September 27, 2016 - Cherry Tomatoes - Radio Kitchen
All this wonderful weather has been welcome in the farm fields of Maryland. Much to our delight, tomatoes are still coming in, and that is very good news. While full-sized tomatoes get most of our attention, we should not forget the little guys. As Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, the little guys will be around a lot longer than the full sized tomatoes, which are approaching the end of their season.
Cherry Tomatoes
Here are some varieties available at the farmers market:
- Gardener's Gourmet has Black Prince, a smallish dark tomato
- Thanksgiving Farm has Matt's Wild Cherry tomato, very small and very sweet
- Glenville Hollow Farms has the pear shaped Mint Julep
One Straw Farm has the "Artisan Blend" with Black Cherry (round and dark), Sun Gold (medium gold), Blush (an oblong greenish gold), Sunrise Bumblebee (stripey round, that comes in red, pink and purple) andLucky Tiger (an oblong stripey red)
And what can you do with these little tomatoes? Here are some ideas.
-The obvious: mixed cherry tomato salad... the more varieties the better.
Toss lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Cherry tomato soup, spicy and creamy. Garnish with quartered cherry tomatoes.
-Stuffed cherry tomatoes, (use a large variety, stuff with cream cheese and herb
blend.)
-Home made pizza with cherry tomatoes, bacon and onions.
-Part of a shish kebab or other skewered dish.
- Use a few different varieties to make a colorful salsa or chutney.
- Slow cooked oven-roasted cherry tomatoes: working with at least two pounds of cherry tomatoes...cut in half, place face up in a single layer on a non-stick cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
-Cook at lowest oven setting for two hours. Place in a sauce pan and with a wooden spoon, mash into a paste. Freeze the paste or use immediately in a tomato sauce.
-A variation is to oven-dry them: arrange on a parchment sheet, cut side up, bake slowly for 6 hours at lowest oven setting. When they are dried, they can be used immediately (especially as hors d'oeuvres) or frozen.
