I actually don't like to eat raw tomatoes. The local tomatoes either taste sour or bland but at least cherry tomatoes are a bit more tolerable. So, I try to include them (into my diet) whenever I'm making salads as I know the health benefits of eating tomatoes. Plus, the bright red and yellow offers a burst of colour and make the salads that much more appealing to eat.
But I can only tolerate 3 or 4 cherry tomatoes in each serving of salad (and each packet of fresh greens is only good for two servings), so I always end up with extras and I don't know what to do with them. I would, over the next few days, try to pop the cherry tomatoes into my mouth like I'm popping a grape but, let's face it, they don't taste as good as grapes! >_<
And before I know it, the unfinished cherry tomatoes would look like this....all wrinkly and past its prime! :P That's when they could end up being discarded as they're all soft and mushy...and no longer all that nice to eat fresh anymore.
But that was before I discovered that I could 'save' them by turning them into delicious Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. Roasting makes them shrivel up anyway, so starting with wrinkled tomatoes isn't necessarily a disaster.
All that you have to do is season the cherry tomatoes with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Pour a good glug of olive oil over it and, if you have at your disposal, sprinkle some dried (or fresh) parsley over them as well.
Bake at 200°C until they get all wrinkled and shrunken! ;) It should be done in 20 minutes (or 30 minutes if you like a bit more charring on the tomatoes).
I was pleasantly surprised just how juicy and tasty they were as a result of the roasting which brought out the sweetness in them. They're not as acidic as they're eaten raw and so much more easier to ingest, in my opinion, for those who don't like the sharp acidity in tomatoes. Now, why didn't I think of this sooner?
For someone who has never been a fan of fresh tomatoes, I'm now a fan of roasted tomatoes. I'm happy that I've discovered this way of cooking them...and by that, I don't mean to wait for the tomatoes to get all wrinkly (haha!). Now I can have my tomatoes...and enjoy eating them unlike before! ;P
I eat them all the time now...it makes an easy-to-cook, simple side of vegetables for any roasted chicken.
Since then, I've been able to 'down' tomatoes with greater ease....and the best thing is they don't have to go to waste once they're past their prime. You can, of course, make them with fresh tomatoes! ;)
For those of you who dislike eating raw tomatoes, try this method of cooking them and you'll be duly converted to like them as tomatoes develop sweetness when heat is applied.
I make these juicy, sweet, slightly smoky-flavoured Roasted Cherry Tomatoes all the time now and add them to my salads or have them as a side dish with my mains.
I've never looked at tomatoes the same ever again...and, best of all, no tomatoes get wasted or thrown away these days! :P
I recall reading somewhere that heating tomatoes actually helps to release more of their vitamins so cooking tomatoes is the way to go!
ReplyDeleteMore vitamins after cooking? That's good to know.
DeleteI don't have this problem as my girl like to eat fresh cherry tomatoes as snack!
ReplyDeleteThat's great. I think yours is the first kid I've come across who likes to eat raw tomatoes...even adults don't like it...haha! ;D
Deletehee..hee... I do the same thing! Two other ways I dispose of them - throw into the pot when I am cooking curry or soup. Honestly, I am also not a fan of raw tomatoes. I only add them in salads because they look good.
ReplyDeleteMe and you...we think...and do the same things! ;) Well, I can't get rid of them in curries (since I don't cook curries)..and I feel "sayang" to add cherry tomatoes to soups (those I'd use our cheap local tomatoes)...hehehe! ^_*
DeleteFor many years I could not understand how the Mat Sallehs could eat & chew the tomatoes like eating delicious apples. When I got the rare chance to eat real American and Japanese grown tomatoes, my opinion changed. They were sweeter with very different texture. Just like Thai and Malaysian durians matter on its smell and texture.
ReplyDeleteI also have disliking to eat raw tomatoes here unless I cooked or baked them with other meat. Tomatoes are very important for men to prevent prostate cancer. So I must follow your recipe ideas to roast them with herbs!!
You must eat more tomatoes then. Yup, the imported tomatoes taste so much better than our crappy local ones, especially those cherry tomatoes, tomatoes on the vine and elongated roma tomatoes. I've yet to taste heirloom tomatoes and those cute pear-shaped tomatoes I've seen on TV.
Deletecan't go wrong with adding a bit of smokiness to the sweetness of cherry tomatoes! and then, you could serve this for dessert: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/tomato-raspberry-granita :D
ReplyDeleteYou always think of some out-of-the-norm recipes to do with a certain ingredient that we wouldn't even imagine :)
Deletetomatoes are actually more nutritious when cooked.....grilled dried tomatoes can last a long time in the fridge and pack a punch in soups
ReplyDelete