Tomato season is nearly passed here in the Southern United States, and we Southerners love our tomatoes (also pronounced “tuhMAYduhs) in everything from classic tomato sandwiches and fresh salsa, to cold tomato bisque or gazpacho. The prospect of the tomatoes being gone is a grim one, and not one I’m ready to face. So, what can be done about it? Plenty of things, if you know how to do them. Here are some great ways to preserve your tomatoes or prepare the ones you have on hand today.
Drying: Drying tomatoes is incredibly easy and rewarding. All you need is your oven and a little bit of patience to get great dried tomatoes. Plum and Roma tomatoes work most successfully with the oven technique. Slice the tomatoes in halves lengthwise. Place them cut side up on a baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees for 2 to 3 hours — until they look slightly parched, and shriveled around the edges. These can be used instead of sun dried tomatoes.
Grilling: Firm and large tomatoes, sliced about 1/2 inch thick can be brushed with olive oil. Cook on a heated grill on both sides until the edges turn brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Try using a mesh-style grill topper, since tomatoes tend to get really soft on the grill. Cherry tomatoes are perfect for grilled kebabs.
Pureeing: Puree large chunks of tomatoes in a blender or food processor. It doesn’t get any simpler than that!
Seeding: To get the seeds out of a tomato when some recipe calls for seeding, just scoop out the seeds with a small spoon.
Skinning: To get the skin or peel off a tomato, you need to plunge it into boiling water for 10 seconds, then let them cool. After the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, the skins slide off easily.
Those are some great tips for keeping tomato season year round.
