Readers respond to my call for tomato recipes

Love our readers! You guys came through with some wonderful recipes and ideas on how to use up all of my organic tomatoes. My tomato plant has been so good to me this season that I’m barely able to keep up. Can’t seem to get your tomato plant to produce? Read my 9 tips for growing tomatoes.

I’m so excited about trying out your suggestions! Here’s what some readers said I should make with my bounty…

I’m making Dan’s recipe this weekend. It sounds delish. He wrote:

Try Matbucha, a Moroccan appetizer-salad dish, a rival to hummus and babaganush.

2 lbs tomatoes
1 lb red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, quartered
3 dried chilies (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons hot paprika
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Place bell peppers on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven at 350°F until the skins have browned.
2. Submerge tomatoes in boiling hot water for 10 minutes or until the skin falls off.
3. Cut tomatoes in half and squeeze out the juice and seeds.
4. Cut tomatoes in chunks.
5. Peel the skin from the bell peppers and remove the seeds and stem.
6. Cut bell peppers in chunks.
7. Add all ingredients to a soup pot and pour oil over top.
8. Bring contents to a boil, then turn down to a medium heat.
9. Cook covered for 2 hours.
10. Remove cover and cook uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated. 11 Stir occasionally to prevent burning. 12 Refrigerate and serve cold.

EllieD suggested I use the ugly ducklings to make tomato sauce. Here’s how she makes hers:

@Yazmin ~ I love having my own fresh tomato sauce to use in the winter time when tomatoes are at their worst in the markets. I keep it simple: Peel the tomatoes, if desired, but it’s not necessary. Do core them, however. Cut into chunks, and put in a large pot. Cook over a low/medium flame until the tomatoes have cooked down to a very soft consistency and a vibrant red color. You can either puree them with an immersion blender (what Emeril calls a boat motor), or leave them chunky. Put into freezer bags in the amount desired, and freeze them ’til needed. Using freezer bags for storage takes up less room in the freezer, and they can be put into that odd shaped space that’s too small for anything else. BTW ~ I do not add salt or any other seasonings, as I add what’s needed when I prepare a dish later.

I learned something new from Cassidy. It might just be time to start looking for a food dehydrator.

What I LOVE to do when I have too many tomatoes is to dehydrate them. I usually end up adding them to pasta dishes and even to salads. Dehydrated they keep, and the taste is so much more vibrant.

BruceB shared his favorite appetizer.

One of our favorite appetizers is a simple slice of tomato, slices of cucumber, some ground parsley, and salt. Let rest for a few minutes, then serve. Even the kids love it!

Julie’s suggestion is so practical. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.

When my tomatoes get ahead of me, I fill up a freezer bag full. and place them in the freezer, whole and washed. In the middle of the winter, thaw. Peels come right off and simmer for a delicious tomato sauce. It makes the house smell delicious and the winter not so cold and dreary.

Thanks to all the readers who left a suggestion! If you have more ideas on what to do with tomatoes, please do share them in the comments.

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