Feasting on Tomatoes for the week

Its nearly the end of the weekend and i am trying hard not to think too much about the working week ahead, it's going to be a busy one.  

Since Covid-19 - work has been a roller coaster and there still no calm in sight, with a Second Wave being ushered in slowly.  I am tired.  I have taken annual leave (twice) to recharge, rather than enjoy. The weekends come and i try to recharge and catch up with neglected house chores.  I thought working from home, I would be up-to-date with household things, not at all.  

Thank goodness the garden has been a little more easier this year, I think the time and work we put in March has made it so.  It's been a rather therapeutic weeding!

Tomatoes are starting to dwindle, but a i say that - we have had loads of Tomato based dishes in the last couple of weeks. 

I made this Tomato Tarte Tartin with a Black Olive Scone Dough. It was very different from the Tart Tartin that I make with puff pastry. The pastry was sturdy. 

Bowl of colourful tomatoes.  

Tomato Tart - the base is smothered with pesto, then topped with cherry tomatoes and black olives. Simplicity.  

Another Tomato tart this time topped with Feta cheese - honestly, its a different tart! 

I've only ever enjoyed eating Greek-Cypriot Salad on holidays.  I come back to the UK, hope to evoke those memories, but the tomatoes we get from the supermarket disappoint. So I don't make Greek -Cypriot Salad at home, but I did twice this week with homegrown tomatoes.  The first time it was delicious, the lettuce was crisp with crunch. The second time (photographed above), I messed up, as i made it in advance and the lettuce went limp and soggy from the tomato juices.  It was still one of the best Greek Salads I have made at home. 

I am sharing this Greek-Cypriot Salad with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

I also made a  Cypriot recipe called Baby Tomato Kofta with tomato sauce served over pasta.  The tomato kofta were very reminisce of onion bhaji's minus the spice.  

We still have some more tomatoes growing.  

D is thinking about clearing them out of the greenhouse in readiness for winter, but I am going to try and persuade him to leave it until mid October.  

I can always make Green Tomato Chutney.

Tomato Tarte Tartin

For the topping

60g butter, plus extra for greasing 

30g soft brown sugar

Enough tomatoes, to cover base of baking tin or pan

For the scone dough

110g self raisin flour

Pinch of baking powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 black olives, stones removed and minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg 1-2 tablespoons milk

Method

For the topping: grease a 8 inch ovenproof pan with butter.

Melt the butter in the pan with the sugar and cook over low heat until the mixture begins to caramelize.

Cut the tomatoes in half lengthways.

arrange the tomatoes, cut side down, to cover the base of the pan completely.

Preheat oven to gas mark 7/220oC.

Make the scone dough: Sift the flour with the baking powder and cayenne pepper into a large mixing bowl.

Add the oil and mix together into a large bowl.

Add the oil and mix with a palette knife until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

St in the olives and season with salt and pepper.

Bind to a dough with the egg and milk.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.

Roll out to a circle to fit the top of the pan.

Lay it on top of the tomatoes and press down lightly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes until the scone dough feels firm and golden.

Loosen the edged with a knife, cover with a serving plate and invert to turn out.

Serve immediately

Adapted from Leith's Vegetarian Bible

Oh I also made Spiced Tomato Coconut Curry also from Leith's Vegetarian Bible. This Tomato Coconut Curry did not photograph well. Partly my fault, i chucked in a whole can of coconut milk, when it should have been just 225, so the tomatoes were a bit drowned - soup like, but enjoyable, nonetheless. By the way if you are looking for further Tomato recipe inspiration check out this link. 

I am sharing this blog post with Harvest Monday hosted by Dave from Happy Acres.  

And please do come back next week, when i will be harvesting and cooking with homegrown carrots.

Simply Tomatoes

There's so much happening this long Bank Holiday weekend: Pride, Carnival season,  Poetry in the Park and lots of other community events in and around Wales, but we haven't ventured far from home this weekend, other than the garden centre to pick up some compost. We have spent most of the weekend carrying out joyful tasks such as tidying up both the house and garden, which was beginning to look a bit overgrown in places. It looks much better now, but still so much to do.  

 Anyway, onto my most recent harvest of vibrant colourful tomatoes from the greenhouse.

Whilst your here, here's a little peek in the greenhouse. 

Red tomatoes next to green tomatoes.

Abundant vines

I've made a number of dishes such as Arrabiata and vegan Puttanesca with fresh tomatoes, I usually make these with tinned tomatoes.  I have also made Tomato Pilau and Lebanese Tomato and Bean Stew.  

If you are looking for tomato recipe inspiration, please also check out 's a link to some tomato recipe inspiration.  

We still have plenty more tomatoes to come.  But some of the tomato plants have become unruly, look at the state of this (below).  It really does look a bit like an overgrown jungle or a tangled mess in the greenhouse this year.  

I'm letting regular readers, especially those that come through via Harvest Monday that, I won't be able to participate in Harvest Monday next week, as we have some some friends coming from America and then we are off on holiday for a week or so.  So hopefully, I will be able to join the following week, but this is my contribution for this week.  Please go by and check out  Happy Acres who hosts Harvest Monday every week and showcases some impressive homegrown fruit and vegetables.

Bakers Dozen: Best Tomato Recipes

We have been growing our own tomatoes for nearly fifteen years, whether it was on our window sill at home, our greenhouse at the allotment plot  in Scotland or here, in our back garden in Wales, the passion for trying to grow some of our own, continues.   

This year the tomatoes are not as plentiful, but they are still tasty and bit like the courgettes, every year I wonder what am I going to do with all these tomatoes, other than making the usual soups , chilli red tomato chutneys, sauces and lasagne.  So if you are looking for some inspiration and are looking for something different than you have come to the right place.

First up is Rosemary Elliot's vegan Bloody Mary Jelly 

Next we have an Oven Baked Za'atar Tomato and Potato Frittata

Something light to snack on Pan Con Tomate - Catalan Tomato Bread

Something light to eat for lunch Red Pepper and  HarissaTomato Potatoes , the vegan  with VPud Black Pudding is optional. 

How about this Red Tomato, Fenugreek, Paneer Coconut Curry

Something to impressive your dinner guests with - Savoury Cherry Tomato Clafoutis

Savoury  Cherry Tomato, Paprika Mozzarella Muffins

Slow Cooked Balsamic Tomatoes and Butter Beans 

Sweet and Savoury Tomato Spring Rolls

Tomato Farinata with roasted aubergines and black olives

Tomato, Potato and Rosemary Bake

Vietnamese Tofu in Tomato and Black Pepper Sauce

Green Tomato Chutney

Do you have a favourite tomato recipe that you make year on year, please let me know.

I am also sharing 12 tomato recipes from my co-host of Eat Your Greens Veg Hog, as well as linking to the Guardian celebrity chef and food writer tomato recipes. 
The Guardian Part 1
The Guardian Part 2
The Guardian Part 3
The Guardian Part 4

Last of the November Tomatoes

I have been such a wimp recently, I have not ventured much into the allotment garden plot of late.  The constant drizzle is bringing me down.  I leave home to go into work in the morning and get drenched; and I get home home and I am soaking.  The joys of waiting for public transport when there is no shelter.  So come the weekend and its raining, the last thing I want to do is go out - even if it is my back garden.  Fortunately for me, my husband picked the last tomatoes in the greenhouse in November.

These were all used for a pasta sauce and a cold pasta salad for work..

Some of you may remember that from my last Harvest Monday blog post that I do still have some curly kale and black Tuscan aka dinosaur kale, and purple Brussels sprouts to harvest, but after that there will not be much else to share on Harvest Monday until Spring next year.   For now, please enjoy the last of my homegrown tomatoes that were harvested in the last week of November. I am sharing this blog post with Dave who hosts Harvest Monday at his blog Our Happy Acres.  

The Great Big Red Tomato

As mentioned in a previous Harvest Monday blog post, the tomatoes are coming along very nicely in the greenhouse

 We have all types and the names escape me, especially of this rather large tomato.

Just to give you some context of how big it is, I am holding it here; and no, I am not going to stuff it!. 

We have been harvesting raspberries too.  I have had to freeze some as we are still enjoying plums from the tree.

The cooking apples are beginning to fall from the tree too, in fact one fell and cracked a greenhouse window pane, fortunately it did not go through this time. 

I made a Raspberry and Apple crumble at the weekend, and let me tell you it was absolutely the gorgeous, the apples just turned to pulp taking on the colour of the raspberries.  It was lush, I tell you.

Funnily enough we are still harvesting courgettes, though I will be pulling the plants out next week as those remaining courgettes are tiddlers. 

I made an untraditional Oven Roasted Ratatoulle with some of the homegrown tomatoes and courgettes, don't diss me - the recipe comes from a French woman.

With the weather turning and me having the sniffles, I also made a stew of sorts with some of the courgettes.  I will be sharing the recipes later this week, if you want to come on by and check them out.  As always, I am sharing this post with  Harvest Monday hosted by Dave over Our Happy Acres.  

Red Tomatoes, Red Raspberries, Red Apples and Ripe Plums

The marrows and courgettes are still growing well in the garden plot and I have been cooking with them loads, but this week its the tomatoes that have got us excited.  I think its another two weeks and then was distracted with work la

We finally are harvesting them on a daily basis.  

I have made so many dishes with them from Savoury Tomato Clafoutis, Tomato Couscous Tart Tatin and Tomato Date Baklava!

This is a cake stand full of assorted tomatoes and some chilies.

Chillies growing happily.

 The raspberries are starting to come along nicely.  

However, the birds are beating me to them - they are welcome to it, we still have plums dripping from the tree. 

I have given some plums to neighbours and friends, as well as family.

And if the plums were not keeping me busy in the kitchen, the neighbours gave us bag full of eating apples.  I am sharing this post with  Harvest Monday hosted by Dave over Our Happy Acres.