Tomatoes—or Love Apples

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 761, 19 February 1954, Page 22

Tomatoes—or Love Apples

M told that in sunny Provence thé tomato is called pomme d’amour (Love Apple). It has even been said that this was the ‘kind of apple with which Adam ‘tempted Eve! At any rate, tomatoes aré no longer an "acquifed taste" as they were 50 years ago, but. are almost universally popular and grown in almost every garden. Everybody knows dozens of ways of using fresh tomatoes -in salads fried, grilled, stuffed and baked, in ofelettes and itt egg dishes, and in sotip. Théy have no rival. They are also easy to bottle and to make into sauce, ketchup and chuthéy. Bottling Tomatoes The tomatoes must be sound and firm -without cracks or blemishes. They may be done in the oven or in a water-bath. Always allow longer sterilising time for tomatoes and pears than for other fruits. Tomatoes may be pricked with a darning heedle td minimise bursting. In Oven Pack evén-sized tomatoes in jars. Cover loosely with a tin lid or patty pan, and put on low shelf. Cook on regulo 1 or 259 dégrees for about 114 hours, till skin is wrinkled but not burst. If shrunken down in jars, fill up from one of them and return to oven for a few minutes, Then take out one at a time, overflow with boiling water (which may be slightly salted and sweetened, in the proportion of a teaspoon each of sugar and salt to a quart), and seal each one immediately. Stand on wooden surface and not in a draught. In Water-bath Retiéve skins by dipping in boiling water, then cold water. Pack raw; leave l% inch head room; add a teaspoon of salt to each quart jar, cover with hot water; séal, lower into hot water-bath carefully, bring back to boil quickly and sterilise for 45 minutes, counting from the time the water boiled again. | Easy Water-bath Way Fill jars to % inch from top with tomatoés, cover with boiled and cooled water, put on the seal you prefer, and placé in steriliser of cold water. Bring slowly to boiling point, taking 112 hours to do so. Kéep at sitimering point for 30 minutes, then remove jars and stand out of draught on a wooden surface. A teaspoon each of salt and sugar may be put into each quart jar before adding the water. Tomato Puree It is wise to use 1 Ib: jars for this, so that all is used at once. To 4 Ib. tomatoes allow 2 teaspoons salt and a few peppercorns, an onion and a stick of celery-both cut up may either be added now or when the puree is being used latér. Wash the tomatoes, cut up, and put in pan with only about a tablespoon of water to prevent sticking. Cook till soft and reduced to about half original bulk; then rub through coarse straitier. Return to saucepan, bring back to boiling nt, afd fill at once into hot, sterili jars or bottlés, sealing each one immédiatély. It is safest to place the jars at once in a waiting hot water-bath, and process at boiling point for 10 minutes. Safe and Sure A well-known bottling outfit from Australia, on the market here, is sold

with its own book of directions, which advocates the resterilising (after 24 hours to 48 hours)

of tomatoes, peas and beans. Whole and Firm To kéep tomatoes whole and firm, fot winter use in sandwiches and _ salads, make a solution of 2% oz. calcitim chloride in ore pint of water, and use a teaspoon of that solution to every quart jar instead of salt when covering with water before -processinig in watérbath, Tomato Juice In this recipe you make both tomato juice and puree in one operation. Select firm but ripe tomatoes, cut into halves or pieces, season with salt and pepper, or not, as desired, and place in shallow pans in a moderate oven; cook till very soft and pulpv. Then place a piece of el lh te a ee i eee eee ee

buiter muslin ovér a colandér or siéve, pour in the tomatoes and allow the liquid to drain into a basin. Season this juicé t6 taste, bring to the boil for a few minutes, pour into hot stérilised bott'es to overfiowing poin' and sea! immediately. Tip the left-over pulp into a siéve and rub it through with a wooden spoor. leaving ofily the skin and seeds. Then bring this pulp slowly to the boil, allow to boil for 5 or 6 mituteés, fill into heated sterilised jars and. séal each one immediately as it is filled. Tomato Cocktail Three cups tomato-juice, juice of a large lemon, a little finely-grated rind, 2 teaspoons sugar, pinch of cayenne. 1 dessertspoon Worcester sauce if liked. Allow to stand for half ari hour. Chill thoroughly, shake well, and strain. Orange juice may be substituted for lefion, of a little of both used. Stuffings for Tomatoes Here is a substan‘ial stuffing. Cut a thickish slice off stem end, and scoop out nearly all the pulp. Season the inside with pepper and salt to taste. Mix the scooped out.pulp with finely-chopped chives of spring onions, celery (a very nice addition), parsley and mint, all bound together with a little of your favouriteé mayonnaise. Pile plenty of this into each tomato, and then place crosswise on top 4 strips of cheese, or sardines, or a hard-boiled egg cut into 4 longways. Stand each filled tomato in a erisp let‘uce leaf (or two) and surround with slices of cucumber and cold new potato, Serve with mayonnaise. Cut off top of tomato as in previous recipe, scoop out half the pulp. Dust the inside with pepper and salt to taste and

fill with chopped or grated cucumber. Mix the.scéoped-out pulp with mayonnaise and pile on top. Serve on crisp lettuce cups ‘with cold ‘green peas heaped around. Scoop out half the pulp as before, and season the hollow; fill with cream cheese flavoured with chopped chives or spring onions. Top with the scooped out pulp, either plain or mixed with mayonnaise.