Preserve us: making the most of tomatoes

As well as celebrating the musky flavour of summer tomatoes in quick salads and fresh sauces, we should also take the chance to preserve them in chutneys and jams to brighten dark winter days, says Nadine Abensur

You don’t have to be a gardener to make the most of a summer glut of tomatoes. Now is the best time to bulk-buy – they are at their sweetest, ripest, cheapest best and you’ll see them piled mountain-high not only in supermarkets but, more appealingly, in specialist, Asian or Middle-Eastern grocery stores. Choose tomatoes still on the vine. Sniff deep into a bunch and just note the difference between these and the plastic-wrapped, hard and insipid-coloured tomatoes of winter. Buy them by the kilo and make preserves, chutneys, or oven-dried tomatoes in oil – this way you can enjoy them over the winter months or give them as gifts. Make large pots of tomato sauce and use it as needed over pasta and in lasagnes. Apart from a little coring and chopping there is practically no work to do. Leave them to cook slowly for hours, with an occasional stir, and remember to have plenty of sterilised preserving jars, or rubber-sealed jars ready.

    Sterilising jars
  1. The simplest method is to place clean, open jars on an oven tray lined with kitchen paper. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3 and leave the jars in there for 10 minutes.
  2. Alternatively, run them through a dishwasher cycle. They will come out perfectly clean and still hot. Pour the hot sauces or chutneys straight into the jars.
  3. Or, bring a kettle to the boil. Clean your jars well and pour boiling water into them to the top. Leave for a couple of minutes and empty out. Again, use straight away.

Oven-dried Tomatoes

1.5kg ripe tomatoes, preferably plum
Maldon sea salt
6-8 whole peeled garlic cloves
1 small bunch fresh rosemary or thyme
1 bay leaf
approx 350ml extra virgin olive oil

  1. Cut plum tomatoes in half lengthways or, if you’re using ordinary tomatoes, cut them the usual way. Remove the seeds or, if you prefer, leave them, but bear in mind that the tomatoes will take longer to dry out.
  2. Place the tomatoes on a wire rack set over a baking tray. Sprinkle the cut sides with a little sea salt, turn them over and let them drain for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 110C/225F/gas mark ¼.
  3. Turn the tomatoes back the other way. Wipe the baking tray dry and arrange the tomatoes close together but not touching, so that they can dry out properly.
  4. Place the tray in the preheated oven for 10-14 hours so that they are shrivelled and shrunken, their flavours deeply concentrated and still soft – altogether more succulent than the usual leathery shop-bought variety.
  5. Pack into a sterilised 500g jar together with the garlic cloves, the rosemary or thyme, bay leaf and olive oil. You could also place a layer of good black olives halfway up the jar for a more impressive presentation.

A Tomato Sauce for the Winter
Even frying the onion first is optional in this very simple sauce. All the ingredients go into the pot and then cook very slowly for at least 2 hours.

Makes about 1 litre

250ml olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2kg ripe tomatoes, cored and peeled (peeling is optional)
1 whole head of garlic, peeled and separated into cloves
1 rounded tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
zest of 1 small lemon (optional)
1 tsp pale golden caster sugar
1 large handful basil

  1. Heat a little of the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and fry the onion until golden. Add the remaining ingredients and cook slowly for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. You don’t need to put a lid on as long as you keep the heat very low.
  2. If you want a very smooth sauce, you’ll need to peel the tomatoes or, if you prefer, blend the whole lot through together at the end (although this does decrease the brightness of the sauce). The sauce should be thick and jammy.
  3. While the sauce is still hot, pour it into sterilised rubber-sealed jars and allow to cool. Keep in the fridge until needed.
  4. If you want the sauce to last indefinitely, bring a pan of water to the boil and wrap the hot filled jar in newspaper. Fold up some more newspaper and place it under the jar to prevent it cracking. Carefully lower the jar and newspaper into the pan, making sure that the jar is immersed. Bring the water to a gentle simmer and leave for about 45 minutes.
  5. Allow the jar to cool in the water before attempting to lift it out. Once you have sealed the lid, it should be difficult to lift it open, which is proof that you have created the necessary vacuum. Don’t be tempted, however, to open the jar at this stage. Your sauce is now ready to store.

Red Tomato Preserve with Cumin Seeds and Ginger

1kg red tomatoes, cores removed
75ml water, or the juice caught from coring the tomatoes
300g granulated sugar
250g light brown sugar
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 small lemon, sliced very thinly
1 head of garlic, peeled, cloves left whole
1 tsp cumin seeds
4cm piece ginger, roughly grated
6-8 cardamom pods, left whole

  1. Place all the ingredients into a large heavy-bottomed pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring regularly, for about 15 minutes.
  2. Return to the boil and simmer steadily for at least 1 ¼ hours until a little cooled preserve spooned onto a chilled plate wrinkles when you push it with your finger.
  3. Pour immediately into a 500g sterilised jar, removing the cardamom pods if you wish. Seal, allow to cool and store in a cool dark place.
  4. Serve with cheese – this is especially delicious with ripe goats’ cheese.

Easy Tomato Salad
Take 2 ripe beef tomatoes and slice them thinly. Place on a serving plate and scatter over half a finely chopped small red onion, together with 1 peeled clove of garlic, minced with a cleaver. Stir together 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar and pour this over the top. Serves 2.

Quick Tomato Pasta Dish
Serves 6

500g pasta shapes (pappardelle or tagliatelle)
5 tbsp olive oil, or more
1 large onion, peeled, halved and sliced
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely sliced
1kg ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
20 black olives
handful fresh basil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
handful pine nuts, lightly toasted (optional)
freshly grated parmesan, to serve

  1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
  2. Meanwhile heat the oil and quickly soften the onion until transparent. Add the chilli and garlic and cook for 1 minute or so before adding the tomatoes.
  3. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes, making sure that the tomato pieces hold their shape. Stir in the olives and basil.
  4. Season with salt and pepper and serve the sauce spooned over the pasta. Scatter with the pine nuts. Hand round the parmesan for those who want to sprinkle it over.