Tomato Recipes

If you're really lucky, you'll even get a waft of that tangy, slightly acidic fresh tomato scent from them. Cherry tomatoes are often sweet, juicy and well flavoured, too, but a bit fiddly to use in recipes.

Huge beefsteak tomatoes are good for stuffing, or in salads. Plum tomatoes have particularly good flavour, great for tomato sauces.

Sun-dried tomatoes have a beautifully intense flavour, and are a great addition to sauces or soups.

ALL ABOUT TOMATOES

• The season's at its height in late July – early September. Grow your own if you can, you only need a compost bag, a sunny spot and a few stakes to support the plants. Otherwise, look for locally grown for best flavour.
• Buy small amounts, frequently, and store at room temperature. Remove plastic or cellophane wrappings as soon as possible.
• Tomatoes have high nutritional value. They contain vitamins C and E, as well as minerals including calcium.
• Men should have a daily helping of tomatoes, because they contain lycopene, thought to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
• Tomato skins can be tough, and the seeds slightly bitter. For many tomato recipes, it's better to skin them first. Put them into a bowl, pour over boiling water and leave for 15-20 seconds. Drain, nick the skin, and it will peel off easily. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds.

TOMATO RECIPES

• Tomato sauce. Click here, for this deeply delicious tomato sauce made with roast tomatoes. The recipe is very versatile. Use it with pasta, risottos or serve with other roast vegetables. It keeps in the fridge for 4-5 days, and can also be frozen.

• Tomato salsa. A speedy relish that's an essential part of Mexican food, served with fajitas and enchiladas. Also good with cold meats. Peel, seed and chop 500g (1 ¾ cups) tomatoes, seed and slice 1 green chilli, finely chop 1 red onion and chop a handful of fresh coriander. Mix together with the juice of 1 lime and season to taste.
• Tomato soup: Gazpacho The cold classic among tomato recipes comes from Spain is quick and easy to make. Peel, seed and chop 1kg (3 ½ cups) ripe tomatoes. Peel and chop a cucumber, discarding seeds. Blend tomatoes and cucumber with 2 slices day-old bread soaked briefly in cold water, 1 chopped red pepper, 1 seeded and chopped green chilli, 2 cloves garlic, 30ml/2tbsp olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime, a dash of Tabasco sauce. Gradually add 450ml (2 cups) cold water until the texture is right. It shouldn't be too thin. Chill before serving.
• Tomato salads For a basic salad, skin the tomatoes if you wish, slice and arrange on a plate, scatter with torn basil leaves, season, and dress lightly with an olive oil and white wine vinegar dressing.
  Variations on tomato recipes for salad Add a sliced mozzarella cheese by itself, or with a sliced avocado to make tricolore salad. To the basic tomato, add finely chopped chives, or spring onions, slices of slightly runny hard-boiled egg. Flaked tuna fish is another good addition.
• Ratatouille is a wonderful dish, my favourite of all the tomato recipes, and the perfect way to use up lots of tomatoes in the early autumn. I don't include aubergines because my children aren't keen on them, but you could add sliced mushrooms to the basic mixture. Make a huge batch and freeze some. It's good with meat or fish, or use it as a sauce with roast vegetables, pasta, polenta or rice. Slice 1 large onion and cook gently in olive oil to soften. Add 4 cloves garlic, crushed, 1 sliced red pepper, 4 thinly sliced courgettes and 8 peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes. Season, add some thyme, and bake in the oven for 40 minutes – 1 hour until the vegetables are tender. You could simmer it on top the hob instead, but you get a richer sauce by baking.