TASTY TOMATO DISHES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 96, 24 April 1941, Page 52

TASTY TOMATO DISHES

E all like to make the most of the tomato season, for tomatoes can be used in so many tasty ways, and do brighten up the menu so well. Not only in salads and sandwiches are they a boon and a blessing, but they make sO many savoury dishes. First let me give you a couple of recipes which were sent over to me last June from Los Angeles. Tomato Crumb Omelet Three slices of white bread, 4% cup of warm milk or water, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, % teaspoon pepper. Crumb the bread and let it stand in the liquid for ten minutes. Separate the egg whites and yolks, and beat the yolks light with

the seasonings. Add to the crumb mixture, and fold in the egg whites beaten stiff. Melt the butter in a medium-sized frying pan; turn in the omelet and cook gently until browned. Set it in the oven for a moment to firm the top, spread with a cupful of hot, thick, stewed tomatoes, fold at right angles to the handle, and turn out. Pour extra tomatoes around it. Tomato Gravy Pour off the excess fat from the roasting pan, leaving about three tablespoonfuls, and the brown drippings. Stir in four tablespoons of flour, and gradually stir in two cups of hot tomato juice. Cock and stir until boiling hard. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add a little meat extract if desired. Now for four easy Scottish recipes: Tomato Cakes Half a pint of sieved tomatoes, 1 breakfast cup of well boiled rice, 1 breakfast cup of breadcrumbs, 3 teaspoons of grated onion, 1 teaspoon of powdered herbs, salt, pepper, 1 egg, and some fat to fry. Mix the rice with all the other ingredients. Be careful with the seasoning. Mix very thoroughly, leave to stand half an hour to swell the crumbs. Make the mixture into small cakes, roll in dried breadcrumbs. Brush the cakes over with egg, coat a second _- with crumbs, fry and serve very ot. Tomato Lentil Souffle Two ounces of lentils, 1 onion, 2 tomatoes, 1 teaspoonful ketchup, pinch of salt, 42 pint of water, and 1 or 2 eggs. Put lentils, onion and water into a small pan, and cook until soft. Remove the skin of the tomatoes, press through a seive, put into the pan. Allow the mixture to cool. Beat up the egg, yolk and white separately; when cold add the yolk, Beat thoroughly, fold in the white, and bake thirty to forty minutes. Tomatoes and Onions au Gratin Four large onions, 6 tomatoes, fine browned breadcrumbs, a little butter, pepper and salt. Boil the onions tili soft, then slice, wipe and slice the tomatoes. Arrange in layers in a fireproof dish with fine browned breadcrumbs, and a little butter, salt and plenty of pepper between, and over. Moisten with a little stock. Bake in hottish oven untii hot throughout, and brown on the top. Tomatoes Stuffed Four tomatoes, 3 large tablespoonfuls of breadcrumbs, loz, lean cold ham, 2 mushrooms, a tiny piece of chopped onion, 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley, pepper and salt, and a few breadcrumbs. Cut the top off the tomatoes and take out the pulp with a spoon. Put the pulp through a fine seive. Chop ham, onions, parsley, mushrooms (if using them) very finely. Mix all the ingredients with the pulp. Season well, Fill the tomatoes with

the mixture. Put in a greased baking tin. Put a few brown crumbs on top of each, also a tiny piece of butter. Cover with a greased paper and bake in a moderate oven twenty minutes. Tomato Soup Three pounds of tomatoes, 2lb. or 1141b. of onions, a small lump of butter, parsley, 1% teaspoon of carbonate of soda, and 1% pint of milk. Cut up onions, cover with water and boil till soft. When cooked add the cut-up tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes longer, then add carbonate of soda and boil just a couple of minutes longer. Then strain through a colander to catch the liquid and pulp. Add the 14 pint of milk and small piece of butter, and chopped parsley. Thicken with arrowroot or cornflour mixed with a little milk. This is delicious. Here are two recipes from our "Old Bachelor": Eggs in Tomatoes Skin some nice large tomatoes, and cut the tops off. Scoop out the pulp, and sprinkle with a little salt, and a suspicion of sugar. Put a dessertspoon of grated cheese in each, and place them in a baking dish in a hot oven for about ten minutes. Then break an egg into each tomato, dot with butter, and return to the oven till the white has set. Serve them on rounds of well-buttered toast, and a little fish in white sauce, and slices of cucumber round each. Suitable either as a luncheon or breakfast dish. Tomatoes with Rice Boil 4% cup of good rice for twenty minutes, with a little salt, put into a colander, and place under running water in order to separate the grains. Meanwhile chop up a large onion and fry it in butter until a golden brown. Now add the rice and % cup of stock or gravy, 42 cup cooked ham, and ¥% cup ox tongue cut up very finely, and lastly 30z. grated cheese. Do not mince the meat, as it rather spoils the appearance. Cut six large tomatoes in halves, scoop out the pulp and partly cook them in the oven. Fill the prepared rice mixture into these, cover with tomato sauce, and return to the oven for about fifteen minutes, or until the tomatoes are cooked. Serve at once. Tomato Rarebit Half a cup of soft breadcrumbs, ¥4Ib. grated cheese, 1 cup strained tomatoes, 14% teaspoon salt, ¥g teaspoon pepper, toast or crackers. Place all together in a saucepan, cook until smooth, stirring constantly and serve at once on hot toasted bread. Tomato Salad Six tomatoes, 1 cupful of salad dresse. ing, red pepper, and a head of lettuce. Select tomatoes of good shape and colour. Cut three thin slices off the top of each tomato, and place on a salad plate. Cover the centre of the slices and top of tomato with mayonnaise, garnished with red pepper. Serve on lettuce. If desired, fill the centre of the (Continued on next page) ‘

(Continued from previous page) tomato with equal parts of pineapple and celery mixed with mayonnaise. Serve on individual salad plates. This recipe serves six people — one tomato for each person, Tomato Baskets Take as many sound tomatoes as are required, scoop out most of the centres, keeping them as neat as possible. Mince or chop a large eating-apple and a stick of celery, then fill the tomatoes with this. Pour over them a good salad dressing. Make a handle of a stick of angelica and serve each tomato on a leaf of lettuce. ' Kentish Stuffed Tomatoes Six tomatoes, 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 tablespoon of chopped cucumber, 2 boiled potatoes, 2 tablespoons of cooked peas, 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. Wipe tie tomatoes and remove the tops. Scoop out the pulp. Cut the potatoes into dice, mince up the egg and mix with the peas, cucumber, and mayon-

naise. Pile up in tomato cups. Arrange in entree dish, lined with a green salad. Decorate each with a cross of pimento, or with minced ham or tongue. Tomato Cup Salad Six tomatoes, 1 cupful diced cucumber, % cupful chopped green peppers, 1% cupful of sliced radishes, 1 tablespoon chopped onion, 1 teaspoon salt, % teaspoon paprika, 6 tablespoons salad dressing. Wash cold, firm tomatoes of a uniform size. Cut a slice from the stem end, and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Save the pulp. Sprinkle the inside with salt. Invert for five minutes. Mix the cucumber, green pepper, radishes, onion, tomato pulp, paprika, and salad dressing. Fill with the mixture and refill the shells. Have all the ingredients cold, and serve at once. If the mixture stands in the tomato cups very long, it becomes watery. The tomatoes may be prepared and kept cool, and the mixture prepared, all but the onion, and placed in the ice chest until ready for use. Never put anything containing onion in the ice chest. Serve the tomatoes on crisp lettuce leaves. In all cases where the pulp is scooped out from the tomato, this pulp may be incorporated in the filling, and not wasted.