When Peeling Tomatoes is Worth the Hassle...
22 September 2009
I was lucky enough to grow up in a home where cooking was considered a pleasure rather than an inconvenient chore, and fresh meals were rated highly. The only thing we ever bought in cans was peeled tomatoes – just too cumbersome a process to get them ready by hand! As I moved out into my own apartment I kept the habit, and have mostly continued doing so since.
I still believe that there are many dishes for which the added benefit of using fresh tomatoes instead of canned ones is not worth going through the hassle of peeling them. For some nice and simple spaghetti bolognese, for example, I keep using tomatoes in cans. As you may have noticed, I also often use pureed tomatoes (which often come in glasses or tetra pak) to bind a variety of sauces. I really generally think it is a good idea to keep a few cans of tomatoes somewhere in the kitchen storage. When I come home late on Sunday evening from a weekend trip, for example, and have nothing fresh in the fridge, they make (combined with a few herbs and spices) a fantastic sauce basis for a quick and yummy pasta dish for dinner.
But…: Recently I have indeed discovered that there ARE situations when it definitely IS worth using fresh tomatoes. It all began when I had some salad tomatoes left over and had no other way to use them before they turned bad. I spontaneousely decided to integrate them into my planned courgette-and-mushroom-side-vegetables. I seasoned them just very subtly, added some olive oil, and after simmering everything for a very short while, the result was surprisingly tasty! Also, peeling the tomatoes turned out less troublesome than I had imagined – after dipping them into some boiling water the skin comes off almost by itself.
I was so delighted that I soon went out to buy some more tasty tomatoes (I recently found a little stand at Viktualienmarkt selling vegetables from their own farm – particularly their tomatoes and aubergines are amazing!), and continued experimenting with the recipe. Variations to this are countless, but anyway, the following is what came out last weekend. The veal filet is totally optional and can be replaced by anything, or simply left away; but what I really like is the combination of this kind of ratatouille with rice – the tomatoes leave a lot of liquid, which, mixed into the rice, tastes just gorgeous…
Finely Spiced Ratatouille with Rice and Veal Filet
| serves 4 |
for the vegetable stew |
| 6 ripe and tasty tomatoes |
| 2 very small or 1 very big aubergine |
| 2 courgettes |
| 300g mushrooms |
| 1 or 2 dents of garlic |
| 1 organic vegetable stock cube |
| a pinch of "café de paris" spice mixture |
| a tiny little pinch of cumin |
to go with (optional/can be varied) |
| 400g long grain rice, parboiled |
| 1-2 stock cubes (organic) for the rice |
4-8 medaillons of veal fillet |
| some oil for frying |
First start boiling the rice (ratio of rice to water 1:2) using 1 or 2 (ideally orgaic – tastes better!) veggie stock cubes (to taste). The cooking should take about 20 minutes – perfect timing to prepare the ratatouille in the meantime.
To peel the tomatoes, first place them in a bowl and pour some boiling water over them. Take them out, rinse with cold water so you don’t burn yourself when you touch them, then rip off the skin (it should come off very easily now). Cut the tomatoes into little pieces (getting rid of the hard bits where the stem was attached) and gently sweat them in a bit of olive oil. Add 1 or 2 mashed toes of garlic as well as an organic vegetable stock cube (alternatively, just season to taste with salt), cover with a lid and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
Wash and slice the aubergines, the courgettes as well as the mushrooms, and very slightly salt the former two. Add all the vegetables to the tomato sauce, close the lid again and let simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Season with a pinch of "café de paris" spice mixture (alternatively some mild curry powder, or just some cardamon) and a tiny little bit of cumin (should not stand out!). To serve, the vegetables should be soft but not "boiled into submission"!
As for the veal filet, simply sear the medaillons for 1-2 minutes on each side (varies according to thickness of the pieces, and your taste, of course). Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with the vegetable stew and the rice.
| Suggestions for Starters |
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