22A P R I L – M A Y 2 0 1 5

fried and driedtoo many tomatoes?

Scene: at Truvy’s hair salonOuiser: “Tomatoes.” [drops a paper bag of tomatoes in Clairee’s lap] Clairee: “Don’t give me all of ’em!” Ouiser: “Somebody’s gotta take ’em. I hate ’em. I try not to eat healthy food if I can possibly help it. !e sooner my body gives out the better o" I’ll be ... I have trouble getting enough grease into my diet. Annelle: “!en why do you grow them?” Ouiser: “Because I’m an old Southern woman, and we’re supposed to wear funny-looking hats and ugly clothes and grow vegetables in the dirt. Don’t ask me why. I don’t make the rules.” [burps loudly]

# From Steel Magnolias (1989)

In Houston, it’s just not a vegetable garden without tomatoes. And the ease with which they grow here is both a blessing and curse. Sometimes there are so many tomatoes in various stages of ripening on my windowsill and countertop that I despair of using them all up before they spoil

Easy-to-grow tomatoes might be bite-size grape, currant or cherry tomatoes. Or they may be huge beefsteak globes that easily ex-ceed a pound in weight. Houston gardeners can grow tomatoes in a variety of colors, too, including red and yellow, purple, pink and green, even “zebra striped.”

If you’re a Houston tomato grower, your $rst harvest of the year – yes, we can grow a couple crops a year – will begin before long. Here are three recipes from local chefs, as well as my favorite way to preserve tomatoes for use later.

Tomato photography by Kevin McGowan for Pumpkin Pond Farm, Nantucket MA

by Teresa Byrne-Dodge

23A P R I L – M A Y 2 0 1 5

TOMATO SOUP

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced! cup yellow onion, chopped" carrot, chopped1 Tbsp. blended oil2 roasted Roma tomatoes1" tsp. salt1 tsp. black pepper1 small bay leaf2 green onions, chopped2 Tbsp. basil, cut into chi#onade1 Tbsp. sugar23 oz. canned, peeled tomatoes4 Tbsp. butter

METHOD: In a large pot, sweat the garlic, onion and carrot in the blended oil until soft. Add the roasted tomatoes to deglaze. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the bay leaf, green onion and basil and bring to a simmer. Add the canned tomatoes and sugar and simmer on low for one hour.

Remove the bay leaf. Remove the pot from heat and blend with a hand blender or in a blender. Finish with the butter while blending. Serve immediately or chill and reserve in the refrigerator. Makes four 8 oz. bowls

PHOTO BY BECCA WRIGHT

RECIPE COURTESY CHEF RYAN HILDEBRAND, TRINITI RESTAURANT

24A P R I L – M A Y 2 0 1 5

1 lb. ridged tubular pasta (penne rigateworks well)

2 Tbsp. good extra-virgin olive oil (don’tskimp)

1 medium shallot, minced! small serrano chile (optional), minced1 lb. local Sun Gold tomatoes (or any

tiny seasonal tomato you like),washed and trimmed

12 oz. large Gulf wild shrimp, peeled,deveined, cut in-half horizontally

1 Tbsp. butter5 large basil leaves, torn1 Tbsp. parsley leaves, tornsea salt and fresh ground pepper

METHOD: In a large pot, bring two quarts of salted water (it should taste like the ocean) to a boil. Drop in the pasta and stir. Reduce heat to keep at a steady boil stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile start the sauce. Place a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add some olive oil, and when it shimmers,

add shallots and chilies and reduce heat to medium. Sauté the shallots and chilies until soft and translucent, but not brown, about one minute. Add the tomatoes and cook until they burst, about three to "ve minutes.

Add the shrimp and cook until just done (when they just become opaque). When the pasta reaches al dente, use a skimmer or pasta tool to transfer pasta to the sauté pan. (Note: If the sauce is done before the pasta, remove the sauce from heat so as to not overcook the shrimp.)

Ladle about # cup pasta water from the pasta pot into the sauce. Turn the burner to high and cook the sauce and pasta together for about one minute. Add the butter and remaining olive oil and vigorously stir them in until incor-porated. Stir in the herbs and add sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 2 entrees or 4 appetizers.

GULF WILD SHRIMP & BURST SUN GOLD

TOMATO PASTA

RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF RYAN PERA,

COLTIVARE PIZZA & GARDEN

25A P R I L – M A Y 2 0 1 5

2 cups !our (plus more for dredging)3 cups cornmeal1 cup cornstarch" cup salt1 Tbsp. black pepper" cup cumin" cup garlic powder" cup smoked paprika" cup chile powder 2 green #rm tomatoes (cut into about 6

slices each)1 cup buttermilk2 cups peanut oil

METHOD: Sift all dry ingredients togeth-er. Dredge each slice of tomato in plain !our. $en dip in buttermilk. $en coat the tomatoes in the cornmeal mixture. Drop into peanut oil and cook till gold-en brown. Immediately season with salt. Garnish with feta or goat cheese or your favorite remoulade recipe. Serves 4.

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

$is is not a recipe so much as a technique, and it’s an excellent way to use up a dozen or two or three of your tomatoes as they start to come in fast and furious. $e step-by-step lowering of the oven temperature mimics the community oven in French and Italian villages after the day’s baking is done. Here’s how I do it:

Cut tomatoes in half; if quite large, cut them into quarters. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side up, not touching. Drizzle good-quality EVOO over the tomatoes – be generous with the oil – and sprinkle with sea salt. Put into a 300-degree oven for an hour.

Decrease the heat to 275 degrees and bake for another hour. Decrease the heat to 250 degrees and bake for another hour or until the tomatoes are some-what shriveled and very concentrated in !avor. (Try one to see if the !avor has concentrated enough to please your taste.)

Let the tomatoes cool in the oil on the pan. When cool, transfer to clean jars and store in the fridge. $e toma-toes are great to use in pasta dishes, bruschetta, salads or (I’ll be honest here) just by themselves. And don’t throw away the olive oil! It’s beautiful in salad dressings.

OVEN-DRIEDTOMATOES

RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF CHRIS WILLIAMS,

LUCILLE’S

RECIPE COURTESY OF MY TABLE EDITOR TERESA BYRNE-DODGE

PHO

TO B

Y BE

CC

A W

RIG

HT