For the Love of Tomatoes
— May 15th, 2021
On the outskirts of Latte, a small village in the South of France, a man named Eric Pedebas grows tomatoes. He calls himself the Tomatologue. At one time he had an annual tomato festival, and I was able to taste some of his tomatoes from the vast greenhouses where he grows thousands of varieties, hundreds at a time. They range from the size of a berry to clusters of large lobed fruits. Varied in color from almost white through yellows and orange to bright red, some are striped with green or splashed with dark purple, some nearly black. All of them are carefully selected for their flavor as well as beauty because he is, after all, French.
Last spring I bought seeds and started seedlings in my New York apartment window. But to grow, tomato plants need to be outside in full sun, so I sent the plants off with my daughter Cloe, who during the pandemic, wasstaying mostly upstate with outdoor space.
In April of 2020, I let Cloe know I had repotted the biggest tomato plants.
I tell her I will give her 2 clay pots with transplanted tomato plants. In May they are on her porch. She asks me about watering, and I tell her to wait just until the soil is beginning to dry. If the leaves start to wilt it’s too long.
They are healthy.
In September Cloe and Jillian take a cross country trip, masked and mostly camping with an occasional AirB&B. They meet friends along the way for hikes in masks outdoors, and socially distanced picnics. Cloe brings one beautiful tomato along to ripen in a paper bag as they go.
She sends this photo, “The one tomato from our plant that we brought across the country is still ripening!”
And finally, despite the slightly crinkly skin -
Here is something I like to do with Tomatoes:
When you don’t have homegrown or greenmarket tomatoes, or it’s out of season, this is a way to make a wonderful tomato sauce:
Caramelized Tomato Sauce
¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled, central stems removed, thinly sliced
½ t. red chili flakes (optional)
3 (28-oz.) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed with clean hands
2 sprigs basil, 1 bay leaf, or a few sprigs of fresh thyme (optional to taste)
1 T. kosher salt a few coarse grinds of black pepper
In a large, straight-sided pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the sliced garlic and cook slowly over low heat until it’s softened and beginning to get just lightly golden. Add the chili flakes if you like a little heat and cook 30 seconds.
Add the tomatoes to the pot, crushing them with your hands, one by one, along with juices, any herbs if you are using them, and salt and pepper.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook covered, until sauce is a bit thickened, and the tomatoes have mostly fallen apart, about 30 to 40 minutes. (Adjust the heat as needed to keep at a steady simmer.) Then remove the sauce from the stove and put the pot, uncovered, into a preheated 375º oven for 1 ½ hours to reduce and caramelize, discarding the basil, bay leaf or thyme sprigs afterwards. (If your pot has handles that are not metal, be sure to cover them with foil before the pot goes into the oven so they won’t be damaged). I usually let the whole thing cool in the oven once the heat is turned off.
Later Cloe sends me this video, “Check out this YouTube video without words made by this 30-year-old woman in rural China. Fascinating to me that this is so popular! It’s really meditative and beautiful.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL1tDfWDbsA&t=58s
Me: “Wow, I love it. What do you think she puts in the thickened Red Sapphire Tomato Sauce? Looks incredible and what a beautiful farm! Interesting how they don’t show the scores of people who must be working behind the scenes.”
Cloe: “It’s beautiful, right? No idea what those ingredients are -”
Me: “Everything looks maintained with care and attention to how it’s grown, how it’s harvested. The containers and tools are beautiful and ways of washing, preparing and cooking. This film is about what makes me feel cooking is a fundamental practice that keeps us connected to the earth and to each other. Not that one is always aware of it, but whenever possible, it’s grounding and helps me focus on what counts — part of the process of being present. Like meditation for many people.”
Cloe: “Totally agree — this pandemic is the first time I really got to feel that meditative connection to cooking.”
Me: “You know, I think that may be true for lots of people who are cooking more. As for the Red Sapphire Tomatoes, I really think they might be thickened with pectin so that it is like jam. Might be good, but I think I prefer them roasted and naturally thickened because the water has evaporated with the heat. And with olive oil.”
In winter, cherry tomatoes work well:
Use a preheated skillet and add a few tablespoons of olive oil and several strands of thyme plus a tablespoon of salt. Let it sputter a bit, then add 4 pints of washed, ripe cherry tomatoes shaken dry in a colander. Keep the heat medium high while you preheat the oven to 375º stirring now and then. It’s fine to get a little char on them. Then roast the tomatoes in the skillet for about 40 minutes or until the tops are slightly charred, then stir and roast for up to another 40 minutes. There should be very little watery liquid at that point. If there is give it more time. Then turn off the heat and let them cool inside the oven. They are so delicious that way and they keep refrigerated till you can finish them. They are especially good just like that with angel hair pasta and a little parmesan.
And another way of roasting larger tomatoes in Summer:
Preheat the oven to 400º
Use 5 or 6 ripe tomatoes on the larger side and a few smaller cocktail-size tomatoes. The kind you can find in clusters with the stem attached work really well.
Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Cut the washed and dried tomatoes in half across the center (not through the stem). Add a layer of olive oil to the bottom of the hot skillet. Place the tomatoes cut side down until all the space is filled and cook them undisturbed for about 15 minutes so the cut side begins to get browned. You may have to shift a few around to fit all of them cut side down to brown. Those that cook faster can be flipped over and put on top of the ones still cooking to make room for those that don’t fit at first. Shut the heat and turn over all the tomatoes, one by one, and fit them into one layer. Sprinkle them on the cut side with coarse sea salt and thyme leaves. Place the whole thing in the oven for 40 minutes or until they look cooked and slightly drier. You can serve these directly from the skillet. The tomato flavor is really intensified this way.
