Tomatoes: Red and Green

The tomato is without a doubt the world’s most popular fruit (not vegetable) with an excess of 60 million tons produced each year – 16 million more than the second favourite, the banana.  And there’s good reason.

Besides the fact it is one of the versatile fruits, studies that lycopene, (the chemical which makes tomatoes red), lowers the risk of many different types of cancer, and processed tomatoes contain even more lycopene because cooking breaks down the cell walls, releasing and concentrating the lycopene.

Also, they are rich in vitamins A and C, full of fibre and they are cholesterol free.

When buying tomatoes, be sure to select ones which are firm, with a full red colour.  You can store them at room temperature for a couple of days, and refrigerate only if you want to keep them longer. If you have under-ripe tomatoes, they will ripen better out of the sunlight. And, if you grow your own tomato patch, you may end up with more than needed for immediate use. Try making batches of tomato soup, or pasta sauce, which freeze well, or, together with other vegetables from the garden, you can make some ratatouille, freeze, and enjoy the taste of the summer year round.

Here’s an easy recipe for tomato and basil soup, and another for green tomato chutney (for those unripe tomatoes you get at the end of the season).  

Tomato and Basil Soup for 4:

2 tbsp butter

1 kg fresh tomatoes, quartered

1 large onion finely chopped

1 potato, peeled and chopped finely

1 clove garlic, crushed

300ml chicken stock

3 tsp dried basil

Small handful fresh basil leaves, torn for garnish

Salt and pepper

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and gently fry the onions, potato and garlic until soft.

2. Add tomatoes, stock, and dried basil, bring to boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

3. Liquidize, or sieve if you prefer a finer soup, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot or cold with fresh basil garnish and warm crusty bread and butter. (If freezing, make it a bit thicker and freeze in portions).

Green Tomato Chutney (about 3kg):

2kg green tomatoes, washed and chopped

700g onions, peeled and chopped finely

500g cooking apples, washed, cored and chopped

600ml cider vinegar

230g raisins or chopped dates

1 inch piece root ginger lightly crushed

6 red chillies

450g soft brown sugar

2 tsp salt

1. Put tomatoes, onions, apples and half of the vinegar into a heavy bottomed saucepan, bring to boil and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until tender.

2. Tie ginger and chillies together in a piece of muslin; add to the pan along with the raisins or dates and continue cooking for about one hour, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to thicken.

3. Add sugar, remaining vinegar and salt, stirring until sugar is fully dissolved.

4. Continue simmering mixture and press the muslin bag to release some of the flavours from the ginger and chillies. Stir occasionally until the mixture becomes thick.

5. Remove the muslin bag, spoon mixture into hot, sterilized jars and seal.

Leave for a couple of weeks for the flavours to mature; or, if you can’t wait, what the heck, eat it straight away!