Terrific Tomato Soup and Other Tomato Recipes
(Page 5 of 9)
September/October 1975
The Mother Earth News editors
Dried Tomato"Bouillon"
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A very old way to preserve tomatoes for flavoring soups and stews is to reduce them to "bouillon" cubes.
Wash and drain ripe tomatoes, cut them crosswise in half-inch slices, and pack them cut side up between layers of salt in a pot, crock, or wooden barrel. When they've stood for 24 hours, pour off and discard the watery brine and the seeds that escape with it. Boil the tomatoes to a pulp and rub them through a fine sieve. Then season this product to taste with cayenne pepper or paprika and salt, and boil it to the consistency of cream, stirring briskly, or use the oven cooking-down method, with occasional stirring.
When the cooking is finished, spread the purée to the depth of half an inch on large platters or non-aluminum cookie sheets and let it dry in the sun or in a slow oven. If the dehydration is done outdoors, be sure to protect your "bouillon" from insects with mosquito netting, cheesecloth, or screening. Cut the sheets into 3-inch squares when the pulp is still slightly moist. Once the drying is complete, pack the pieces in a clean, airtight container and store them in a cool, dry place. One 3-inch square will season 2 to 3 quarts of soup (enough for a large family).
Freezing
Whole tomatoes can be wrapped individually and frozen. Such fruit, however, should be used within two months—preferably for cooking, although some people do cut up the raw, frozen tomatoes and eat them at once in salads. The flavor doesn't compare with that of fresh produce, but may still beat the taste of the dull hothouse specimens from the store.
For better results (and more economical use of freezer space), freeze tomatoes as uncooked pulp—or stew them first, leaving out bread, crackers, etc., until the dish is heated for serving.
Incidentally, if you like fried green tomatoes, try this: Cut the unripe fruit into quarter-inch slices, dip the pieces in cornmeal or wheat germ, package them, and store them in the freezer. Later, remove the tidbits and cook them, without thawing, either in a frying pan or in deep fat.
Pickling
Another use for green tomatoes, or for those that are nearly ripe, is in various old and new pickling recipes.But before you begin, please note the two following hints:
[1] According to the sources I've consulted, vinegar for pickling should have an acetic acid content of 4 to 6 percent. Commercial products are tested for strength and can be used safely, unlike homemade vinegars, which shouldn't be substituted because their level of acidity is generally unknown.
I did, however, run across a test for the acidity of vinegar in a very old cookbook, and include it here:
To determine the proportion of acetic acid, suspend 4 or 5 ounces, by weight, of broken pieces of fine marble in 16 ounces, by weight, of vinegar. The acetic acid will attack the marble and will be gradually neutralized. Let stand overnight. Remove the marble, rinse it in cold water, dry it thoroughly with gentle heat on top of the stove (take care not to melt it) and weigh it carefully, 5/6 of its loss in weight is the quantity of actual acetic acid contained in the sample. And from this amount the proportion of acetic acid can be readily obtained. Good vinegar should contain about 5% absolute acetic acid.
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