Student kitchens
Easy, delicious, healthy(ish) recipes that won’t own your budget.Archive for tomato
Fiery red Christmas
I couldn’t help but notice that red is this year’s Christmas colour (yes, sadly I have made it to the mall more than once in the last week), and so I’ve prepared a little red food porn feast for you. Or at least, I like to think the pictures are pretty. Plus, I think they sum up the summer Christmas thing we’re experiencing. Totally untraditional sounding, and so is the food below, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling festively fabulous because I can finally wear pretty flowing skirts and need to slap on sunscreen and sunnies from all the sunlight. But anyway. I know you’re busy. Whether you choose to make any of the following treats, all I hope for you is that you thoroughly enjoy your Christmas feasting experience, red or not. Enjoy the hours of preparation, or if it’s a simple salad that was thrown together at the last minute, savour every drop of flavour. I don’t mean to go all thanksgiving on you, but since getting into gardening this year, I’ve truly begun to relish my food with new vigour. Happy holidays, and best wishes for the approaching new year.
This could not be any simpler, but is so refreshing (I hear Christchurch will have a sunny, warm Christmas for once, and I am already dithering over whether I should go for a short dress or short shorts…decisions decisions). Simply chop up tomatoes, rip up some basil and if you have some, some flat parsley, sprinkle over some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and tada! Pretty summer Christmas in a bowl. Teamed up with a bowl of chopped cucumber, fresh dill, squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil and black pepper, these will add colour, vitamins, and a cool calm respite from the BBQed meats at mealtimes. If you’re feeling a bit alternative:
Light and ridiculously crisp kale chips. Preheat oven to 180C (350F), tear up kale into bite sized pieces, brush with oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake on a single layer for about 5-10 minutes. You can do two trays at a time too. Kale is not exactly a supermarket staple though, you either need to grow it (grows well in winter, so you can plant it now), or head to the farmer’s market to pick it up. Stupidly healthy stuff, and the Kale chips looks ever so Christmasy sitting next to some tomatoes, or even as a bed for some kind of savoury treat.
Do I really need to tell you to scoff as many berries as you possibly can?
These mini cheesecakes ended up sinking, and like a lot of Christmas desserts, seemed to go sadly wrong. But don’t panic. Christmas is not for panicking, remember? You probably don’t remember, but in any case, use a little innovation and soon everyone will be asking why you didn’t flunk that cheesecake on purpose in the first place.
And finally, if you’re feeling domestic, or for some reason you’ve invited a whole bunch of people allergic to berries and have punnets to dispose of within days…make this candied fruit/jam like concoction (who cares really what it ends up as, they both taste fabulous) and throw it over any cakes that were a little too dry, or even plain sponges or your favourite vanilla cake recipe. If you’re short on the berries, throw in some chopped rhubarb stalks. If you’re feeling particularly luxurious, add in a split vanilla bean (or half if you’re not making much). All you need is a large handful of berries (or a mix of berries and rhubarb), a splash of water if you want it more syrupy, and about a cup of plain white sugar. Throw it all in a saucepan and let cook on low heat for about half an hour to an hour, stirring every now and then, until the whole thing is syrupy and heavenly. Your kitchen will now smell like a million dollars.
And any syrupy stuff you have spare is absolutely delicious on ice cream, dissolved in hot water as a tea, or drizzled on french toast the next morning.
Now remember to share! Have a fabulous day :)
Super simple tomato soup
I know, I’ve been failing rather miserably lately. While I may only have one exam looming (on the 22nd, too), and it’s a multi-choice exam, I know a lot of students out there are slogging it away, with barely any time for sleep, let alone making tortellini from scratch. I know, I know. This is where I make it up to you. I’m sharing my method for making tomato soup. It’s ridiculously easy and versatile, thus its one of the few things I use canned food for (that and green curries are my weak spots).
As you can see, I’ve gone a little crazy with dairy (and Adobe Lightroom*) at the moment. There was the last of my buttermilk in the soup (optional), and I got a bit happy with the Parmesan I got at Canterbury Cheesemongers. It’s such a wonderful place, by the way – it’s so nice being able to taste a sliver of whatever you’re contemplating spending over $10 a slab for! Their recommendations have been brilliant so far. Anyway, I served this alongside some brie sliced up with home made bread rolls. In any case, this soup makes a great dip for any heading-for-staleness bread you have left.
* Yes, I did get carried away with making the red the perfect shade of hot, sexy, fiery red. Admittedly the actual soup did not hurt to look at nearly so much :P
Before I proceed, I know everyone has different methods of making their tomato soup. Share your tomato soup prowess with a comment, go on.
Quickie tomato soup
serves 2
1×400g can chopped tomatoes (preferably plain. You can use flavoured ones if you reeeaaally want to, but plain gives you more versatility. Also whole tomatoes chopped up by you are perfectly admirable)
2 stalks of celery, chopped finely (optional, but I like celery and texture in my soup)
1 onion, finely chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste
dash red wine vinegar (optional)
enough water to make it soupy (to your liking)
any herbs and spices you feel like. Good ones for tomato soup:
oregano, basil, thyme (herbs – about 1/2 tsp dried each if using)
cumin, curry powder, cayenne pepper, chilli powder, (spices – about 1/4-1/2 tsp each if using)
splash of cream or buttermilk, or a dollop of greek yogurt or sour cream (optional). Creamy dips work okay too, just ensure the flavours will gel with the rest of your seasonings.
parmesan for grating on top, or a nice cheese to serve alongside bread.
butter or olive oil (approx 2 Tbs)
In a medium sized saucepan, heat oil/butter on medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic, along with salt and pepper, herbs and spices, and cook, stirring, until the onion is slightly golden. Thrown in tomatoes, bring to a boil, and add water to bring to your desired consistency. I like mine thick, so sometimes I just throw in another can of tomatoes! Bring to a simmer, turn heat to low, and partially cover, letting slowly simmer for five minutes or so.
Uncover, taste, season further (add vinegar here if you feel the soup lacks acidity), and add your creams. Let simmer another 2 mins and serve. Grate over parmesan if using, and add another sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper, fresh herbs or a pinch of cayenne if you have them. Serve with some sort of crusty bread (if it ain’t crusty, make it crusty by toasting it first), and maybe more cheese if you’re that way inclined!
Saving those tomatoes…
It’s the time of year in the South when tomatoes are taking longer and longer to ripen. Whether you have your own tomato plants, and have left those few tomatoes a bit too long, or if you’ve bought them and failed to do something with them for erm…a few weeks, here’s a way to use them up. Basically, you’re turning the tomatoes into the whole or chopped sort of thing you get from a can. It’s not incredibly taxing, and you don’t even have to use them that night. But at least you won’t be throwing them away, and you’ll have accomplished a wee “from scratch” effort. You do want at least 5-6 tomatoes at least an inch in diameter (the size of your largest pot is the limit) or a lot of cherry tomatoes, for this to be really worth it though. This can be especially handy in a flatting situation where 2 people buy tomatoes that get forgotten, and instead of letting them rot into oblivion on the table (I hope none of you are putting your tomatoes in the fridge…!), you can save yourself from needing that can of tomatoes you always seem to pick up (ahem…not that I or anyone in our flat does this).
Choosing
So, what sort of tomatoes can be used? Anything, really – they can be as soft and spoiled as you like, BUT anything with mould (that’s the white/blue fuzz, people) is a loser. Unless it’s a teeny spot (in which case you want to remove at least that half of the tomato), anything fuzzy should be forsaken.
De-stemming & peeling
Put a lot of water on to boil (I mean the kettle or jug) if you want to peel the tomatoes. Using a small, sharp knife, cut deep a square around the stem and pull it out. Throw the tomatoes in a pot large enough to fit them all, pour over the boiling water, and let sit for about 10-20 seconds, until you can see the skin starts to peel away from the tomato at the edges where you’ve de-seeded. Pour out the hot water (or into any of your dishes that need a quick soaking), and peel the tomatoes (you should be able to just pinch the non-stem end and the whole thing usually comes off) if you want.
Cooking
Put the tomatoes back in the pot, add a small splash of water, and cover, turning heat to medium. Bring to a quick boil, uncover, and turn heat down to the lowest setting possible. If you want chopped/pureed tomatoes, chop them up in the pan with a knife or mush them up with a potato masher/fork at this point (it’ll be a lot easier now). Let sit partially covered for about an hour, coming back to stir every 20 minutes or so. If you notice the mixture if still watery when you come back to stir, leave the pot totally uncovered. Basically you want to cook everything until it’s a deeper red, and things have thickened up (initially the mixture will look watery and the tomatoes will be orangey pink after you remove the skins), but make sure your tomatoes are being cooked at a bare simmer (or you’ll cook all the good stuff, including the flavour, out of them!). Once you decide they’re a good consistency, let sit on the element uncovered to cool, throwing in any extra things to make sauce (see below).
Flavouring
If you like, you can boost the natural flavour and look of your tomatoes, by adding any combination of the following when you begin cooking:
Splash of red wine vinegar – ups the sourness and helps the tomatoes go more of a crimson colour
Pinches of paprika – boosts red colour
Sea Salt - sea salt won’t make a tinny taste, and will bring out a bit of the natural flavours of the tomato
Pinch of sugar – complements the natural sweetness of your tomatoes
If you want to make a sauce straight from the get go (like pasta sauce), you can throw any combination of the following suggestions in:
Pre-sauteed chopped onions, shallots, or garlic
Black pepper
Finely grated parmesan (add at end of cooking, and not too much)
Herbs such as oregano, basil, sage, chives, garlic chives… (add fresh ones at the end of cooking)
Spices such as cumin (to add smokiness), garam masala or curry powder (to add an Indian twist), or chilli/cayenne (to add heat)
Pre-sauteed chopped or halved mushrooms (add at the end of cooking)
Pre-seared/roasted/grilled capsicum/peppers (add at the end of cooking)
Sour cream/cream cheese/riccotta/mascarpones/splash cream (less if more with this one, start with a teaspoon with solids and a Tablespoon with cream, and add in the last 5 minutes of cooking)
Butter (just a teaspoon-sized knob, add at the end of cooking)
Extra virgin olive oil (do not process it, just stir in gently, and add at the end of cooking)
Chopped or whole olives (de-pitted, either by you or the factory. Add at the end of cooking)
Feta cubes (to top, best not mixed in)
Chopped cooked spinach (add at the end, defrosted if using frozen)
Chopped celery
Comment with more ideas!
Curry-like vege stew
To be honest I wish I was having this tonight; it’s going to get down to 1 degree tonight apparently, and I am so not prepared for it!
This is similar to my first curry, but then it’s much less complicated and also vegan. You could experiment with different vegetables of course, as the ones below are quite summery, but I think in combination with tomatoes the veges I used taste pretty darn good. This also tastes good reheated in the pan the next day with a splash of water.
I pretty much made this up on the night, but I’m sure there are plenty of variations. If you felt like being really lazy you could just use curry powder, just don’t tell anyone I said so :P
I know…it doesn’t look pretty, but it sure was satisfying! With potatoes and tofu it made a complete meal, but you could add meat if you really wanted. I also served it with some 5-minute grilled cheese toasties, but I added some chopped garlic and cumin…so nom:
Curried vege stew
serves 2-3
bit of butter or cooking oil
2 potatoes, cut into 1 cm dice
1/2 large eggplant/aubergine, sliced into 1cm thick slices then cut into 1″ squares
beans of your preference, snapped into 1″ lengths
a large handful of cauliflower florets (approx 1″ wide florets)
1/2c extra-firm tofu, sliced or chopped as you wish (or use chopped chicken, cooked beans or chickpeas)
1 onion, chopped finely
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
ground coriander, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, salt, pepper to lightly coat all veges
1 can chopped tomatoes (best you can get, preferably organic)
garam masala to taste, and more ground coriander, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, salt, pepper later
optional: chili or cayenne to spice things up!
water
Grab the biggest frypan or wok you have, add a tablespoon or so of butter (don’t you dare use margarine! Use cooking oil if you want to make it vegan), and heat it on medium heat until the butter is bubbling or the oil easily slides around the pan when pan is tilted. You preferably want a non stick pan but because you’ll be adding liquid later it won’t matter too much. Add potatoes, aubergine, cauliflower, beans, onions, tofu, first lot of spices, and let cook until the onions start to smell fragrant. Stir, flip the vegetables, and let cook until the onions are golden and flecks of golden brown start to appear on the vegetables. Aubergine should be almost translucent. Add garlic, stir through for a minute and add tomatoes. Taste, and add more spices as necessary. Bring tomatoes to a simmer, and let cook until veges are as tender as you like.. Add splashes of water or cover while cooking in this period to prevent burning ans sticking, and create a stew like consistency.
Serve with cheesy garlic and cumin toasts (slice bread, throw over grated cheese, chopped fresh garlic, a pinch of cumin, and throw under the grill for 3 minutes at 200C or 400F until cheese is golden – make sure to watch them as they burn very quickly). Or if you want to keep the whole meal vegan, just serve with regular toast (maybe smeared with some avocado…mmm)
Emily’s artichoke and tomato pasta
Something simple yet comforting for the end of the working week! Don’t get too caught up in precise quantities…but basically, remember that a 500g bag of pasta usually serves about 4 (when combined with other ingredients). You can usually get marinated artichoke hearts at the supermarket, sort of by the sundried tomatoes. I like this section :)
Thanks to Emily Fountain for the recipe…once I make her vegan chocolate cake a pic + recipe will be coming soon!
Artichoke heart and Tomato Pasta
Pasta of your choice
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
½ cup onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 can Italian style tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil (or whatever taste preference) for sautéing
-Cook pasta until almost done.
-While pasta is cooking, heat a little oil in skillet and add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is clear.
-Drain artichoke hearts and add to skillet. Add can of tomatoes to skillet. Mix and bring to a boil.
-Lower heat and add partially cooked, drained pasta to the skillet and mix.
-Let simmer for 8-10 minutes.
-Serve and enjoy!
Eggplant thingee
…it’s a very sloppy, flavour-kick-in-the-tip-of-your-tongue, eggplant parmesan, but so richly textured and deeply flavoured you’ll want some bread and pasta to have with it. Also, it has cauliflower in it (which makes it less kick-in-the-tip-of-your-tongue-y). Weird, I know…but I actually think the flavours were pretty amazing. Also, this isn’t that expensive, despite the use of parmesan and shallots and garlic in this…
While it does take a bit of effort to prep all the ingredients beforehand, then take the time to bake it until the cheese bubbles and forms that perfect golden crust, it is the ultimate comfort food and worthy of your patience. You can build up your layers even more and improvise the order of the layers and how you want to build it up…the flavours are all there!
Eggplant layer bake
serves 2 as a side
1 small eggplant or 1/2 a large eggplant, sliced into 1cm slices
1/4 head of cauliflower, chopped into walnut-sized florets
salt and pepper to taste
1c grated edam or mozarella cheese
1/3c finely grated parmesan
fresh herbs to top
basil pesto (optional)
cooking oil
For the tomato sauce:
1 small onion
at least 3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 shallot, chopped finely (or use one medium onion instead of a small one)
1 Tbs capers (optional)
4 tomatoes, chopped, or a can of chopped tomatoes
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper
splash red wine vinegar
about 1/4c cream (optional)
basil, oregano
In a medium non stick frypan, heat a teaspoon of oil on medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and arrange the eggplant slices on one layer (there may be some leftover, in which case you’ll have to do this in two lots or use a larger frypan if you have one). Let cook until the slices are golden on the bottom, then flip, and cook until the undersides are golden. Set aside on a plate you’ll eat off later (just to save you some washing up :))
Re-oil the pan, add another pinch of salt and pepper, and throw in your cauliflower florets. Let cook on medium to medium-high heat to lightly brown edges, flipping and/or tossing every now and then to ensure even cooking. Once it starts going translucent and changing to a pale green, set aside with the eggplant slices. Turn heat down to low, and ensure the pan is down to a low heat before continuing.
Preheat oven to 180C (350F), with a rack arranged at the very top. Add capers, onions, garlic, and shallots to the pan with a teaspoon of oil, and let happily cook away, stirring every now and then, until golden (you can chop the tomatoes during this time). Once golden, add the tomatoes, cream, herbs, and other ingredients for the sauce. Bring to a simmer and let cook until thickened to your liking.
While the sauce is bubbling away, you can grate your cheeses! Layer half the eggplant at the bottom, then smear with half the pesto. Sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese over (either parmesan or mozarella), then half the tomato sauce. Add all the cauliflower, then smear with the second half of basil pesto. Dump the rest of the tomato sauce on, smearing it out evenly. Distribute parmesan evenly on one layer, then layer the second half of the eggplant on. Top with the rest of the edam cheese and fresh herbs. Pop in the oven on the top rack for 25-35 mins, until the cheese has goldenified to your liking. The one in the picture was a little overdone actually, but go as golden as you please :). As mentioned before, serve with bread or potatoes or perhaps even atop some pasta.
My first curry (that actually resembled a curry)
Ok, I lie…I have indeed made curries that resemble curries in the sense that they look and smell like a curry…but they’ve tasted less than what I’d call a curry. Before you assume that I’ve reached curry nirvana already, let me assure you that I haven’t made anything “genuinely” Indian. That’s right – I’m not like those pretty frozen meal packets, which promise all sorts of ridiculous nonsense – I promise you only these things about this curry:
1. It ain’t difficult (well…I made it, after all. I’d say if you can boil pasta, you can probably get this to be pretty good).
2. The whole thing is cooked in ONE pot/pan, and because it’s got potatoes, you can eat it all in one bowl, without the need for making rice, getting naan, or any of that finicky business. Goodness gracious, isn’t enough you made curry from scratch already?! Yes. Thank you. Also, the person doing dishes will thank you for this.
3. It actually tastes like a curry (and the texture resembles one too – the thick and chunky kind anyway). See, I do actually decide not to post things that aren’t good, just so you know. This one is quite thick and is very vegetable-dense, ie…it’s not soupy with floaty bits like most of the curry you’ll get for takeout (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I did this to make it more of a complete meal (see promise #2), but if you want you can halve the amount of veges and you’ll get the floaty effect.
4. It is not as expensive or complicated as you think. Invest in some of the spices, ensure you have some of the canned stuff in the pantry, and a curry will never be far away. I’ve tried to make it as versatile as possible, and unscary as possible. Some of the spices may look expensive, but remember: they will last you more than one curry! I reccommend asian supermarkets (even the non-indian ones) or Piko wholefoods in Christchurch for inexpensive yet quality herbs and spices (particularly Piko for the non-ground versions and for really fresh stuff).
5. You will enjoy making it. There’s something about using all the spices on their own that makes you feel all grown up.
I’m going to be specific about the recipe, but that doesn’t mean it’s non-changeable or actually complicated. Before I descend into it, thanks to My Feasts for the basic recipe and inspiration. I toned down the spiciness of it, but even so I find it tests my tastebuds!
Quick and easy peperonata-inspired pasta bake
I LOVE the flavours of eggplant, tomatoes and garlic, especially with pasta. Unfortunately, this adoration isn’t always shared (I’m pretty sure this applies to kids as well), but yesterday I had a brainwave to get my food buddy on side. Grilled crispy cheese. I’d make the sauce, with inspiration from this fantastic recipe by chez pim. Then I’d mix it with cooked pasta, top it with cheese and breadcrumbs, and lob it under the grill for 2 minutes. I couldn’t wait.
Unfortunately, the photo leaves much to be desired, as I burnt the cheese topping and there really is no way to shoot that without making it very obvious that I left it under the grill two minutes too long.
Tomato eggplant and garlic pasta bake
generously serves 2, or 4 as a side.
1 small/medium eggplant, quartered lengthways and sliced into 1cm thick bits
1 can peeled tomatoes (use whole if cheaper)
1 onion, chopped
4-5 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp dry oregano and basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or a finely chopped clove of garlic)
250g pasta (any except long pasta)
salt and pepper
olive oil/cooking oil
dash of red wine vinegar (optional) – use white vinegar if red wine vinegar is unavailable.
50g cheese, grated
50g breadcrumbs
Heat 4 Tbs oil in a large frying pan on high heat, and add onions, pinch salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Let cook for about 2 mins before flipping. Put pasta on to cook with water and salt. Whilst cooking, drain juice from tomatoes into a small saucepan, and heat on medium low heat setting, letting simmer. Poke the tomatoes to get as much juice into the saucepan as possible, then set your sieve/drainer over a bowl and let juice drip into it.
Flip the eggplant and onions, stirring. Keep cooking (you may want to cover to speed up this process) until the eggplant is soft and squishy, and has gone an almost translucent, brown colour. Add any tomato juices from the bowl and garlic, and reduce heat to medium. Let cook for another 2 mins. The tomato juice in the saucepan should be thickened – add the tomatoes from the sieve, cutting roughly with a knife. Add a dash of red wine vinegar, garlic powder, a pinch or two of oregano, and let come to a simmer before turning off heat. Uncover eggplant mixture if covered, add tomato sauce from saucepan. Preheat grill to 200C or 400F. Mix pasta and sauce, then taste, adding salt or pepper if required. Drain pasta, and immediately add to pan with eggplant and tomatoes.
Throw pasta with sauce into a deep baking dish, and top with the breadcrumbs roughly mixed with the grated cheese (you can do this on a chopping board to save washing another bowl). Leave under the grill for about 2 minutes, until the cheese is golden. Be very careful not to burn it like I did!
This makes a complete dinner on its own, which is great as your don’t have to worry about any other side dishes.
Clare’s version of Taste’s Tomato and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
No photo this time as I wasn’t around to snap it, but I hear it’s pretty easy and tasty. Chicken Breasts aren’t the cheapest thing around these days though so probably avoid the supermarket for this one if you want to keep your costs down. Farm’s chicken is quite good (once I figure out how to put links in text box thingers on wordpress I’ll link it) but if you’re in Chch, look it up on Yellow Pages, it’s in Riccarton. If you’re not in Christchurch your local butcher will probably do it cheaper.
Ok, now here it is:
Tom and Cheese stuffed chicken breast
Sorry I didn’t manage to take a pic of this one but it tasted pretty damn fine! And was incredibly simple to make, clean up was also easy peasy.
Stole this recipe from Taste but (obviously) tweaked it to my liking!
1 Skinless chicken breast per person
2Tbsp Tomato paste or sauce per breast
20g Cheese per breast (I used Edam cos it was all we had in the fridge, but would recommend a stronger tasting cheese such as tasty or even parmesan (if you happen to like that sort of thing) without hesitation. Also sticking some grated mozzarella in there too would’ve been nomable)
½ Clove of garlic per breast
Oil for rubbing
Salt and mixed herb to season
So, this is nice and simple and tasted so good, basically cut the breast in half, and then slice it longways to 3cm before the end. Open the breast and stuff with tomato sauce, cheese and well diced garlic. Close the breast and place in a baking tray; rub well with oil and season with salt and possibly a shake of mixed herb. Bake in the oven at 175°C for about 30 Minutes, until chicken is cooked. Be careful not to overcook the chicken as it will dry out and become tough. I served this with rustic mashed potato and baked carrots and cauliflower, recipes for all of which are located around the site.
