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Make Off-Season Tomatoes Taste Better
Stephen Gibbs, executive chef of Hands On Gourmet, a team-building cooking event company based in San Francisco, shares a tip for how to bring out great, summery tomato flavor even in the dark of winter.
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We enjoy roasted vegetables -- buy on sale, wash, chop and slow roast for a Roasted Vegetable Salad. And anything to make the vegetables taste better or last longer (even those we grow in our own garden), I'm all for it.
When we slow roast anything, we load the oven up. After all, if it's going to be on for a couple of hours, may as well put it to good use. While "hog" showed one tray in an...+READ
We enjoy roasted vegetables -- buy on sale, wash, chop and slow roast for a Roasted Vegetable Salad. And anything to make the vegetables taste better or last longer (even those we grow in our own garden), I'm all for it.
When we slow roast anything, we load the oven up. After all, if it's going to be on for a couple of hours, may as well put it to good use. While "hog" showed one tray in an otherwise empty oven, he was just making a presentation, so no piling on from me.
The question I have after reading this thread -- apologies if I missed it, but -- how long can those roasted tomatoes be stored and how would you store them? Do they freeze well? -- Thanks-COLLAPSE
i will say thanks for the tip to Hog , for the following reasons,
1. Where I live in Montreal , Canada: local is damm expensive and unavailable most of the time, unless one drives miles.
2. I buy stuff on sale, hence the tomatoes may not be the perfect, off the vine today- versions. This will help me contribute to buy less canned tomatoes, AND be able to enjoy tomatoey food- without salivating...+READ
i will say thanks for the tip to Hog , for the following reasons,
1. Where I live in Montreal , Canada: local is damm expensive and unavailable most of the time, unless one drives miles.
2. I buy stuff on sale, hence the tomatoes may not be the perfect, off the vine today- versions. This will help me contribute to buy less canned tomatoes, AND be able to enjoy tomatoey food- without salivating over San Marazano tomatoes, and not being able to buy them.-COLLAPSE
this was a great tip. I had an heirloom tomato that was becoming mealy in my fridge (yeah i know you're not supposed to refrigerate tomatoes, but I was going out of town suddenly, and wanted to enjoy it when i got back...) It was definitely too mealy to eat raw, but baking it totally saved it!!
Well, when you live in the NYC area, none of the food is local, so this tip is huge. Most of the food in the NYC area has more frequently flier miles than I do.
It puzzles me somewhat that so many of these "comment threads" devolve into nothing more than b*tchfests. If this is truly a site for hardcore foodies then we should be embracing the tips and menu suggestions, and looking for ways to incorporate them onto our table to entertain our taste buds, not dump all over the people who take the time to post.
yummy. I like the idea of carmelized the onions with the tomatoes. Onion confit? during this winter break I put together winter tomatoes, (that actually ripen up in my garage here in Calgary from a blush pink). with layers of eggplant and zucchini. Some olive oii, fresh bread crumbs, an parmesan shavings. Great dish, serve warm or at room temp. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. A...+READ
yummy. I like the idea of carmelized the onions with the tomatoes. Onion confit? during this winter break I put together winter tomatoes, (that actually ripen up in my garage here in Calgary from a blush pink). with layers of eggplant and zucchini. Some olive oii, fresh bread crumbs, an parmesan shavings. Great dish, serve warm or at room temp. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. A mandoline works perfectly for making the vegetables nice and thin.
But the tomatoes need to be thick.
Thanks Hog for the reminder of great fresh food another way.-COLLAPSE
Speaking of back on track, I tried this a few days and it turned out great! I used a little coarse ground pepper and kosher salt and I had no complaints. It wasn't until afterwards, I had the bright idea to use some fresh basil I I have growing in the next room. Thanks hog, this was AWESOME, I used the tomatoes to make a sauce for meatballs, now I want to use them for every tomato based sauce I...+READ
Speaking of back on track, I tried this a few days and it turned out great! I used a little coarse ground pepper and kosher salt and I had no complaints. It wasn't until afterwards, I had the bright idea to use some fresh basil I I have growing in the next room. Thanks hog, this was AWESOME, I used the tomatoes to make a sauce for meatballs, now I want to use them for every tomato based sauce I normally make!-COLLAPSE
ok- lets back on track here.. I'm not sure how oven roasting a late harvest local tomato led to dialogue about childhood obesity and selfishness. The bus took a wrong turn in Kalamazoo.
This was shot in late September. The tomatoes were not gassed, mealy or raised in a lab. Next topic please.
nobody is mandating anything. but i can't help but to feel continually amazed and frankly galled when encountering fellow americans who behave as though our actions have no consequences or that, like children, we should feel entitled to gorge ourselves with our own short-sighted desire. i think this is why we are so fat.
i grew up in ca and i never had a problem not eating tomatoes in january....+READ
nobody is mandating anything. but i can't help but to feel continually amazed and frankly galled when encountering fellow americans who behave as though our actions have no consequences or that, like children, we should feel entitled to gorge ourselves with our own short-sighted desire. i think this is why we are so fat.
i grew up in ca and i never had a problem not eating tomatoes in january. my mother, who wasn't some "ecologist," didn't go to college and has practically no awareness of these issues just used her common sense. when i was little, she'd ask me why i would want to eat that stuff if it wasn't good and then pay more money for it on top of that? she'd tell me to just wait.
growing up, i just accepted that watermelon was for summer and tomatoes were for summer and fall. as an adult, i look forward to every spring and summer when i can buy strawberries that taste good. same for white peaches. at this time of year, i look forward eating butternut squash soup and cauliflower and brussel sprouts and persimmons.
and the idea that somehow we're destroying the environment by processing tomatoes, even organic ones, so why not eat gassed up, flavorless, overpriced, gmo'd, mealy tomatoes, is defeatist, nonsensical pretzel logic.
btw, traditionally, people have dried and canned tomatoes when they are at their peak, in the fall and summer, to make during the winter and early spring months so they could have that burst of sunshine in the dreary months.
i just don't the deprivation that people feel over these things.-COLLAPSE
Hog here again.. yes debmon and suzie those are indeed onions on the sheet pan along side the tomatoes. I had so much that I wanted to talk about while shooting the tip. One of which was concentrating sugars from other veggies like the well known caramelized onion. And if you threw the onions and the tomatoes along with a shot of sherry vinegar in a blender you'd have some darn good sauce for...+READ
Hog here again.. yes debmon and suzie those are indeed onions on the sheet pan along side the tomatoes. I had so much that I wanted to talk about while shooting the tip. One of which was concentrating sugars from other veggies like the well known caramelized onion. And if you threw the onions and the tomatoes along with a shot of sherry vinegar in a blender you'd have some darn good sauce for multiple applications.
Thanks kenwritez for the comment.. I guess at the end of the day my mission/message is simply for people to get away from packaged foods. For some reason we skipped ijand k and went right to Z.. macdonalds to sustainable.. how about feeling good when you come home and roast a chicken, braise some root veggies and take the time to eat over conversation...step ! ! if the focus is on community and happiness through eating then the rest will fall into place.-COLLAPSE
Excellent tip, hog! Thank you from the bottom of my produce basket.
How well does this roasting process work for other veg? Are there any veg that don't do well with oven roasting?
As for the "eat seasonally" crowd? Sometimes you want tomato sauce in January, then what do you do? All the arguments against transported tomatoes can be made against canned tomatoes (energy footprint, etc.) and...+READ
Excellent tip, hog! Thank you from the bottom of my produce basket.
How well does this roasting process work for other veg? Are there any veg that don't do well with oven roasting?
As for the "eat seasonally" crowd? Sometimes you want tomato sauce in January, then what do you do? All the arguments against transported tomatoes can be made against canned tomatoes (energy footprint, etc.) and in spades.
I dislike anyone telling me how I should eat or preach about the ecological correctness of my dinner. As a wag put it, "I didn't claw my way to the top of the food chain to eat nuts and berries."-COLLAPSE
looks good! But whats with the onions? Come back hog!!
Wow! good feedback! I'm the fellow who did the tip. I hear you clearly and tonicart, all good points... Although It's not intended to dissuade folks from seasonal local produce, rather give advice on how to concentrate the flavors of an under ripe tomato. We shot this in early fall when the last of the local tomatoes were being sold.. sure, I'd much prefer sweet local tomatoes with sea salt and...+READ
Wow! good feedback! I'm the fellow who did the tip. I hear you clearly and tonicart, all good points... Although It's not intended to dissuade folks from seasonal local produce, rather give advice on how to concentrate the flavors of an under ripe tomato. We shot this in early fall when the last of the local tomatoes were being sold.. sure, I'd much prefer sweet local tomatoes with sea salt and good oil but we're talking about cooked applications that is applicable for year round dishes.. I guess I should have been more clear in my message. Lets say you're making a pasta sauce, sauce for an eggplant Parmesan, a tomato base for braising meat or for a nice tomato soup and melted Gruyere sandwich in winter. For me this is a best way to get depth, complexity and sweetness out of a tomato. Sure canned is good, but the foot print that that leaves(plant processing, raw materials AND shipping) would arguably be as big or bigger the stuff shipped in in crates.
anywho-like sandra said, It's just a tip.
happy cooking-COLLAPSE
Good Tip. I sometimes even roast fully ripe tomatoes from my garden and freeze for special dishes. ....and why do some people assume that tomatoes aren't local just because they might not be "local" in their particular area? We all have the option to make choices. This was, after all, offered as a "tip", not a mandate.
i totally get the whole eat locally thing, but this is also a tip for in season tomatoes
plus, you can probably make your oven multitask for those 3-4 hrs...any tips for other things to do with a 200 degree oven?
I'm with clearly, we should put more thought into eating locally rather than having whatever we want, whenever we want.
On top of that, you have to bake the off-season tomatoes for 3-4 hours? Add that to the tally of the energy it took to ship that tomato from warmer regions to your market. No thanks.
Were those onions on the baking sheet too??
how about learning how to eat seasonally so that you don't have to be concerned about coaxing the flavor out of tomatoes that are picked in december.
or, buy some good quality canned tomatoes.
and/or wait until the spring/summer/fall when better tasting tomatoes are in season.
I like roasting small ones over the propane grill in the winter. they definiteley get sweeter.
Cool, I will try it. Thanks. Sounds like a good way to deal with pink underripe winter tomatos