Saturday, February 12, 2011

Mr Tomato and Miss Craboppel

After immigrating to Australia from Sicily, around WW2, my great uncle Alf and Aunt Rose lived near Mildura, bringing their veggie gardening and cooking practices with them, including sundrying tomatoes on large white table clothes in the sun.  I remember seeing this done when I was a kid - lots of tomatoes, still a vibrant red, wrinking in the sun.


So vibrant and incredible the colours were against the crisp white tablecloths that my relatives' neighbours believed them to be sending messages via a secret tomato code to enemy planes flying overhead and advised the local police regarding the matter.  When queried regarding as to whether they'd seen any actual enemy planes, the neighbours said no and that these planes must be flying very high indeed.


An embarrassed policeman visited and asked that my aunt and uncle place the tables where the neighbours couldn't see them to avoid any further discussion...


I thought about trying to dry my ever growing pile of tomatoes outside, but decided against it with more rain forecasted and my will being ever diminished by the growing bug attack on the fruit still on the vine.  Imagine them rubbing their little pincers together with glee, if the bugs looked around the back of the house and found a smorgasbord laid on.  


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The Age this week had a blog regarding daggy but delicious food :http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/blogs/table-talk/daggy-but-delicious-the-latest-food-fashion/20110209-1amso.html
And at their suggestion, we have eaten a lot of plain tomato sandwiches, which have been yummy, despite not being able to find any pumpernickel bread.  We have eaten ours with some boccincini, yummo.


But to get through the volume of tomatoes being produced I tried roasting them in oil, with salt, thyme and oregano at 180 degrees for about an hour.  The smell was amazing.




I was overzealous with the oil I put on the tray and in so doing, made a nice tomato flavoured oil to use later too...


Also, as per the blog from the Age, we've been making granola each week for the last month or so to avoid spending $8 a week on Carmen's museli.  It only takes a few minutes to mix up a weeks worth of cereal and is great with yoghurt or as a snack during the day:
3 cups oats
2 cups various seeds/nuts (whatever is in pantry - I use flax and sunflower seeds, almonds, coconut, and this week I'm adding passionfruit pulp for something new)
1 teaspoon vanilla (or more to taste)
Big shake of cinnamon or mix spice to taste
6 tablespoons of honey (maple syrup or jam..)
2 tablespoons of oil (whatever is on hand)
Mix it up and press onto a baking paper lined tray - pop it in the oven at 150 degrees for ~half hour.
It only gets crunchy after it cools down, then break it up and store for the week.




With a lazy Sunday becoming a kitchen work out, I decided to also get the crabapples off the tree and make some jam. 
I attempted to follow a Martha Stewart recipe (because I'd like to be her when I grow up, complete with the numerous country houses and servants to do my bidding, but without the yappy dogs, prison time or incessant crafting...) but I added sugar too early so it is more like the jams I've seen Jamie Oliver make on the tv - will have to see what happens...  There is a bubbling pink cauldron on the stove as I write...
~2kg of crabapples (peeled and cored)
4 cups of sugar (one more than Martha suggested, but I'm sure in her world, everything would be sweeter)
A few sprigs of rosemary to flavour it.
Water to cover
Simmer until boiled down, sieve...


Will have to use this jam in this weeks granola.

2 comments:

  1. Oh I love tomatoes, and they look delicious! So delicious in fact, that I might have to give this a try myself...

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  2. Thanks Ebs - we had them for mixed through pasta with herbs and feta for dinner tonight - yum.

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