Tomato Recipes - Don't Waste

On the tables of Italians, and in the Mediterranean diet more generally, recipes with tomatoes There are plenty of them, especially in the summer. The true kings of spring/summer tables, the undisputed protagonists of fresh and flavorful recipes so typical of Italian cuisine, they are a healthy, economical, and tasty food. rich in water and vitamins, with thirst-quenching and detoxifying properties: in a word, the ideal food for summer dishes. Let's learn to use them to prepare different dishes every day, avoiding limiting ourselves to the classic salad or sauce for dressing spaghetti.

Index of topics

Greek salad

Let's try them with feta, onion, cucumbers and black olives for a very fresh Greek saladSimply cut everything into small pieces, combine the ingredients in a glass container and season with extra virgin olive oil, a drizzle of salt and pepper and, to finish it all off, a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Tomato and mozzarella salad

The Caprese saladA delicious dish that takes just a few minutes to prepare and is perfect, especially during the summer, when we don't feel like cooking. The added bonus is the use of buffalo mozzarella instead of fiordilatte.

Tomato puree

Simple and genuine, more than a dish it is a summer ritual for many families, who prepare the tomato puree To preserve it for fall and winter. We choose cherry tomatoes for this preserve, as they're the most suitable, and use vegetable broth and parsley among the ingredients. And let's not forget the basil.

papa al pomodoro

La tomato soup It's a great alternative to the classic first course: it's traditional, wholesome, and flavorful, and it helps us avoid wasting leftovers. One of its basic ingredients is stale bread. Both mint and basil are excellent for garnishing the dish and adding extra flavor.

Frise and panzanella

Let's try to prepare some frise and friselle or stale bread variants For a classic panzanella: soften the friselle or bread with a little water, adjusting the amount depending on how soft you want it, and season with chopped tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. With a little imagination, you can quickly transform this tomato-based dish into a tasty one-dish meal, adding tuna, hard-boiled egg, anchovies or mozzarellaThe ideal dish to enjoy after a long, tiring day at the beach!

Gazpacho

Il gazpacho It's a refreshing traditional Spanish dish, perfect for a healthy and flavorful appetizer. It's quick and easy to prepare and will please both adults and children. The secret? A good amount of olive oil and half a Tropea onion.

Tomato juice

A refreshing, invigorating drink packed with vitamins. Perfect for an alcohol-free aperitif or as a smoothie for a snack. Add two teaspoons of lemon juice and celery to garnish. tomato juice which can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Green tomato jam

La green tomato jam It's a perfect "don't waste" recipe, made using tomatoes grown in the garden that never ripened and therefore remained green. It's perfect on a cheese platter, but it's also original and tasty as a filling for cakes and pies.

Vegetable stock with tomato

For this recipe we got help from Lisa casali. The homemade stock cube It is made according to the principles of sustainable cooking: based on vegetables and salt, it is made using waste and has significantly lower environmental costs than industrially produced products. Furthermore, there is no paper packaging and aluminum to be disposed of. To prepare the nut At home, you should use seasonal vegetables, preferably from organic or biodynamic farming. Since stock cubes are a concentrate of vegetables, it is particularly important that they do not contain any pesticide residues or synthetic nitratesDepending on the quantity you decide to prepare, you can decide whether to use only scraps or not. The technique underlying this recipe is drying, an ancient technique useful for preserving foods but also for transforming them into flavorful concentrates. Dried products take up less than half the space of fresh ones and can be stored for several months at room temperature, in glass jars or vacuum-packed.

Ingredients

carrot peels
celery leaves
outer leaves and roots of onion
tomato peels
pepper peels
rosemary, basil, parsley
1 clove of garlic
coarse salt (half the weight of the vegetables you will use)
2 tablespoons of white wine
pepper

Preparation

Stew the vegetables in a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, herbs, coarse salt (half the weight of the vegetables) and pepper;
Moisten with 2 tablespoons of white wine and 1/2 glass of cooking water (alternatively, simple water or leftover broth);
If you have them in the kitchen, you can also add some seaweed which will make your stock cube tastier;
Once all the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are cooked, place them in the dehydrator (in the sun, in a home dehydrator or in the oven);
Let the vegetables dry until they have completely lost moisture (in the sun they will also need two days, in the home dryer 6 hours, while in the oven at 100° C should be sufficient 3 hours)
Once the vegetables are completely dried, blend them until you have a fine powder.

Due to the high salt content, this stock cube will keep for up to 6 months at room temperature in a closed container. glass jars (up to a year if stored under vacuum).

Recipes with tomatoes: the best