Tomato
Sweet and juicy cherry tomatoes like Gardeners Delight are perfect for salads, but also work well in quickly cooked light pasta dishes.
Classic Tomato Salad
Chop 1kg cherry tomatoes into halfs/quarters depending on size, then toss in a colander with a generous pinch of salt. Be bold with the salt. Most of it will wash away, but in doing so it will intensify the tomato flavours.
Meanwhile make the dressing from 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 2tbsp balsamic vinegar, one finely chopped garlic clove and one chilli deseeded and finely chopped.
Coat the tomatoes in the dressing and sprinkle with torn basil or dried oregano.
Delicious served with ciabatta and a few mozzarella balls.
Cherry Tomato Pasta for four
Put 500g of penne or fusilli on to cook.
Meanwhile melt 75g butter in a frying pan on a very low heat. Take off the heat and add 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar along with a mixture of freshly chopped leafy herbs like basil, parsley, oregano or chervil. Then add 500g cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped. Stir with a wooden spoon, pressing down on the tomatoes to release their juice. Just heat it through gently. Over-so it and you'll destroy the flavours coming from your herbs.
Season with salt and pepper and spoon over the pasta when it has cooked. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve with lots of freshly grated parmesan. Add a little of the pasta cooking water if it's looking dry.
Bloody Mary
Your sweet cherry tomatoes will make a delicious bloody mary.
Blitz the tomatoes in a blender with a some finely chopped chilli or few drops of tabasco, a dash of Worcestershire Sauce, a little salt and plenty of vodka. Cut a cucumber into sections lengthways for a great stirrer and garnish.