Cooking with summer vegetables

Bonjour!

I'm off to France on Saturday to write, shoot some delicious videos, cook and sip some of my favorite pinot noirs and chardonnays! But before my departure, I'd like to take a moment to talk about tomatoes.

Les Tomates

No other vegetable (botanically speaking, a fruit) is more popular in France than the humble tomato. In 95% of French kitchens, les tomates – whether fresh or tinned – are as indispensable to proper cooking as good olive oil. You’ll find them in everything from soups and salads to rich stews and delicate tartes. With more than 480 varieties grown in France, there is choice aplenty.

Like courgettes, tomatoes are essential for fuss-free cooking in summer. I always have an abundance of varieties pompously displayed on my kitchen counter. And so should you. There is something deliciously reassuring about knowing that at a moment’s notice, I can blitz San Marzanos or Romas into a soup or sauce, fill those attractively ruffled Coeur de Boeufs with spicy sausage and bake them on a bed of rice (who doesn’t love a one-pan meal?), slice a rainbow of heirlooms into a simple salad and top them with crisp shallots and a mustard vinaigrette, or pop a few sweet cherry tomatoes into my mouth while cooking dinner. Each tomato variety has its own special aroma, flavor and texture that makes it work so well in a particular dish. Remember this the next time you’re at the market, and don’t limit yourself to buying one type. Try a few varieties you’ve never tasted and start experimenting.

Ultimate Tomato Sauce
Quality tinned tomatoes are a lifesaver when making sauces in winter, but there is nothing as rewarding as using fresh in summer. The aforementioned San Marzano and Roma varieties are sweet, meaty, low in acidity and practically made for this purpose. Making homemade tomato sauce is easy but does require time, not so much in how long you’ll be spending in the kitchen, but how long the sauce should cook. You’ll need a good couple of hours for the tomatoes to cook down into a rich sauce, and this must be done slowly, gently stirring every now and then. The choice of aromatics is a question of taste. I always start by sweating onions in good olive oil, and I like to use herbs such as rosemary, oregano and basil. Some people add a dash of sugar to their sauces, but if your tomatoes are sweet and in season, there’s no need for such embellishments.

My slow-cooked tomato sauce takes about ten minutes of your time by the stove, but will need two hours to morph into a voluptuous sauce. Start by scoring 500 grams of Roma or San Marzano tomatoes with a sharp knife. Submerge them under boiling water for three minutes, drain, rinse under cold water and slip off their skins. Chop up the naked tomatoes making sure to save all of their juices. Heat a good glug of quality olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and gently sauté an onion and finely chopped fragrant herbs such as rosemary or oregano for five minutes or so. Add a fat pinch of chili flakes (not for heat, but for ‘oomph’)  and cook for another minute or so before adding in the tomatoes, two pressed garlic cloves, about a tablespoon of thick balsamic vinegar, fine sea salt and a few turns of the peppermill. Stir, bring to the boil and allow to bubble for a minute. Now reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and allow the sauce to cook on the lowest flame for a good two hours, stirring every now and then. Check halfway through the cooking time; if the sauce is getting a bit dry, add a little water, or better yet, a splash of red wine. The sauce should be quite rich, certainly not watery. When cooking your pasta of choice (I personally like this sauce with spaghetti or penne), do remember to save a little of the cooking water before draining. About an espresso cup full. Adding the water to the sauce, right before stirring in the pasta, will ensure that every strand (or tube, if you’re using penne) is perfectly coated. Serve in deep bowls, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan and adorn with a few torn basil leaves. 

If you want, you can add fried nuggets of aubergine toward the end of the cooking time. You’ll need to chop and salt the aubergine about an hour before the sauce is ready. The salt will help draw out the moisture. Squeeze out the aubergine and fry in a good glug of oil. Add to the sauce, right before the water and pasta, and finish in the same way as previously explained.

Marmande Tomatoes

Though tomatoes were introduced to France (more specifically, Provence) by way of Italy in the late 16th century, it would take another two centuries before they became a staple in French cuisine. Tomatoes were used in swanky Parisian restaurants such as Les Trois Frères Provençaux, which opened on rue Sainte-Anne in 1786, and renowned gastronome Brillat-Savarin referred to them as “a great blessing to good cookery”. By the end of the 19th century, many of the tomatoes used in the capital’s restaurants or sold at the famous Les Halles market came from the town of Marmande in Lot-et-Garonne. 

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Their history begins in the 1880s, shortly after the phylloxera plague had wiped out a large part of French vineyards. At the time, local horticulturist Pierre Gautriaud had the idea to plant tomatoes as a replacement crop. At first, they were only sold at local markets, but the arrival of the railway meant they could be exported to major French cities and even London. It wasn’t long before tomatoes had put Marmande on the map as an important production hub, not only in fresh tomatoes, but also in the tinned variety. Production expanded to neighboring towns such as Agen, and today they are also cultivated in Dordogne, Gironde and Lot. While the harvest is modest (currently, 16 producteurs account for 1,500 tons of Marmande tomatoes per year), the taste is huge. 

I first discovered the sweet, fragrant tomatoes one July during the annual Marmande Tomato Fiesta held around Place Clemenceau. After sampling them fresh and in jams, soups and sauces, I purchased a slice of tarte à la tomate: flaky pastry topped with glistening ruby slices dotted with olives. Eating the tarte at brasserie Les Neuf Fontaines while sipping a large glass of local white wine and enjoying the fanfare of the lively market, ranks high on my list of most memorable food experiences.

From June until October, you’ll find the tomatoes at almost every market in southwest France. Their firm flesh makes them excellent for tartes and tomates farcies.

BONUS RECIPE
Spicy Tomato Jam
This spicy jam is gorgeous on lightly toasted bread spread with a little goat’s cheese, or with grilled chicken. It is also a lovely accompaniment to a cheeseboard. My favorite way of enjoying it, though, is with thick slices of pâté de campagne, a crusty baguette and a slightly chilled Brouilly.

Note: Sterilize your jars by boiling them.
Makes three jars of about 370g per jar

Ingredients:

1 kilo tomatoes, cored, but not deseeded, and chopped

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 large red onion, chopped

2 red chilli peppers, deseeded and chopped

150ml red wine vinegar

100ml balsamic vinegar

500g gelling sugar

½ tsp allspice

1 ½ tsp ground ginger

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt (preferably fleur de sel)

freshly-ground pepper

Instructions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed pan, stir well and allow to stand for one hour. Bring to the boil and immediately reduce the heat. Allow to simmer gently (covered) for one hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid from the pan, increase the heat just a little and allow to cook for an additional 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the jam into sterilized jars.

Enjoy!

Looking for more inspiration and delicious French vegetable recipes? Stay tuned for the cooking videos I'll be shooting in France! (Only available to paid subscribers.)

PS:  I'll be posting a few behind-the-scenes videos on my Instagram!