what to do with a fuckload of tomatoes

Tish and I went dumpster diving on Friday. I shall elect NOT to rant and rave about how depressing it was to see an abundance of wasted food chucked into dumpsters, nor shall I mention that it is a travesty that some shops lock their dumpsters so the food cannot be taken, that they would rather it wasted than consumed by those who cannot afford their produce.*

* I am aware that I can afford their produce and am considering taking the majority of what I find next time to charity. This was my first dumpster dive so more of an information seeking mission, a site visit if you will.

I shall instead tell you what I did with the wealth of fresh (fridge fresh!) roma tomatoes we found in Petersham. Four boxes we filled, FOUR BOXES.

I made:

SLOW ROASTED TOMATOES

Ingredients:
Roma Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Flavourings: I did 'Paprika and Tabasco' and 'Caramelised Balsamic' but world really is your oyster (or rather your tomato)

Preheat oven to 120 degrees celcius

1. Halve the tomatoes lengthways, as in the knife should slice through the little green core bit at the top where the tomato was attached to the plant - what's that called anyway?
(obviously WASH them first if they've been in a dumpster)
2. Cut out the 'core' - basically the middle bit and the seeds. You don't need to be to careful, just get the main middle section out!
3. Lay them on a tray on baking paper, skin side down.
4. Splash with a little olive oil (not too much) and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Now you could cook them now (as per instructions below) or you could add flavourful fun. Up to you.

5. For the brown sugar and balsamic, I just splashed and sprinkled the two on - not too much. Likewise with the paprika and tabasco. You could try herbs (used dried though - more flavour) or chilli or curry or anything. But nothing that will burn if cooked for a long time, like cheese or garlic.

6. Put tomatoes in the oven and cook very slowly, at 120 or even lower if you have a fan forced oven - 100 celcius perhaps.

7. Cook for about 3-4 hours, but watch them to make sure they don't burn and turn them over if the skin starts to char. I often then turn off the oven and leave them in it overnight, drying out til morning.

Eat!


OVEN ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE

Ingredients:
Roma Tomatoes
Garlic (about 1 garlic clove to every 5 tomatoes)
Olive Oil
Salt

1. Slice just the tops off the roma tomatoes (don't chop too much!) - by tops i mean just the bit where the tomato was joined to the vine.
2. Cut the garlic cloves into slivers lenthways (each clove into 4-5 pieces) and wedge the slivers into the top of the tomatoes til they are embedded (into the soft, seedy part in the centre)
3. Places the tomatoes in a casserole dish and splash liberally with olive oil (quite a lot, but not so they are swimming in the stuff!)
4. Sprinkle on salt
5. Slow roast at 120 degrees for 3 hours, do not let them char at all!
6. Blend til smooth, and then use as pasta sauce, pizza sauce, dipping sauce or on vegetables, in lasagne, on poached eggs etc etc. Change the flavour by adding herbs, balsamic vinegar, or whatever you like in sauce!

RANDOM FACT:
I played a tomato in a musical in second year uni. My first line was 'And I am a tomato.'