Pikes Peak region chefs give advice for using tomato harvest - Colorado Springs Gazette

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Don’t know what to do with the bounty of tomatoes you’re getting from your garden or can’t resist buying at farmers’ markets? We consulted with three experts and gathered some ideas for enjoying them fresh or cooked and storing them for winter use.

Selection and storage

Cortney Smith, co-owner of Gather Food Studio, offered a few tips for picking and storing your tomato harvest.

• If you are growing tomatoes at home, the best time to pick them is when they just start to turn color. Even though they aren’t fully vine ripened, the ethylene gas in the tomato will help it naturally ripen off of the vine. This helps for a few reasons: It will decrease splitting or bursting, and you’ll beat the birds and other critters waiting to grab the ripened fruit.

• Tomatoes should always be stored in a cool, dry place and never in the refrigerator. Refrigeration will change the inner texture, resulting in a mealy textured tomato, as well as decreasing the tomato flavor. If your tomatoes start to ripen too quickly, however, you can stop it by placing them in the refrigerator. But if that happens, Smith suggests cooking the overripe tomato rather than eating it raw. Also, make sure the tomatoes aren’t touching each other while stored.

• The easiest way to cut a tomato is to use a serrated utility knife or bread knife. This will help get through the tomato skin without mushing your tomato while cutting. Always make sure knifes are sharp.

If you want to learn how to can them, a two-day tomato canning class will be offered at Gather Food Studio on Sept. 11 and 12. Visit tinyurl.com/y3wwo5qm.

Gazpacho is Cathy Werle’s go-to for the quintessential summer soup. As the primary lunch chef at The Margarita at Pine Creek, she has been in charge of the rotating seasonal soup selections since starting there in 1999. Gazpacho, which she makes, is on the lunch menu all summer.

The recipe originated with Pati Burleson, owner of The Margarita, but has been “tweaked” over the years,” Werle said.

Gazpacho recipe

Yield: 12 servings

12 cups tomato juice, preferably Campbell’s

1 (12-14 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes or 2-3 large over-ripened tomatoes

¼ cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire (optional)

5 shots Tabasco

½ bunch cilantro

6-8 cloves garlic

¼ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cucumbers, preferable English-style, halved, seeded, diced

1 each green bell pepper, yellow and red, seeded and diced

1 small red onion, small diced

3 ripe tomatoes, diced

Procedure:

In a blender, combine 4 cups tomato juice with canned tomatoes, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire, Tobasco, cilantro, garlic, and olive oil and blend until smooth. Add remaining tomato juice, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Store in refrigerator. When ready to serve, pour into serving bowls and garnish with diced vegetables.

Source: Cathy Werle, chef at The Margarita at Pine Creek

“It’s a favorite of all of ours, especially on these hot summer days,” she said. “The soup is great served with garlic-oil- toasted croutons, avocado and lemon slices. For an entree, we like to top with some crab meat or grilled shrimp. We occasionally puree the leftovers for a base for bloody marys. It’s so good with a little horseradish and extra Tabasco.”

Cortney Smith, co-owner with David Cook of Gather Food Studio cooking school, loves fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes too.

“They tend to be juicier and sweeter this way and perfect for eating in a delicious panzanella or caprese salad,” she said. “I have a hard time resisting a sun-ripened, still warm sweet tomato right off of the vine.”

Panzanella is a bread salad — you toss day-old bread with juicy tomatoes, garlic and herbs and let it set, allowing the flavors to meld into a delicious side dish.

The caprese consists of simple layers of sliced fresh tomatoes alternating with slices of fresh mozzarella and basil leaves (all three representing the Italian flag colors). They’re arranged on plates shingle-style and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a shower of sea salt. Nothing could be easier, more elegant or scrumptious. You can raise the ante by using various shades of colorful heirloom tomatoes.”

Contact the writer: teresa.farney@gazette.com

The Link Lonk


September 01, 2020 at 01:00PM
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Pikes Peak region chefs give advice for using tomato harvest - Colorado Springs Gazette

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