WELCOME TOMATOES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 139, 20 February 1942, Page 22

WELCOME TOMATOES

OMATOES (originally called Love-Apples!) are always most warmly welcomed by the housewife, when they make their appearance on the markets each year; and no wonder, for they provide so many different dishes, from cocktails and soups and savouries, to sweets and preserves, not forgetting the ever-popular and refreshing tomato sandwich. Moreover, tomatoes need no apology, for they are rich in vitamins. Talking of tomato sandwiches, have you tried meking these with the addition of 4

little chopped mint or parsley, and a pinch of sugar, sprinkled over the tomato? Another idea is to sprinkle a little chopped ginger over the tomato, with a pinch of salt. Do not grudge the few minutes necessary to remove the skins from the tomatoes when making sandwiches, It does make them so much more pleasant to eat. Just pour some boiling water over them in a basin, and leave for a few minutes, when the skins will peel off without any trouble. Some people dip them into cold water after taking out of the hot, and find the job made even easier. Tomatc Fish Cups Scoop out the centre of some large firm tomatoes. Mix this pulp with cold cooked fish, flaked finely, and some breadcrumbs, and bind the mixture with a beaten egg. A little chopped parsley can always be added with advantage to any stuffing. Fill the tomato cups with this mixture, piling plenty in, and press a piece of butter into the middle of each. Arrange them in a buttered casserole, cover each one with a rasher of bacon, and cook in a moderate oven till all is nicely done, and the bacon crisp. Greek Tomato Sauce This is to serve with grilled chops, or steak, or sausages. Its distinctive

flavour lies in the variety of herbs used. We probably shall not be able to get them all, but must just use what is available. Take 2 lbs. of tomatoes, wipe them with a cloth, cut them up, and put in a saucepan with half a teacup of water, a clove of garlic, a little salt, 4 cloves, and half a dozen peppercorns, a bay leaf, a sprig or two of parsley, thyme, and other fresh herbs as procurable, such as marjoram, and chervil. Bring to the boil, and simmer gently till the sauce is well flavoured. Pass it through a sieve. Then heat an ounce of butter, stir intc it a tablespoon of flour, add the tomato puree, and cook for a few minutes. Greek Stuffed Tomatoes There is nothing very unusual about these, except that the meat used in the stuffing is specially cooked for the purpose, and is not a "left-over." Cut off the tops of the tomatoes, scoop out, and sprinkle in gq little pepper and salt, and add either a few drops of oil, or a little piece of butter. Put them in a hot oven for a few minutes, before stuffing. To make the filling, mince finely some uncooked lamb, and onion, and fry it lightly in oil or butter. Put the fried meat and onion in a basin, stir in a very little cooked rice, and some finely chopped mint, moisten with a little stock, and white wine, to make a puree. Fill tomatoes, dust over with grated cheese, dot with butter, and bake till nicely brown, (The wine is optional.)

Eggs Baked in Tomatoes Choose fairly large tomatoes. Cut off the tops, and scoop out some of the pulp. Shake a little pepper and salt into each cavity, and then carefully break in an egg into it. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a buttered dish, until the egg is set, and the tomato cooked. Serve on slices of fried bacon, or fried bread, or buttered toast. Pour over each a little sauce made by heating up the scooped out tomato with a little butter, and seasoning with pepper and salt. Tomato Cream Toast Make a good white sauce by melting in a little pan 2 tablespoons of butter, stirring in 2 tablespoons of flour, and then gradually adding a cupful of milk, and a seasoning of salt. Cook (in a double saucepan if possible) till smooth and creamy. In another little pan, stew 2 or 3 skinned cut-up tomatoes in a little butter; when boiling, add a pinch of baking soda. When it has stopped frothing, add the hot tomato to the hot white sauce, and blend nicely. Pour it immediately over slices of hot buttered toast, and serve. Tomato Savoury Dish This is excellent. Butter a casserole fairly thickly, sides as well as bottom, and cover with fresh breadcrumbs. Then put a layer of sliced tomatoes, cover with a layer of sliced apples, and then a good sprinkling of grated onion, Season with pepper and salt to taste. Repeat the three layers until the dish is full, finishing with a layer of tomatoes. Cover all with a generous layer of breadcrumbs, and dot with several small pieces of butter. Bake in a moderate oven about an hour. As a variation, thin slices of cheese may be used to form one layer in the middle of the dish. Tomato Cream This is another savoury spread for biscuits or sandwiches. Peel Ibs. tomatoes. Pare, core, and quarter 1 lb. of apples Place tomatoes and apples in a preserving pan, and let them cook very slowly for an hour. Remove from the fire, and let it stand overnight. Next day, add 2 Ibs. of sugar, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon salt, a tablespoon of fresh onion juice, and Y% teaspoon ginger. Cook till the cream is as thick as apple sauce. Watch carefully that it does not burn. Pour into small glasses and seal while hot. Tomato Cream with Gelatine One teacup tomato puree; % oz. gelatine; 2 tablespoons grated cheese; pinch of salt; 1 teacup slightly whipped cream; a little fresh onion juice. Make puree by heating tomatoes in oven, with little or no water, and rubbing (Continued on next page)

(Continued from previous page) through a fine sieve. There should be a teacupful of puree, not too thin. Add the gelatine, and stir over the fire till dissolved, and set aside to cool. Then add the grated cheese, the salt, and onion juice, and lastly the cream. Set in a flat: dish, and cut into thin slices; or set in tiny moulds; and serve on plain crisp biscuits, buttered, and sprinkled with chopped parsley. : Tomato Dumpling Cut a slice off the stalk end of the tomatoes, scoop out the centre, Mix together equal parts of grated cheese and cooked macaroni, pepper and salt to taste, and add the scooped out tomato pulp. Fill the tomatoes with this. Cut squares of short pastry, sit each tomato in the middle of one piece, and cover up, pinching the pastry to keep it together. Bake about 40 minutes, in a fairly hot oven. (Recipes for bottling and preserving tomatoes, for making sauce and chutney, and jam, will be given on this page next week.)