{"id":5182,"date":"2013-08-20T11:00:42","date_gmt":"2013-08-20T10:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/?p=5182"},"modified":"2014-08-06T15:46:51","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T14:46:51","slug":"celebrate-the-tomato","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/5182\/celebrate-the-tomato\/","title":{"rendered":"James Whelan Butchers: Celebrate the Tomato"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was a little disturbed recently to read of all the various tomato shortages around the world.\u00a0 They are not necessarily linked, but apparently the US is suffering quite badly, the Argentines have just this month been asked as a nation to \u2018go easy\u2019 on tomatoes for a while so the crops can catch up and a British supermarket chain recently announced a shortage in their tomato supply as their grower in Spain had been affected by disease.\u00a0 (The crop of tomatoes was affected by disease that is, not the actual grower!)<\/p>\n

It threw me into a personal state of unease, sitting there pondering my kitchen without the staple ancient \u2018wolf peach\u2019.\u00a0 Before it became known as the friendly tomato (or ta-may-toh if you are American) it was thought to be poisonous and dangerous hence the slightly sinister moniker, wolf peach.\u00a0 The tomato has a long history on the planet, but up until the 16th century it was considered pretty and ornamental but likely poisonous.\u00a0\u00a0 Once it was discovered that they were harmless, edible and tasty, it wasn\u2019t long before the French elevated them from the nasty wolf peach to \u2018pommes d\u2019amour\u2019 (translated as love apples), because not only were they good enough to eat but they also believed that the shiny red fruit had stimulating aphrodisiacal properties!<\/p>\n

\"roasted<\/a><\/p>\n

The first commercial tin of tomato soup was made by Joseph Campbell in 1897 and it made him a very wealthy man in the process.\u00a0 And by the end of the 19th century the tomato, because of its high acidic content, was canned more than any other fruit or vegetable.\u00a0 Fresh or in a tin, the tomato is a cooks\u2019 favourite these days and few kitchen store cupboards will be found without them.<\/p>\n

There is no other vegetable or fruit more widely used and consumed than the tomato.\u00a0 Even those who don\u2019t like fresh tomatoes, will often enjoy them in pizza, as ketchup or even sun dried and everyway in between.\u00a0 The variety of tomatoes available today also creates choice and a myriad of applications.\u00a0 For salads I love tomatoes on the vine.\u00a0 I also love a juicy beef tomato paired with slices of buffalo mozzarella and sprinkled with fresh basil.\u00a0 I use fresh cherry tomatoes in a base for a favourite curry I make that originally called for two plain ordinary garden variety types, but I found that eight or so little ones gave a better and sweeter depth of flavour.\u00a0 Many pasta sauces have the trusty chopped and tinned type as a major ingredient and where would many recipes be without the odd spoonful of tomato puree?\u00a0 Added to all this flavour and flexibility, tomatoes are also the dieter\u2019s friend.\u00a0 They are nutrient rich, high in water content and low calorie; so what\u2019s not to like?<\/p>\n

Here are my top tomato tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n