• veronicafrance on August 25, 2014

  This book is such a godsend for a tomato glut. We had almost nothing in the larder yesterday, but we did have eggs and a pile of ripe, home-grown tomatoes. I made the tomato frittata -- so simple, but delicious with its combination of very lightly cooked tomato and cold tomato concassé piled on top of the cooked omelette with a dollop of crème fraîche.

• Breadcrumbs on September 01, 2013

  OSSO BUCO ALLA MILANESE – p. 297 – We love Italian food and I’ve made a number of variations of this dish over the years but this one wins top marks for being our absolute favourite. It produces an absolutely fabulous finished dish. The gremolata is a must, it’s a perfect accompaniment to the Osso Buco as its tang balances the richness of the dish.

• Breadcrumbs on September 01, 2013

  BALSAMIC TOMATO CHICKEN WITH BASIL – p.280 – “Fabulous, one of my favourites” is what’s written in faded ink in my cookbook! This is a delicious, versatile dish where butter is combined to a balsamic tomato sauce. This softens and rounds out the flavours in the dish and it always surprised me how the butter works its magic. We love this atop pasta or rice. This is a special dish where the result is far greater than the sum of its parts.

• Breadcrumbs on September 01, 2013

  TONNARELLI WITH ROCKET, TOMATOES AND SHAVED PARMESAN – p. 221 – This is a perfect “Friday night” meal for summertime. A super-simple, incredibly delicious no cook recipe that comes together in the time it takes to cook your pasta. Parmesan is shaved into a warm serving dish then topped with baby arugula (or watercress), evoo and chopped fresh from the vine plum tomatoes. One the pasta is cooked and drained it’s added to the dish and the ingredients are tossed, seasoned and served. I’ve used all different types of tomatoes over the years and the results have always been wonderful. Highly recommend this dish.

• Breadcrumbs on September 01, 2013

  MAJORCAN TOMATO BREAD – p.70 – Another dish that unfailingly delights in its simplicity and the quality of the ingredients you use. Thinly sliced tomatoes are placed atop the Crostini then pressed down slightly. Tomatoes are then drizzled w evoo and a few drops of red wine vinegar or balsamic then topped w a mixture of chopped capers and olives. Simple, delicious and a family favourite.

• Breadcrumbs on September 01, 2013

  CATALAN TOMATO BREAD – pgs. 68 – 70 – The author invests time in explaining the origin of this dish and shares excerpts from Colman Andrews book on Catalan Cuisine. This is the perfect dish to make when big juicy tomatoes are super-ripe on the vine as it’s the pulpy juices of the fruit that coats your Crostini as you rub the tomato and gently squeeze it as you drag it across the bread. We enjoy all variations topped with anchovy, prosciutto or black forest ham.

• Breadcrumbs on September 01, 2013

  ROAST TOMATO HALVES, ROAST TOMATOES, SLOW-ROAST TOMATOES, ROAST BEEF TOMATOES, ROAST VINE TOMATOES, SEARED AND ROASTED TOMATOES, BAKED TOMATOES WITH OREGANO, TOMATO DISKS – Pgs 22 – 29 – I’ve been delighting in all these recipes over the years and guests are always amazed how such a simple fruit transforms to something simply spectacular simply by roasting. Instead of thyme I tend to use basil in these dishes and often, a small dollop of freshly picked and crushed garlic. The aromas of garlicky tomatoes roasting in my oven is a sure sign it’s summer!

• Breadcrumbs on September 01, 2013

  I'd like to echo the accolades of those who have posted before me here; this is a lovely book and certainly one that I inevitably rely upon during the summer months in particular when vine-ripened tomatoes are abundant. It was this book that first taught me the joy of slow-roasted tomatoes and I no longer need to turn to the pages of variations in the book as I’ve committed them all to memory from years of relying on them through the summer. I also enjoy the author’s writing and delight in those recipes accompanied by a note explaining the origin of the dish or where she first encountered it. This book is a treasure, especially if you are a tomato lover. I’ll post some of my favourite dishes as separate notes so that I can easily spot them until this book gets indexed. Fingers crossed!!

• veronicafrance on September 01, 2013

  Tomato and lemon jam: Page 321. Made with a glut of very ripe tomatoes. The quantity given makes two small jars. Mine turned out a bit cloudy, I think because some of them were plum tomatoes. Previously when I've made red tomato jam, it has turned out a lovely translucent red. It tends to be over-sweet, but the lemon helps with that. I added a bay leaf and cardamom. Planning to try it with some goat's cheese.

• veronicafrance on August 30, 2013

  Shame this book isn't indexed yet. The arrabiata sauce is very good. Simple and authentic. I used a little squirt of harissa instead of chilli. Served with pasta -- I used her idea of topping it with crème fraîche and chopped basil instead of cheese, and really liked it.

• Hellyloves2cook on April 03, 2013

  Pg 48 CHILLED ROAST TOMATO SOUP WITH ANGOSTURA Delicious and creamy taste to it- very smooth.needed more water to let it down with however. Is quite thick. Served with sour cream and a splash of angostura bitters. Didn't have the chives to hand to add.

• Hellyloves2cook on May 06, 2012

  Pg 24 Slow Roasted Tomatoes- a great way to have tomatoes in/ with a salad. The tomato flavour is enhanced and they still retain a moistness - not dry and chewy at all.Nicer eaten at room temperature.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Tomato frittata

  • veronicafrance on July 17, 2018

    Made this again with the first home-grown tomatoes -- so delicious, and made in minutes. 10/10 on effort vs results. This time for diet reasons I used fromage blanc instead of creme fraiche and it was just as good.

• Fresh tomato clafoutis

  • veronicafrance on August 27, 2016

    This was really delicious, and so easy to make. I did fiddle with the recipe; I had four large, very ripe tomatoes that can't have weighed more than 500 grams in total, and I used three (admittedly small) eggs and two egg yolks. A kilo of tomatoes and just two eggs and two egg yolks seemed a bit odd to me. Also I didn't have any thyme so I used freshly picked basil. This made more than enough for a main course for two people.

• Tomato sauce with Marsala

  • veronicafrance on July 16, 2015

    A nice idea but I think the amount of Marsala is a bit excessive. I used PX instead of Marsala because, well, PX. It's not sweeter than Marsala, but it seemed a bit overpowering. I'd use just a tablespoon if I made it again. A good alternative might be a glug of balsamic vinegar.

• Grilled tomato casarecce with pesto

  • veronicafrance on July 28, 2017

    Another brilliant quick and easy pasta recipe -- I can't get enough of them. I used bought pesto rather than making it, so the sauce was done in the time it took to cook the pasta. All you do is grill your tomatoes and toss them together with pasta, balsamic vinegar, and pesto. Add Parmesan and enjoy.

• Roasted and raw tomato sauce

  • veronicafrance on August 07, 2017

    This was OK but nothing special. My tomatoes were very ripe and juicy, but the sauce still seemed a bit watery. I wouldn't make it again.

• Chickpeas, tomatoes and spinach with spicy garlic pork

  • veronicafrance on December 02, 2015

    This was OK; the individual ingredients all tasted good (free-range organic pork helped) but the dish didn't seem to hang together that well. The chickpeas in particular didn't really bring anything to the party. In general I love this cookbook, and this is the first disappointment I've had with it.