LOTS of cherry tomatoes...

M

munchiegirl

Enthusiast Member
my MIL is leaving on a trip and gave me most of the proceeds from her garden: lots of yellow and red cherry tomatoes.

The jalepenos I can candy, so I don't have a problem with them.

Can anyone give me an idea of what to do with all these cherry tomatoes? I've poured over my canning booked, and can't find anything on them.

Thank you for help!

 
Cherry tomatoes work nicely as a pasta sauce, like this one which calls for

roasting them first. I've made this dish a few times, changing up the ingredients called for like...using different fresh herbs, different cheese. One time I omitted the capers and another time omitted the pine nuts. You really can't go wrong, just roast your tomatoes and proceed with making a nice sauce to top your pasta.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pasta-with-Kalamata-Olives-and-Roasted-Cherry-Tomato-Sauce-106310

 
Cherry Tomato Appetizers - from my to-try list:

CHERRY TOMATO APPETIZERS

40 cherry tomatoes
7 1/2 ounces tuna
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons onions, grated
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream, to moisten (about)

Cut thin slice from stem end of each tomato. (one reviewer cut from the opposite end).
Remove pulp, and invert on paper towel to drain.
Combine all other ingredients to form a creamy consistency.
Stuff tomatoes using a small spoon.
Garnish with parsley.
Make ahead and chill.

40 appetizers

http://www.recipezaar.com/55086

 
Jamie Oliver's Best Pasta Salad

JAMIE OLIVER'S BEST PASTA SALAD

* 11 ounces small shell pasta
* 3 garlic cloves
* 9 ounces yellow cherry tomatoes
* 9 ounces cherry tomatoes
* 1/2 cup black olives, pitted
* 2 tablespoons fresh chives
* 1/4 cup fresh basil
* 1 medium cucumber
* 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
* 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* sea salt
* fresh ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
2. Throw in the pasta and garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes or until al dente, and drain.
3. Put the garlic to one side for the dressing.
4. Put the pasta in a bowl.
5. Chop the tomatoes, olives, chives, basil and cucumber into pieces about half the size of the pasta and add to the bowl.
6. Squash the garlic cloves out of their skins and pound in a pestle and mortar.
7. Add the vinegar, oil and seasoning.
8. Drizzle this over the salad, adding a little more seasoning to taste.

SERVES 6

http://www.recipezaar.com/Jamie-Olivers-Best-Pasta-Salad-39345

 
Garlicky Cherry Tomato and Bread Gratin - Jacques Pepin

GARLICKY CHERRY TOMATO AND BREAD GRATIN

The cherry tomatoes in Jacques Pépin's simple gratin add color to a winter menu and hold their shape well during cooking.

Ingredients

One 5-ounce piece of day-old French baguette with crust, cut into 1-inch cubes (5 cups)
1 1/2 pounds small cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly oil a 10-inch ceramic quiche dish. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, parsley, Parmesan and salt and pepper. Scrape the mixture into the baking dish and bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes, or until the bread cubes are browned and crisp and the tomatoes are very tender. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SERVINGS: 6

By Jacques Pepin - Food & Wine - Editor’s Picks - Published January 2004

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/garlicky-cherry-tomato-and-bread-gratin

 
yum. this makes me think that adding some cherry tomatoes to a strata dish would be lovely too

 
And you can can them just like other tomatoes. Here is another idea

I always have homemade pesto around- or pesto from Costco- and for a quick salad side I cut cherry tomatoes in half, add thinly sliced onion and toss with pesto. Delicious. I put on the plate with steak or whatever- it takes five minutes to make.

 
I would definitely do some as oven-dried....

... just rub a little bit of olive oil (very little), a kiss of balsamic vinegar, and let them be in a slow oven for a long long time until they turn into candy smileys/wink.gif

That will shrink their volume quite a bit, and they freeze well

 
I second this idea. I dried a bunch of currant tomatoes one year

only I didn't use any olive oil or vinegar, just plain, and kept them in a canning jar in my cupboard. It was great to have them on hand for recipes calling for dried tomatoes.

 
How long did you roast them , Dawn? They must not have had much moisture to

keep them in the cupboard? I have lots of regular tomatoes that I have to save. Thanks!

 
Depending on how much moisture they have...

.... it can take over 2 hours, but to be honest, I don't even keep close track of the time. Usually I do that on a Saturday or Sunday morning, very low oven, and forget about them

since I freeze the leftovers, I don't mind if they are not totally dry.

With normal tomatoes, I cut them in large pieces, and I've also done that with good quality canned tomatoes (believe it or not!) and they turn out great too

 
Dawn, do you get the Penzey's catalog? This recipe for Fresh Tomato Sauce is in the Fall issue.

I couldn't find it at there site.

You could make and freeze.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Beth notes, "I add meatballs and sliced mushrooms after the first 1/2 hour if I'm serving it immediately. If I freeze the sauce, I add them after thawing. I serve over capellini (angel hair) pasta. With a tossed salad and some crusty bread it is a favorite meal with my family."

2 large onions, chopped
2-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
5 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped (6-8 large tomatoes)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tblsp sweet paprika
1 tsp dried basil
1-2 tblsp Turkish oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4-1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 6-oz cans tomato paste

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Stir in tomato paste. heat slowly, stirring often. Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 30 minutes. Add the cooked meatballs and continue cooking for 15 additional minutes.

Beth Cummings, Penzeys Spices Magazine Fall 2010

 
Thanks - this will be good for when I want to make sauce

(and no, I don't get the catalog, so thanks for the recipe)

 
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