5 Things To Do With Tomatoes

How many times have you looked in the bottom of the fridge at all those tomatoes just sitting there, and wondered what can I do with them? Or seen your local fruit and veg store or market getting rid of large boxes of ripe tomatoes at bargain prices? Maybe you or a neighbour grows tomatoes in the garden and there are plenty to go around at harvest time.

Well, I have a few simple ideas you may want to try. There are no measurements, it's meant to be for how much you have on hand and using a rough eye and your own taste, for you to make delicious meals or snacks.

Grab yourself a punnet of Cherry Tomatoes and cut them in half (or 1/4 if they are larger than normal) and dress them with some extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crushed garlic, dried oregano, pepper, salt and a pinch of sugar. Now, just leave them to marinate for at least an hour before serving.

By simply dicing up some lovely ripe tomatoes and combining them with diced red onion, finely diced chillies (red or green, it's up to you and how hot you like it), corriander, lime juice and salt, you have a nice zingy salsa that you can use with Mexican dishes or just scoop up with corn chips.

Using ripe tomatoes, chop them up with some crushed garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, salt, pepper, fresh herbs such as rocket or basil and some pitted olives (I prefer Kalamata, but use whatever you like). Leave them to marinate while you cook some Pasta. Then simply drain the pasta and combine it with the sauce topped with some shaved Parmesan cheese. Great on those warm days for a lazy lunch or for when you want something quick after work.

Finely slice an onion and saute in some good olive oil until soft. Add in some crushed garlic, Tabasco and plenty of chopped tomatoes then saute for a few more minutes. Roughly chop up some basil and add to the pan with some vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until well cooked. Add a can of cannellini beans (drained and rinsed), salt and pepper to taste and heat through. Serve this soup topped with roughly torn basil and a home made garlic bread on the side.

Halve ripe tomatoes and place on a lined baking tray cut side up and sprinkle with a little salt, pepper and chopped fresh oregano. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and roast for one to two hours in a very low oven until just beginning to brown around the edges. You can serve them either warm or cold.

Not too sure if the humble tomato is a fruit or vegetable? Or maybe you just want to know a few of the health befits of the tomato. You can find out by clicking the link below.

• All About Tomatoes Fruit or Vegetable
• Amazing Tomatoes - Facts and Health Benefits