Cooking with Tomatoes out of Season

[OliverB]

somewhat timely, Ruhlman is talking about tomato sauce on his blog, he suggests to roast fresh tomatoes first if there's time, to give more depth to the flavor. that reminded me of an article I read a while ago, that suggested to do the same if all you can get is out of season blah red globes but you want/need to make a fresh (not canned) sauce or what have you. It suggested to roast them cut in half with some olive oil, with some sugar sprinkled on, salt, pepper or garlic or oregano if you want to go that direction. I did it once quite a while ago, and things turned out great, really makes a difference.

This also brings to mind, I never cook with the wonderful heirloom tomatoes I can get at the market in season, they are always eaten as salad, caprese, uncooked on a pizza (added once out of the oven) etc. I believe using great tasting tomatoes in a sauce etc is a waste (and costs way too much!) unless I get to harvest at my inlaws where it's free. Great tomatoes are pretty expensive, 2.50 to 3.- easy while in season, more at Whole Foods etc.

For making sauce, pasta or pizza, I usually use canned.

[DaveJes1979]

At home I really only use tomatoes for spaghetti, and I usually use some combination of canned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes grown in Mexico during winter.

What interests me, however, is what restaurants do to cope during winter. I made a reservation yesterday for Scarpetta (the Beverly Hills one) and was surprised when the hostess told me they were offering the spaghetti w/ tomatoes and basil. Wow, in early March. I'll be very curious to see how it tastes. I wonder if those guys ship the tomatoes in from South America via overnight air or something.

[heidih]

What interests me, however, is what restaurants do to cope during winter. I made a reservation yesterday for Scarpetta (the Beverly Hills one) and was surprised when the hostess told me they were offering the spaghetti w/ tomatoes and basil. Wow, in early March. I'll be very curious to see how it tastes. I wonder if those guys ship the tomatoes in from South America via overnight air or something.

I haver had a few hot house tomatoes this year that had at least the acidity and texture of a summer goody but not the aroma and sweetness. If the sourcing is stellar I can see the possibility.

[David Ross]

An interesting point that hasnt been raised is this. During the Harvard Lecture series, Grant Achtaz mentioned about if you were given an amazing fresh out of the garden tomato, and then given a nasty old Hothouse tomato, but were given something to smell while eating it (in this case freshly cut grass). Could you still notice a massive difference in taste? Its something that Im fascinated with, as we eat more with our nose than our mouth, and yet theres a very small number of chefs doing anything gastronomically on that level.

Just a thought.

alexP

While the sense of smell may be the primary facet of our overall sensory experiences, one could argue that strong scents like fresh-cut grass could overpower the subtle aroma, (and consequently the taste), of a fresh, local, seasonal tomato. I agree that innovative Chefs like Grant could find a measure of success in experimenting with "enhancing" the flavor of a local, seasonal tomato by first presenting the diner with the scent of the Earth from which the tomato was grown. Yes, that would be an interesting concept to explore and to compare the local tomato to the super-hydro-flavorless tomato.

In the end, it seems to me that one shouldn't have to resort to experimentation in either masking or enhancing any sense to replicate what Mother Nature gives us naturally each season.

[AAQuesada]

@ Dave -Prolly Santa Monica or BH FM.. I'd hazard a guess of Wong farms. Not great but pretty good grown hydroponic in the desert

Arturo

Edited March 8, 2011 by AAQuesada (log)

[SobaAddict70]

If I use tomatoes out of season, they're usually canned whole tomatoes. But I don't stop there.

I slice them in half, dot each with a scant pinch of salt, pepper and a tiny bit of sugar, add some slivered garlic and chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil, then roast them for 8 to 9 hours at 200 F.

They become almost as good as in-season toms.

Almost.

[Emily_R]

While generally I don't buy many tomatoes out of season, lately I have found that the "Kumato" tomatoes -- they are brown tomatoes about the size of tomatoes "on the vine" -- are quite good. Nice acid / sweet balance, good juicy texture... While sure they're not a peak of the summer tomato, they do nicely in a salad, or chopped up in guacamole, or on a sandwich, etc.

[DickL]

Has anyone tried the "heirloom" tomatoes out of season? I saw some last week (around March 19) in the Northbrook, IL, Sunset market. They looked okay, but they were expensive (I forget exactly, but I think 3.49 or 3.99/pound).

[SusieQ]

Has anyone tried the "heirloom" tomatoes out of season? I saw some last week (around March 19) in the Northbrook, IL, Sunset market. They looked okay, but they were expensive (I forget exactly, but I think 3.49 or 3.99/pound).

Wow, I was surprised to see them here but not surprised at the price. They were $5/lb. at one of the local Metropolitan Markets a few days ago. They looked nice but I thought, how can they taste any good at this time of year? I don't think I've ever seen heirloom tomatoes around here so early

[SusieQ]

Grow some indoors. They can look nice too.

dcarch

---

[beautiful photos deleted)

---

Wow, you make it look easy (and beautiful!). What an inspiration -- thanks!