Seeing red: Tomato recipes

Roasted tomato soup is delicious and well worth making. It is a great way to use summer tomatoes and you can be certain everyone will like it. I have used fleshy Roma tomatoes for their flavour and because they have fewer seeds, but you can, of course, use any type of tomato. I think the soup is definitely nicer if you take the five minutes needed to skin the tomatoes before roasting them.

I like to serve the tomato soup with tasty cheese scones. The craggy-looking scones are easy to bring together and are baked free-form. The dough is dropped by the spoonful straight on to the baking tray. This type of scone is known as a biscuit in the United States. The cheesy dough can also be baked as a loaf in a loaf pan for about 20 minutes. The scones or loaf are great for afternoon tea, too.

We often had tomato savoury (as my mother called it) when I was young. It was a good way to use some of the plentiful tomatoes grown by my father. Tomato savoury was baked in the oven beside the roast and served with it. It is an old-fashioned dish that may also be called tomato pie, tomato gratin or scalloped tomatoes. I think it also goes well with other things, such as macaroni cheese.

Roasted tomato soup

This tomato soup can also be served cold.
Serves 5

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1kg tomatoes, preferably Roma, peeled or not
1-2 tsp sugar
1 litre vegetable stock or water and stock powder
1 bay leaf and half stick of celery (if using stock powder)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
6 sprigs of basil to serve
creme fraiche or yoghurt to serve

To peel the tomatoes, cut a little cross on their bottoms. Pour boiling water over them and leave one minute. Lift them out and quickly put into very cold or running water for a few minutes. Then cut out the tomato cores and slip off the skins. Cut in half lengthways and, if you wish, remove the seeds.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (fan) or 200 degrees (regular). Place the tomato halves cut-side up on an oiled baking tray. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over them. Roast tomatoes in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until cooked and tinged with brown.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan with the onion, carrot and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes until the onion softens. Add the garlic after five minutes.

Tip the stock or water and stock powder into the pan, and if using stock powder, add a bay leaf, sprig of basil and celery to be removed later. Bring to the boil and then simmer partly covered for 20 minutes or so until the carrot is tender.

Add the roasted tomatoes and their juices to the pan and season with salt, pepper, a small pinch of cayenne and the balsamic vinegar. Simmer partly covered for about 10 more minutes. Turn off the heat and puree with a stick blender or cool and puree in a blender.

Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Reheat the soup and serve with a swirl of olive oil and sprig of basil in each bowl. Offer the creme fraiche or yoghurt for people to help themselves. Warm cheese scones, croutons or crusty bread can accompany the soup.

Cheese drop-scones or biscuits

Makes 12 scones
2 cups self-raising flour
tsp sea salt
pinch of sugar
1 tiny pinch cayenne
tsp mustard powder
30g cold butter
1 cup grated cheddar
1 free-range egg
1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (fan) or 220 degrees (regular). Line an oven tray with baking paper or dust with flour.
Sift the flour, salt, sugar, cayenne and mustard powder into a bowl. Cut or grate the butter into the dry ingredients and rub in with the fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the cheese and make a well in the centre.

Whisk the egg with the milk and tip into the well and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to bring together into soft dough. Add more milk if needed, taking care not to overwork the dough.

Drop 12 heaped tablespoons of dough on to the oven tray. You can make them smaller if you wish. Bake in the hot oven for about 15 minutes until crusty and brown. Transfer to a rack as soon as they come out of the oven. Cheese scones can be reheated when you need them. Serve warm with butter. They freeze well.

Variations: You could add sliced spring onions, garlic or herbs to the dough. Try different cheeses too.

May’s tomato savoury

Serves 6
4-6 ripe tomatoes, cored and sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
2 cups day-old white or brown breadcrumbs
1 tbsp chopped parsley or basil
1 tsp sugar
sea salt and freshly milled pepper
1 tiny pinch cayenne (optional)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or butter
Grease or oil a gratin dish. Set the oven at 160 degrees (fan) or 180 degrees (regular). The raw onion takes time to cook in the dish, so you may prefer to gently fry it first in a little olive oil or butter, and also the garlic (if using).

Moisten the freshly made breadcrumbs with a little olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes, onions and breadcrumbs in two or three layers in the gratin dish. Make the top layer of breadcrumbs thicker than the other one or two. Sprinkle in between with parsley and season with salt, sugar, pepper and cayenne. Pour the remaining olive oil over the top or dot with butter. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes until the tomato and onion are cooked and the breadcrumbs crisp.

Variations: Add a few sprigs of thyme or basil between the tomato layers and a sprinkle of grated parmesan on the top.

>> Diana Lampe is a Canberra writer, dlampe@bigpond.net.au