MORE PLEASE - TOMATOES
Creamed Datterini Orzo, Tomato-cured Bream and Pomodori al Riso - tomatoes stuffed with rice.
Hi lovely More Please subscribers! OK let’s be honest the weather has been DIRE. And all my normal June treats / cravings like Melon Dinner and litres of gazpacho verde just haven’t felt right or necessary. But, even so, it is now tomato season. And despite the endless sharp showers and low temperatures, I am still ready to celebrate them, albeit with a slightly more wintry approach than I was expecting.
For the next few months, both British tomatoes and ones imported from abroad will be at their spanking, juicy best and I couldn’t be more excited. An MVP in summer cooking both as a headliner or backup dancer, tomatoes just make cooking easier. I know that if I have a large bowl of them ready to go in the house, then I’ve got tonnes of options for quick and delicious dishes that satisfy without too much work.
Tomatoes contain plenty of sugar and acid, making their flesh and juice great in brines or cures. The most bright and fresh of our dishes today is my Tomato-cured Bream with Jalapeño and Tarragon, which sits somewhere between a ceviche and a carpaccio. The squeezed juice of some big vine tomatoes, combined with lemon juice and zest and plenty of salt makes a divine marinade for raw fish, and an absolutely drinkable dressing. In fact if you were to make the marinade, mix it with a bit of vodka and a splash of vermouth, then you would have a stunning Tomatini too.
Pomodori al Riso aka Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice are such a luxurious, easy and comforting vegan main. The rice soaks up the juice and fragrance of the tomato flesh, as do the waxy potatoes beneath it. This is hearty, old fashioned Italian vegetable (I know a tomato is technically a fruit but just go with me here) cookery at it’s best - using the whole thing to make so much more than the sum of its parts.
And finally, speaking of Italian, it would be remiss of me to do a tomato episode without a pasta in there. I actually prefer using fresh tomatoes in my pasta sauces on the whole where possible, simply because they are sweeter and quicker to cook. Sicilian datterini tomatoes are little cherry bombs of joy, utterly soaked in tomato flavour. In my Creamed Datterini Orzo they are the base of a delectable and speedy sauce ( it’s ready in 15 minutes), perfect with a small pasta like orzo. It’s soothing summer food for days when the sun won’t come out.
Before we start, it’s worth having a look over
latest post about Tomato Salads because it’s glorious. Also worth noting are a few of my favourite tomato recipes from the archive, linked below.FENNEL, TOMATO AND ANCHOVY GRATIN
MARINATED TOMATOES, FRESHWATER PRAWNS AND CRÈME FRAICHE
TOMATOES, ANCHOVIES, GOATS CHEESE AND SAGE OIL
TOMATO AND LAPSANG SOUCHON SALAD BY ALEXINA ANATOLE
TOMATO RISOTTO WITH BASIL AND CAPER SALSA
CAVATELLI WITH ROASTED TOMATOES, MASCARPONE AND MINT
CREAMED DATTERINI ORZO
This is one of those recipes where you feel a bit like you’ve cheated at cooking.You’ve made something so scrumptious, so quickly and easily, that it feels a bit too good to be true.