Too many cherry tomatoes

[masimmons]

I have 4 or 5 cherry tomato plants that are all coming ripe at the same time. It is killing me letting them go to waste. We are eating them all the time (yum) and giving them away like crazy, but there is still lots and lots of them. Any ideas on how what to do with them? I appreciate any and all ideas.

[kwormann]

...ummmmm...send some to me.....

[KValley]

This is one of my favorites. I have no idea where it came from, as I hand-copied it years ago. Could be CL???

This is so simple, and reminds me of tossed-together-at-the-last-moment dishes Italian friends would make at 3 am after a long night of dancing.

What would life be without garlic? I shudder to think...

Linguine with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

2 lbs cherry tomatoes
2 tbls extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp pepper
5 large unpeeled garlic cloves
4 cups hot cooked linguine (about 8 oz uncooked pasta)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbls chopped fresh basil

1) Preheat oven to 450

2)Combine cherry tomatoes, 1 tbl, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, garlic in 13X9 baking dish; toss gently to coat.

3) Bake at 450 for 45 minutes or until garlic is browned, stirring occasionally.

4) Squeeze garlic cloves to extract garlic pulp. Add pulp to tomato mixture. Combine tomato mixture, 1 tbl oil, 1/4 tsp salt, pasta, basil in large bowl, toss gently.

4 servings.

[Vanessa]

Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes

Amount Ingredient
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pint washed and stemmed cherry tomatoes, peeled, if desired
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
salt
pepper
Preparation Tips:

In a medium-sized skillet, over moderately high heat, heat oil. Add cherry tomatoes; saute 1 to 2 minutes or until tomatoes are just hot. Add garlic and basil. Toss a few seconds longer; season with salt and pepper.


Pasta with Oven-Dried Cherry Tomatoes and Swiss Chard

Dry the tomatoes: Split 25-30 (or a pint basket or as many as you can pick..they're great just plain, too) cherry tomatoes in half and arrange cut side up in a baking pan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and put in the oven at 325. Cook for about 90 minutes or until they begin to brown around the edges. Set aside.

Cook the chard: Cut a bunch of chard (about 6-8 medium size leaves) across the stem into half-inch slices. Finely chop 2-3 cloves of garlic. Cook the garlic and chard together in a few tablespoons of olive oil or a quarter cup of chicken broth or a combination of both. Cook until the chard is wilted but still relatively bright green (about 3-5 minutes over medium heat). Set aside.

Cook one pound of good, 100 % semolina pasta ( spaghettini or a shaped pasta such as penne would work well, too) in several quarts of well-salted water until al dente (stop cooking it when the pasta is still a little firm). Dip a couple of cups of cooking water out of the pot, then drain the pasta and immediately transfer to a warm serving bowl. Add some of the cooking water back to the pasta to prevent sticking and drizzle with several tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil .

You can either toss the pasta with the tomatoes and greens or serve in separate bowls and combine everything at the table. Pass fresh grated Parmiggiano



Cherry tomatoes are easily dried in a food dehydrator. When you make soup or stew throw in a handful, and they taste like they were just picked. You could also rehydrate them in warm water for some other use. "
Ingredients
24 cherry tomatoes


Directions

1 Cut each tomato in half through the middle, not the ends. Put the tomato halves in a food dehydrator, cut side up. Dry for at least 12 hours. When the tomatoes are totally dry and firm, put them in a plastic bag, and store in the freezer.

[Missi]

well, anyway, I love stuffing cherry tomatoes. I hollow them out with a strawberry haller and then put in a cream cheese and herb mixture. I have also made tiny B.L.T's with a mixture of mayo and sour cream (low fat of course!) and crumbled turkey bacon, stuffed in cherry tomatoes and topped with a tiny piece of lettuce.

Here's my other standard:

Mixed Tomato Salad
Martha Stewart Living July/Aug 2000

1 pint red cherry tomatoes
1 pint yellow pear tomatoes
1 small or 1/2 large red onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, washed and chopped, plus sprigs for garnish
1/4 cup cilantro, washed and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper

1. Halve the cherry and pear tomatoes. In a large bowl, mix the tomato halves with the onion and the garlic.
2. Stir in the basil, cilantro, and cumin. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Let stand for at least 15 minutes to let flavors meld. Garnish with basil sprigs.


**** You could use all cherry tomatoes. I find this to be a good way of using up my fresh herbs from the garden, too.

[SQ]

I am so envious. I've only had 4 tomatoes so far - one on each of the last four days. Can't wait to have too many. Vanessa's and KValley's recipes both sound great!

[masimmons]

Thanks you guys for all the great ideas! kwormann - I would very gladly share with you if we only lived closer. SQ - the reason I planted so many was because the last couple of years I haven't had any because of heavy rains drowning the poor plants, hail, or muskrats (long story). This year, I have lots of tomatoes but the plants are dying from the ground up; some kind of disease where the leaves turn yellow and fall off. I don't know if any of my plants will snap out of it or not, but they are really producing right now. The recipes all sound wonderful and I will try them all. I have a dehydrator and will definitely put it to use. Thanks again. Mary Ann

[eks]

Masimmons-I have the same problem!! How long will they stay fresh and what is the best way to store them?

[SusanL]

Vanessa Thanks, I will dust off my dehydrator and get it ready for my bumper crop of tomatoes, hopefully in the next two weeks!!
These recipes all look wonderful, can you hear my printer at work?

In a pinch for a quick side dish, my SIL washes the tomatoes and gently sautees them in oil and salt in a sautee pan, till they soften, then she serves them with fresh cracked pepper. I have made them this was and roasted many times!!

[RunnerKim]

How about the Chicken Sandwich with Brie and Roasted Tomatoes - cover recipe from June. The tomatoes really make that sandwich. It's messy, you might want to try it as a salad.

Kim

[SClementson]

I'm so jealous! My tomato plants have TONS of green fruit on them but they're not even close to being ripe yet. When they are, I'm planning on trying this recipe I found in Gourmet.

SPAGHETTI ALLA CHIUMMENZANA
(Spaghetti with Spicy Tomato Sauce)

To eat this dish the Caprese way, serve the pasta very al dente.

1/2 pound spaghetti
4 large garlic cloves
1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes
4 fresh basil sprigs
3 fresh oregano sprigs
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 small dried red chiles (each about 2 inches) OR 1 large dried chile such as New Mexico, cut into 3 pieces

Garnish: fresh basil leaves

Fill a 6-quart pasta pot three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for spaghetti. Mince garlic and halve tomatoes. In a 12-inch skillet heat 4 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and saute garlic and chiles, stirring, until garlic is golden. Add tomatoes and herb sprigs and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes just begin to lose their shape, about 10 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

While sauce is cooking, cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain pasta in a colander and in a bowl toss with remaining tablespoon oil. Remove herb sprigs and chiles from sauce and pour sauce over pasta.

Garnish pasta with basil.

Serves 2 as a main course, or 4 as a first course.

Gourmet Magazine, July 1999


Enjoy!
Sarah

[Jeanne G]

masimmons,

I had a bunch last year (although this year they haven't ripened yet! ) but one thing I did that was good, was combine them with a little olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar, s&p, fresh basil and/or rosemary, minced garlic, and some feta cheese and then bake them at 350 for just a little while, maybe 15 minutes. They turned out delicious!

Jeanne

[Anne]

Can there possibly be such a thing as too many fresh tomatoes? I sure wish I had that problem. If you really can't use them all you could freeze some.

[masimmons]

Gosh, more good ideas! eks - That is the problem, as far as I can tell, you can't store them too long. I put my daily pickings in a colander and leave on the counter. If the are refrigerate them, the taste changes seems to me. RunnerKim - thanks for reminding me of that sandwich. How could I forget since I made it once and loved it. I am going to try it in the salad version this time, it will be easier to take to work for lunch. Anne - believe me I know this sounds like a stupid question to pose. Of anything fresh tomatoes are my favorite thing and I would almost kill for a good one around about January. I just have too many ripe at one time. I should have spaced planting them - lesson learned for next year. I haven't tried freezing them and think it might be too much trouble since they will need to be peeled before or after. I am freezing chunks of the regular size tomatoes. They will be great in soups/stews this winter.

Thanks again for all the help!

Mary Ann

[erinl]

Gazpacho! Can you make that with cherry tomatoes?

[masimmons]

I don't know why not, especially if you don't mind the peels. You have to chop up the veggies for it anyway or put them in the food processor depending on how smooth or chunky you prefer.

[catharine]

I have a couple of ideas:

1) Grill them. I recently skewered some grape tomatoes and brushed with an olive oil vinagrette and they were so good. It really enhances their flavor to cook them this way.

2) Tomato Mozzarella Salad. A lunch place I frequently visit was serving a cherry tomato and mozzarella ball salad with a light pesto over salad greens - it was delicious. Of course, anything with fresh mozzarella is tops in my book.

If all else fails, there are all of your BB friends who would be happy to receive fresh produce

Enjoy your crop!