, canned them, frozen them and enjoyed eating tomato sandwiches almost every day for lunch. I still have tomatoes everywhere. So, I look for tomato recipes.

This summer when I began searching for new recipes, I found some unique ones. I hope that you will enjoy them as much as I have.

Recipe number one is something I love, black bean and corn salad. Of course, you can do almost anything with this recipe. Add chicken or steak, add other veggies or even add some fruit. Put this on a bed of lettuce and you have a great meal.

The second recipe is green tomato pie. This is a great lunch or brunch idea and you will really enjoy it. It’s prepared and tastes different than the tomato pie that you make with ripe tomatoes. Give it a try. Blanching the tomatoes makes them easy to peel. This pie freezes well, so make an extra while you’re at it.

The next recipe is scalloped tomatoes. It’s baked in the oven and has bacon, what could be better than that? You use bread cubes and saltine crackers to absorb some of the liquid and to give it body.

Our last recipe is something that will make you do a double take. It’s tomato gravy. This is so good that you will want it over and over. You serve it over chicken or fish. The heavy cream helps to thicken it.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

1 (15-Ounce) Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed  1 (11-Ounce) Can Golden Sweet Corn, drained  1 Tomato, chopped  2 Tablespoons Red Onion, chopped 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine black beans, corn, tomato, cilantro, red onion, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Green Tomato Pie

6 Medium Green Tomatoes (about 1 3/4 lbs.)  1 Cup Sugar  3 Tablespoons Flour 1 1/4 Teaspoons Cinnamon  1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg  1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cloves  1 1/2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest  1/2 Teaspoon Salt  2 Tablespoons Butter

Pastry for a 2-crust pie

Additional sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Remove from water, core and peel. Cut prepared tomatoes into 1/4-inch slices.

In a large saucepan, combine sliced tomatoes with 1/4-cup water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove tomatoes from liquid with a slotted spoon, reserving boiling liquid.

Combine flour, 1-cup sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and lemon zest. Add flour mixture to liquid. Cook, stirring constantly just until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Gently stir in prepared green tomato slices. Cool slightly, 10-15 minutes, and spoon into the unbaked pie crust. Top with top pastry crust, crimp and seal edges. Cut venting slits in tops crust and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Scalloped Tomatoes

1/4-Cup Butter

1-Cup Bread Cubes

1 Medium Onion

4 Strips Bacon

2 Tbsp. Sugar

2 1/2 Cups Cut-Up Tomatoes

Dash Tabasco

Dash of Dried Sweet Basil (add more or less depending on taste desired)

Crushed Saltine Crackers, for topping

1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or other cheese if preferred)

Melt the butter in a medium skillet; add bread cubes and brown lightly. Add more butter if needed and lightly brown onions. Fry bacon in a separate skillet; drain bacon and crumble into the butter and bread mixture.

Add sugar, tomatoes, Tabasco, and basil; mix together well. Spoon into a 2-quart casserole dish. Cover with crushed crackers or breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Add cheese on top for the last 15 minutes.

Tomato Gravy

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

4 Green Onions, Finely Chopped (White Part Only)

3 Large Ripe Tomatoes, Peeled, Seeded, Finely Chopped

1/2-Cup Whipping Cream

1/4-Tsp Salt

1/4-Tsp Ground Red Pepper

1/2-Tsp Dried Thyme

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot; add garlic and green onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add chopped tomato; reduce heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in whipping cream and remaining ingredients; simmer, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.

Serve over chicken, fish, or pasta. Makes 2 cups.

Did You Know?

Tomato Facts

Tomatoes were first cultivated in 700 AD by Aztecs and Incas. Explorers returning from Mexico introduced the tomato into Europe, where it was first mentioned in 1556. The French called it "the apple of love," the Germans "the apple of paradise."

Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C and fiber, and are cholesterol free. An average size tomato (148 gram, or 5 oz) boasts only 35 calories. Furthermore, new medical research suggests that the consumption of lycopene - the stuff that makes tomatoes red - may prevent cancer. Lycopene is part of the family of pigments called carotenoids, which are natural compounds that create the colors of fruits and vegetables. For example, beta-carotene is the orange pigment in carrots. As with essential amino acids, they are not produced by the human body. Lycopene us the most powerful antioxidant in the carotenoid family and, with vitamins C and E, protect us from the free radicals that degrade many parts of the body.

The scientific term for the common tomato is lycopersicon lycopersicum, which mean "wolf peach." It is a cousin of the eggplant, red pepper, ground cherry, potato, and the highly toxic belladonna, also known as the nightshade or solanaccae. There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.

Tomatoes are used in many food product, including, of course, tomato sauce (ketchup), pasta and pizza. According to a Steel Packing Council survey of 1997, 68% of chefs use canned tomatoes for convenience, quality and flavouring. It hasn't changed much since.

Tomatoes - world's most popular fruit.

A fruit is the edible part of the plant that contains the seeds, while a vegetable is the edible stems, leaves, and roots of the plant.

Cooked tomatoes have higher concentrations of lycopene than non-cooked tomatoes.

Don't store ripe tomatoes in the fridge. Cold temperatures lessen the flavour in tomatoes.

(http://www.didyouknow.cd/tomatoes.htm)

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