There has been a subtle change of step. Spiky dahlias in carnival colours have replaced the pink roses in the jam jar on the kitchen table and the broad beans have made way for climbing beans as thin and crisp as pencils. But it is the tomato that has been at the heart of this week’s cooking. Golden fruits barely larger than sweets; pointy, tough-skinned plum tomatoes and round, green-shouldered fruit of dazzling acidity.
The plum tomatoes were the first to catch my eye. A cooking fruit, their depth of flavour only becomes apparent when they meet the heat of the oven or hob, their thick walls keeping their shape better than any other variety when baked. The generosity of seeds and pulp, when removed with a teaspoon, leaves ample room for a stuffing of rice and mint or fat balls of couscous with soft spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
I made a sauce for the tomatoes with mustard seeds and garlic, turmeric and chillies. The heat of the spices, softened by coconut cream, produced a sauce the colour of terracotta. The fruit was both filled and surrounded with the spiced coconut sauce, giving the impression of something that had been cooked lovingly, for hours. In fact, it took little more than an hour from start to finish. This is a dish that benefits from being eaten warm rather than hot.
When I picked up the plum tomatoes I couldn’t help putting a punnet of cherry toms in my bag as well. Tight-skinned and turmeric-hued, many were eaten as I unpacked the shopping, but I saved enough to cover a ricotta tart.
Baked tomatoes with ginger and coconut
There is a generous amount of sauce here that I like to ladle into the baking dish, then spoon it over the tomatoes at the table. We soaked up the spice-flecked sauce with flatbread warmed in the oven while the tomatoes were resting.
Serves 4
onions 2, medium
groundnut oil 2 tbsp
mustard seeds 1 tsp
garlic 3 cloves
ginger 3cm piece
chilli 1, red and medium hot
red or orange peppers 2
cherry tomatoes 20
ground turmeric 1 tsp
plum tomatoes 8, large
coconut cream 160ml
mint leaves 12
Peel and roughly chop the onions. Warm the groundnut oil in a deep saucepan over moderate heat then add the mustard seeds and let them cook for a minute or two, without letting them colour. Stir in the onions, letting them soften and giving them the occasional stir, while you peel and slice the garlic, peel and finely shred the ginger and finely chop the chilli.
Stir the garlic, ginger and chilli into the onions and continue cooking until the onions are honey coloured and translucent. Core and thinly slice the peppers and stir in. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Cook over a moderate heat, with the occasional stir, until the pepper starts to soften, then stir in the ground turmeric and the cherry tomatoes.
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Remove a slice from one side of each of the plum tomatoes (or the top if you are using large vine tomatoes), then scoop out the seeds and core from each tomato to give a deep hollow. Place the tomatoes in a baking dish. Finely chop the filling you have removed, discarding any tough cores as you go, and stir into the onions.
When the mixture has cooked down to a soft, brightly coloured mush, stir in the coconut cream, bring to the boil, season with salt, then remove from the heat.
Fill the hollowed-out tomatoes with the sauce, spooning any extra around them in the dish. Bake for 40 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and fragrant. Scatter with mint leaves and serve.
Tomato and ricotta tart
The lightness of ricotta, the soft texture and gentle flavour, sets it apart from other cheeses. Introduce a beaten egg, pepper and a little grated parmesan and you have a filling for rolled pancakes, a light cheese custard for pastry tarts or a delicate pudding.
Serves 6
puff pastry 325g
ricotta 400g
garlic 1 large clove
parmesan 50g
basil leaves 50g
parsley leaves 20g
eggs 2, lightly beaten
cream 150ml
plain flour 2 heaped tbsp
cherry tomatoes 400g
You will also need a rectangular baking tin (a swiss roll tin) measuring 20cm x 30cm.
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6 and place a baking sheet in the oven. This will help the pastry to bake crisply.
Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured board and line the base and sides of a shallow, rectangular baking sheet, 20cm by 30cm.
Put the ricotta in a bowl, season with freshly ground black pepper. Peel the garlic, then add a large pinch of salt and pound to a paste using a pestle and mortar, then add to the ricotta. Finely grate the parmesan. Remove the basil leaves from their stems, finely chop them with the parsley and add, together with the parmesan, to the ricotta. Stir in the 2 lightly beaten eggs, then the cream and flour.
Spread the ricotta mixture over the pastry in the baking tin and smooth the surface. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, then arrange them, cut side up, on top of the tart. Place the tart on top of the heated baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the tart has puffed up. It may seem a little soft in the middle. Leave the tart to settle for 20 minutes before slicing.
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