Recipes

Ingredients

• 500 g very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 slices stale sourdough or country bread
• 1 small red onion, sliced paper-thin
• A big handful of basil, torn
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Sea salt & black pepper

Method

1. 1Salt the tomatoes generously in a big bowl and leave for 10 minutes to draw out the juice.
2. 2Tear the bread into rough chunks and toast in a dry pan until crisp on the edges but still chewy in the middle.
3. 3Toss the bread with the tomatoes and their juice, the onion, olive oil and vinegar.
4. 4Let it sit 5 minutes so the bread soaks up the tomato water. Fold in the basil right before serving.

Ingredients

• 600 g ripe tomatoes, chopped (or 1 tin)
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• A pinch of chilli flakes
• 4 eggs
• A handful of parsley, chopped
• Salt, pepper, olive oil

Method

1. 1Sweat the onion and pepper in olive oil for 8 minutes until soft.
2. 2Add the garlic, paprika, cumin and chilli, cook 30 seconds, then tip in the tomatoes.
3. 3Simmer for 10 minutes to a thick sauce, season generously.
4. 4Make 4 wells with a spoon, crack an egg into each, cover and cook 4–5 mins until the whites are set but the yolks are runny.
5. 5Shower with parsley and eat straight from the pan with bread.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 600 g ripe tomatoes, chopped (or 1 tin)
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• A generous handful of basil
• 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper

Method

1. 1Sweat the onion and garlic in oil until soft, 5 minutes.
2. 2Add tomatoes and stock, simmer for 15 minutes.
3. 3Blend until smooth, stir in torn basil and season to taste.

Ingredients

• 500 g cherry tomatoes
• 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• A few sprigs thyme or rosemary
• 200 ml olive oil (enough to almost cover)
• Sea salt

Method

1. 1Put tomatoes, garlic and herbs in a small ovenproof dish. Pour over the oil and salt generously.
2. 2Bake at 130 °C for 60 minutes — low and slow, so the tomatoes concentrate rather than burst.
3. 3Cool. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin back into the oil.
4. 4Keeps 10 days in the fridge in a covered jar — brilliant on toast, folded through pasta, spooned onto eggs.

Ingredients

• 1 kg cherry or plum tomatoes, halved
• A big pinch of sea salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 300 ml olive oil (enough to cover in the jar)

Method

1. 1Lay the tomatoes cut-side up on a lined tray. Sprinkle with salt, sugar and thyme.
2. 2Dry them out at 110 °C for 2½ – 3 hours, until wrinkled and leathery but still a little juicy.
3. 3Layer into a sterilised jar with the garlic slices, cover completely with olive oil.
4. 4Keeps 3 months in the fridge — pull them out for pasta, focaccia and January salads.

Ingredients

• 2 kg ripe tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• A few basil stalks
• Sea salt

Method

1. 1Score the base of each tomato with an X, drop in boiling water for 30 seconds, then into cold water. Slip the skins off.
2. 2Chop roughly and simmer with the garlic, basil stalks and salt for 40 minutes until thick.
3. 3Pass through a food mill or sieve to remove seeds. Cook down another 10 minutes if it's still watery.
4. 4Pour into sterilised bottles/jars, screw lids on tight while hot. Keeps 6 months in a cool cupboard, or freeze in plastic bottles.

Ingredients

• 1 kg green tomatoes, chopped
• 500 g cooking apples, chopped
• 500 g onions, chopped
• 400 g brown sugar
• 500 ml malt vinegar
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp sea salt

Method

1. 1Put everything in a big non-reactive pan.
2. 2Bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered for 60–90 minutes, stirring often, until dark and thick — you should be able to draw a wooden spoon across the base and see the bottom for a second.
3. 3Pot into hot sterilised jars, seal immediately.
4. 4Leave for 4 weeks before opening — it mellows completely. Keeps a year unopened.