On tomatoes...

We've have been harvesting tomatoes recently, but not nearly as many as we would like because it is a very bad tomato year  in Funkbunny's garden.  See those lovely fruit in the bowl?  Most of them are not ours. Our neighbour Mr C took pity on us and brought us some of his (his plants are green, bushy and laden with tomatoes) .  He looked at our poor, withered tomato plants in bewilderment. "What you do?"  "This is terrible"  "What's  the matter?"  He declared them all finished, and not to bother wasting any more water on them.  *Sigh* 

We don't know what has gone wrong this year. Bad seeds? Disease in the soil?  Disease  in the potting mix? Not enough water? It's a mystery.

But you know, even if the harvests have been meager, they've been worth it.  Here are a few favourite ways that we've been eating them:

Homemade cherry tomato pizza
Top homemade pizza dough (I use Jamie Olivers recipe) with halved cherry tomatoes, ricotta and basil.  Grate over some parmesan, drizzle over some olive oil and season well. Bake in a preheated hot oven (250C) for 15-20 mins.

Simple tomato sauce for pasta
Tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil, cooked briefly and stirred through spaghetti or penne. Add a few chili flakes if you like.

Tomato tart
Score a square of puff pastry round the edge with a knife and prick all over with a fork.
Smear with some basil (homemade is best), and top with thick slices of tomato or halved cherry tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper and bake for 15 mins @ 220C until the pastry is puffed up and golden.  

Brown tom
Make a mixture of 2 cups breadcrumbs, a finely chopped onion, chopped basil, 1/4 cup parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
Put a layer of the breadcrumbs on the bottom of an oiled  gratin dish then layer with sliced tomatoes, adding some olive oil between layers.   Finish with a layer of breadcrumbs, top with some thin slices of butter and bake for 30 mins @ 200C until golden.

How are your  tomatoes going this year?  Have you got any favourite recipes?