Somewhere, in the dawn of time, some Beeso ancestors must have ensured the further continuation of the Beesley line next to a tomato bush. How else can you explain why my small human children see cherry tomatoes as some sort of red grapes, to be eaten by the handful? Which other family can claim tomato jam as the king of preserves? Who amongst us counts growing an 816g Brandywine tomato as one of their life highlights? Yes, tomatoes are quite popular at Lantanaland, yet the growing of the fruit, which I don’t think is amongst the fiendishly difficult group of gardening tasks still eludes me.
Look I even own a book named ‘How To Grow World Record Tomatoes’ though based on my last effort, which actually went well in the growing department, I now need to buy a book called ‘How To Stop The Local Wildlife Enjoying Your Great Crop Of World Record Tomatoes’. Anyway, there are more plants planted, with adequate security measures in place and for now I will cook.
Tonight’s efforts start with a batch of tomato jam, a phrase than confuses most people. I have been eating tomato jam as long as I can remember, both my mum and grandmother made it, getting a jar of the stuff out of Nana’s house required Oceans 11’s levels of planning and execution. In her older age, she softened and would send me down very small jars. I totally approved of her attitude towards sharing it, tomato jam puts all other jams, with perhaps a really good homemade fig as the exception, to shame. The key is the way the cherry tomatoes cook down into these little bombs of chewy flavour. Ignore all recipes that get you to blanch and peel them, you want a bit of texture and bite. My jam usually is way too runny, I was not blessed by the Pectin Fairy at birth or something, but even my liquid concoctions will decimate any store bought jam.
Then there is dinner, inspired by a visit to Harris Farms and their intoxicating shelves of many varied tomatoes, that began with this Epicurious recipe. Cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced red onion, quickly pickled (because I pickle everything I can these days), tossed with mint, parsley and these thinly sliced oven roasted lemon slices. The lemon slices are parboiled to leech out the bitterness, tossed in sugar and oil and roasted. Turns out I didn’t boil these enough, they were bitter, bitter, bitter. I chopped a few and tossed them into the salad, the rest went in to the bubbling tomato jam, as an offering to The Pectin Fairy.
The salad was dressed with a little olive oil and homemade pomegranate syrup that was also way too bitter, so I added some liquid from the tomato jam pot, instant balance and extra tomato goodness. The salad was delicious, but I felt it needed something else. A cheese? A little yoghurt in the dressing? I have jar of the tomato jam/pomegranate syrup in the fridge so will have to test. Luckily, I am growing tomatoes…
