Food Preparation Techniques

How to Prepare

Tomatoes

Roasting tomatoes gives them an exotic flavor. Roasting works best with ripe, red tomatoes. To roast and peel tomatoes, set the oven to broil. Arrange cored tomatoes with their top surfaces about 5 inches from the heat. Broil, turning occasionally, until the skin is blistered and evenly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. The skins will be easy to remove. If you roast them on aluminum foil, the cleanup will be easy, and you can also save the juice.

Another option for roasting tomatoes is to use an asador.

To skin and seed tomatoes, plunge them into boiling water to cover and leave them for exactly 15 seconds. Remove and put them into cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove the skin. Remove the core, cut the tomatoes crosswise into halves, then squeeze out seeds. Push the seeds through a strainer to extract the juice.

Tomatoes can also be grated by removing a thin slice from the top of the tomato. Put the tomato in the palm of your hand and rub it on a coarse grater. The flesh will become a fine pulp and the skin will be left in your hand.

To oven-dry plum tomatoes, split them in half lengthwise. Place them on a large drying rack set on top of a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little rosemary or thyme. Place in an oven set at 200 F for 6 to 8 hours, depending on the size and ripeness of the tomatoes. The tomatoes should be shriveled and reduced to about half their original size, but they should not be leathery.