What to Do If You Inevitably Buy Cheesy Tomatoes
Now is not tomato season. I know this in both my brain and my heart, but I refuse to act accordingly. Even though I know perfectly well , even though I’ve only felt unpleasantly warm twice in the entire year, I still succumbed (just yesterday) to the siren song of a purple, lumpy, beautifully heavy heirloom.
It was, as you might expect, not very good. It wasn’t the worst tomato I’ve ever eaten, but it didn’t come close to the sweet and meaty glory of high season freshly picked tomatoes. You might think that this taught me an important lesson, but I just refuse to learn this lesson, and I know I will buy at least one, if not several, substandard, not quite seasonal tomatoes, because this is what I do every once. year during tomato season (Tomato Teason?).
I don’t know why I’m like this. Maybe it’s because I love being disappointed, or maybe because I really don’t believe I deserve to be happy, but the reason doesn’t really matter. What matters is that I know this is going to happen and that I have strategies for dealing with tasteless love apples.
If they are watery and taste like cardboard
If you are dealing with a fruit that only in appearance resembles a tomato, it will take a lot of manipulation to make it a pleasant experience to eat. Heat is your strongest ally here, as cooking them removes water, concentrates their aroma, and – if you apply enough heat – induces a range of aromatic compounds through the Maillard reaction.
If you have a ton (or about five pounds) of disappointing tomatoes, just toss them – washed but whole – into the pressure cooker for three minutes with a cup of wine and a couple of pinches of salt. Put the shredded tomatoes through a food mill, then simmer or simmer (leave the lid on) until it turns into a sweet and vibrant sauce, then cure as needed .
If you only have two pounds of tomatoes with really mealy sadness, consider sautéing them with garlic before mixing them with Italian sausage for something more filling. If you don’t like the pasta (never felt this kind of emotion), bake them with the peppers for a spicy, bright salsa.
If they’re just dim
Like the heirloom I ate last night, not all the tomatoes available now are really terrible. Some of them just need a little help, and while you can’t make your way to natural perfect tomatoes, you can season and / or (gently) heat your way up to a sweeter, more intensely flavored version of the not impressive one.
As a seasoning, I like the three-way approach: sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate . The first two add flavor, but they also wick moisture away, while the latter brings in a little umami that might be missing. Simply sprinkle one or two slices with table sugar and sodium chloride, let them hang on the wire rack for about 10 minutes to remove some of the water from the solutes, then add a little of each, plus a pinch of MSG again.
You can also choose the low and slow, very lazy path and leave the soft tomatoes in the hot (but not turned on) oven overnight, Nigella style , for juicy, sweet and flavorful gems that are much better than their old watery selves. … Will you be so happy that you forget about the perfect summer tomatoes? No. But you will forgive yourself for making a mistake when buying, and then make the same mistake again.