Tomatoes (and sauce)
Yesterday, at the farmers market, I went to visit the pickle man, to try the pickled green beans and he said it was nice to finally talk to me because “he sees me there every day.” It’s true, I am there all the time. I love it, I don’t love the crowds in Union Square, but I do love meandering through picking out perfect fruits and vegetables.
I’m usually there by myself, I prefer it that way, it allows me to move at my own pace and go back and forth as many times as I like. I’m very picky about whom I buy from. There are only two farmers I buy tomatoes from, Tim Stark, (I call him heirloom Tim in my mind) who has some of the most beautiful tomatoes in the market (his are the little cherries pictured above) and Leni’s farm who are there Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays and are usually at the southern end of the market (theirs are the striped plums in the wooden bowl).
As much as I love the idea of tomatoes, I hate eating them raw. Even really exceptional tomatoes are only okay in their natural state but once they’re cooked I can’t get enough of them.
I’ve been really into roasting tomatoes this summer. Roasting brings out the sweetness in tomatoes and turns them into an other-worldly dish. Earlier this summer I also made this wonderful tomato and corn pie. I’ve been meaning to tell you about it but wanted to make it again and roast the tomatoes first to get rid of some of the excess juiciness.
Most recently I made tomato sauce, because that’s what I do at the end of the summer. I usually blanch them quickly to remove the skins but decided this summer that I should (what do you think?) roast them. I was glad I did, the sauce was full-bodied and rich. We used it to make pizza with parmesan, mozzarella and arugula. We pat ourselves on the back for our mad pizza making skills and decided that I had to go and get another 5 pounds of those beautiful striped plum tomatoes and make some more sauce.
Tomato sauce á la Naomi
This is a very rustic tomato sauce. You could puree it to make it more marinara style. Or actually chop your tomatoes. I just peeled them and ripped them apart with my hands.
1 medium-sized onion
3 cloves garlic
3-4 pounds of the most beautiful, ripe, delicious, happy tomatoes you can find
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place tomatoes on baking sheet, place baking sheet in oven.
Roast tomatoes about 10-15 minutes, until their skin begins to crack, flipping them half-way through.
While the tomatoes cool, chop and dice your onion and garlic.
Place a medium-large pot over medium heat. Add oil and butter. Toss in the onion and let cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook until the onion is translucent.
In the meantime, peel your tomatoes and rip them into smallish pieces. I removed some of the seeds, though not all.
Add the tomatoes to the onion mixture. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and let simmer 1-3 hours (I realize this is highly unspecific and not very helpful, cook it as long as you can, stirring and tasting, and stirring and tasting. I think I had mine going about 2 hours last night).
5 Responses to “Tomatoes (and sauce)”
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Lovely photos. Wish we had heirloom tomatoes in Mexico, but for some reason they don’t exist here. All I’ve been able to find in the markets are regular old Romas, or beefsteak. (Heaving, sad sigh.)
Those are the most beautiful tomatoes I have ever seen! Wow. That sauce sounds really delicious.
Wow, those are amazing amazing photographs!
Thank you!