Storm-Bruised Tomatoes Still Useful In Dishes

It’s still prime tomato season, and this weekend’s storm may have left you with a number of specimens on the ground. 

If so, they can be cleaned up, bruised sections cut away and used in these easy recipes. Whole or sliced tomatoes can also be frozen in Ziploc bags or containers for later; of course, that presumes you have power and your freezer is functioning.

Grace’s Pasta. This simple and really good recipe is from my friend Grace. Don’t make it the night before your Weight Watchers weigh-in.  Cut up four or so large ripe tomatoes - you want about three cups in total. Finely chop one small red onion, cut up a good amount of fresh basil leaves and put into a bowl with the tomatoes and about ½ cup olive oil. Cover and leave on counter for several hours. 

When you are ready to eat, cut up a wedge of brie cheese (approximately 8 ounces); you can leave the skin on or not - I usually cut away the rind, but leave the top and bottom skin on. Boil a pound of spaghetti until al dente, drain, put in your serving bowl and add the Brie immediately. Stir until the brie begins to melt. Immediately add the tomato mixture, stir and add about ½ cup shredded or freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Quick Tomato Sauce. You’ll need to coordinate your efforts on this recipe and try to time it so the pasta is cooked and the sauce is ready at the same time. Use about 8 ounces (uncooked) of your pasta for this amount of sauce, both pasta and sauce can be doubled. Heat two tablespoons each of olive oil and butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add one clove finely minced garlic and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Add ½ pound of cherry tomatoes and sauté 2 to 3 minutes more. Add about ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves (or a mixture of herbs such as rosemary, parsley, basil, oregano) and continue cooking until the tomatoes start to burst, 5 to 7 minutes more. Remove from the heat immediately and toss with your cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper, and top with freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese. Optional – you can use whole tomatoes that have been finely chopped instead of the cherry tomatoes, cook until they are wilted. A mixture of yellow and red tomatoes makes for an eye-appealing dish.

Barbara’s Gazpacho. This recipe first appeared in the East Alternative Cookbook, and I use it every year when tomatoes are plentiful. Put in a blender the following ingredients: four large tomatoes, ½ green or red pepper, ½ small onion, ½ peeled cucumber, one or two cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper, two tablespoons olive oil, two tablespoons red wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and ½ cup ice water (optional). Blend 15 seconds (you want it still to be a little chunky), garnish with croutons and/or finely chopped vegetables. Feel free to spice it up by adding crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce. Serves six or you can keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days. If you don’t already grow your own tomatoes, maybe these recipes will entice you to try gardening next year. Even one cherry tomato plant in a patio pot will reward you with plenty of produce. 

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