Tomatoes are like dogs. They have too short a life span. And, like dogs, the more pure - bred, the sooner the expiration date. Heirloom tomatoes start to get alarmingly squidgy very quickly. Tell tale bites on your arms are usually the first signs that small midge like flies are seeking out the over ripe fruits. Neil gets unhappy about flies, having hysterical tendencies about them the way other people do about spiders. He's not so much afraid of them as detests them beyond all reason and will go to untold lengths to keep them from entering the apartment. Therefore, you can see the necessity I have to use the fruits before we have a mini swarm on our hands and an irrational male thrashing about.
During the whole 20 minutes of walking home from work yesterday, I racked my brains trying to think of new and exciting ways to use 7 tomatoes. Pasta seemed too obvious a choice, soup not sustaining enough for dinner (in my opinion) and a salad too flimsy.
I finally decided on making a curry with the base notes of tomatoes spiced with stock, cumin, coriander, turmeric and chili powder. Throw in some vegetables and some prawns and dinner began to take shape.
Lately when making curries, I have found myself in new territory. The basic curries are the same but my tastes for the accompaniments are changing. Some sort of chutney or interesting relish seem to be creeping in, as does a desire to eat a vegetable side dish. More on that later.
I always think of curries in terms of either tomato, yogurt, stock or coconut milk based. The coconut would more likely be Thai, Malaysian or Goan. The yogurt, tomato or stock more Indian, such as Tikka Masala, Vindaloo or Korma, (which also has cream). Each curry hits the right notes at different times, but the sharp, slightly sour sweetness of tomato and chili was what I wanted for this dish. I would usually use a tin of plum tomatoes, but when fresh are available and needing to be used, they can be sauteed down slowly with some cardamom, cloves and cinnamon sticks to provide a thick, rich sauce....
....like this, with lots of vegetables added.
And, despite all my intentions to make this a sweet, sour, tangy tomato based curry, I ended up adding a tin of coconut milk. That's the way it goes sometimes.
So, the vegetables. I really wanted to try something new to accompany and hit upon the idea of roasting some beets to create a spiced puree. This was to be drizzled on top of some roasted cauliflower and grilled to crisp up and provide a sweet, earthy note to the vegetable.
A little thicker than I intended, but it definitely added an extra dimension to what is becoming my new standby; roasted cauliflower.
Recipe : Tomato prawn curry
6 medium sized tomatoes, quartered or 1 tin of plum tomatoes
1 tbsp oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 cloves garlic, whole
4 cardamon pods
4 cloves
1 piece cinnamon stick
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chicken stock paste or 2 tbsp liquid stock
1/2 cup greens, shredded
6 large, raw prawns
1 tin coconut milk
Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat and add the tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Let the mixture come to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for about 25 minutes to soften and become sauce like in consistency.
In a small frying pan over medium heat, dry fry the coriander, cumin and fenugreek seeds for a few minutes until fragrant and one shade darker, (keep an eye on them, don't let them burn). Remove from the heat, let cool slightly and grind in a spice grinder or pound in a mortar and pestle. Add to the tomatoes and stir well.
Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes on very low heat, then add the chili powder, stock, coconut milk and greens. Cook, gently until the sauce smells very appetizing and has thickened.
About 5 minutes before planning to serve, add the prawns, turn up the heat to medium and cook until the prawns are opaque and cooked. Serve with the cauliflower, some basmati rice and some sort of bread if you like.
Recipe : Cauliflower with spiced, roasted beet sauce
2 large beets (I used golden, red would give you an interesting colour).
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp of water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cauliflower, broken into florets
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
Pre heat the oven to 400oF and place the cauliflower in a roasting dish. Drizzle over the oil and sprinkle with the salt. Mix well to coat the cauliflower entirely and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.
Peel and cut the beets into quarters. Place on a separate baking dish, drizzle with the oil and put in the oven along with the cauliflower for about 45 minutes also.
Check the cauliflower is cooked by piercing with a knife and remove from the oven and set aside.
Check the beets are cooked by the same method, remove and allow to cool for a little while.
Once cooled, transfer the beets to a blender or processor, add the water and blend to a smooth paste.
Add the spices, salt and pepper and mix well.
Pour or spoon the beet puree over the cauliflower and stir to mix a little. Place under the grill (broiler) until brown and crispy on the edges and soft throughout. Serve with the curry.
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