Tomato Confit

The Count works part-time at something (I don’t know what) in Cairo.  He smells of dust and tombs every time he comes back.  And he always bring something home with him, every time.

This time is was a box of tomatoes.  TOMATOES?!

Each was individually wrapped like something very special…similar to the pears that come each Christmas.  Just looking at them, it was hard for a small dog to understand why one would haul a box of tomatoes all the way from Egypt.  Then the wrappers came off…

The smell of fully ripe pomodori filled the entire cucina.  Heaven.  Just like late summer all over again.  Visions of pushing my snout into overripe tomatoes laying idle in the garden rushed into my little brain.  It dawned on me: the closest place to find ripe tomatoes in winter: Cairo.

Grazia quickly made off to the counter with every on.  She washed them and cut them in quarters.  She took all the seeds out and the inner chambers were sliced away to appear in some later-on sauce.

She lay them all inside down on a cookie sheet, drizzled them with olive oil and salted them carefully, then pushed them in a slow oven for 3 hours. 

The result? Tomato Confit, to toss with penne nd garlic; to serve with a roasted chicken, to place atop a fine slice of bread with a little goat cheese; all are joyously delicious.  Perfect for a little taste of summer on a cold winter day.

Chow!

Ciao! Pomodori

The last tomatoes of a late summer are ripe.  Today, Grazia and I are off to the outdoor market to buy a boxful.

This afternoon we will make pureed tomatoes to enhance Sugo di Pomodori that sees us all through the winter.

It’s easy.  And there’s nothing like fresh (though frozen) tomato sauce to bring back the flavor of summer as one sits in the snow, mid-winter.  I highly recommend it, not only as a way to spend a glorious fall day, but sure relief to the short days of January when most people reach for canned tomatoes when they think of saucing pasta.

Wash the tomatoes (try to find the ripest ones you can…they may be blemished, split or even overripe, but let the dog eat the ones that are rotten or moldy…)

Cut them in 2-3 inch pieces, put them in a pot by themselves, cover it and turn the heat on to medium.  Cook them abut 10 minutes, or until they boil and a delicious steam rises out of the opened pot…

Push the tomatoes through a foodmill and cool the puree.  Discard the liquid.  Pour the remainder into ice cube trays and and freeze it.  Then place the cubes in ziplock bags and freeze.  Use as needed in any recipe that calls for canned tomatoes…and throw an occasional cold cube the way of your family dog.

Chow!