tomato glut and what to do with it
It is mid October and given the climate we had this year in the UK, this means that vegetable growers are harvesting tomatoes right now, hurrah!
If you have a glut of tomatoes, you can a) buy the tomato book and get recipes to make chutneys, salsas and ketchups or b) work with them as they ripen.
Below is a simple yet effective recipe that can be used for tomatoes that are ripening at various times, in other words ideal for tomato growers, it makes a delicious tomato sauce that a) takes no time and b) is absolutely delicious.
Heat up some olive oil in a frying pan, add a clove of pureed garlic –or two, and fry gently until aromatic, add some optional pimenton and stir, add some ripen or nearly ripen tomatoes, cut in half or in wedges depending on the size, season well with salt, pepper and add a little sugar, mash the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon whilst stirring, add some water so that you end up with a gloopy sauce. Add some roughly torn basil leaves. Add this tomato sauce to freshly cooked pasta and serve with parmesan shavings.This sauce tastes of heaven, it is fragrant and delicious, it will remind you of Italian holidays. Its simplicity and the flavour combinations are sublime, ideal for a mid-week meal.
some of the produce from our garden
Having said all of that, obviously you don’t have to grow tomatoes to enjoy this sauce… just buy some of the heaps of tomatoes available and give it a go, it is truly yum!