Latest news with #Tomatoes
Washington Post
09-08-2025
- Lifestyle
- Washington Post
Our best tomato recipes to savor summer's bounty, according to readers
Tomatoes are at their peak this time of year, so now is the time to enjoy as many of them as you can. Yes, we all know we can turn them into simple-yet-sublime sandwiches with soft bread and mayonnaise; dollop slices with fresh mozzarella, add a sprinkle of basil and drizzle with olive oil for a Caprese salad; and combine with garlic to top slices of grilled bread for bruschetta. But there are so many other tomato recipes worthy of your attention. Here are a few that we — and you, our readers — have loved over the years that highlight more of what the beloved summer fruit can do.
The Guardian
04-08-2025
- The Guardian
Hand pies and spiced lamb: Maria Bradford's Sierra Leonean home cooking
Tomatoes are an integral ingredient in west-African cooking, and are generally used alongside onions and chillies to create a flavourful and versatile base for sauces, soups and stews, and, of course, jollof rice. We often make a mother sauce of tomatoes and onions, then add spices and seasonings such as chilli flakes, garlic, ginger, nutmeg and cumin for a moreish bold and fiery pepper sauce. This is inspired by the night-time meat vendors on the old railway line in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Cooking and eating it takes me straight back there every time. Prep 15 minChill 30 minCook 50 minServes 6 3 6-bone racks of lamb, French-trimmed (ask the butcher to do this, if need be) For the spice mix½ whole nutmeg, grated½ tsp ground black cardamom ½ tsp scotch bonnet chilli flakes, or chilli powder1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp salt 25g dry roasted peanuts, chopped For the crust150g softened unsalted butter 10 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs 25g finely chopped mixed fresh herbs – I like parsley, chives and thyme1 tsp salt For the salad1 tbsp white-wine vinegar 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil ½ tsp caster sugar ½ tsp salt 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped2 stalks fresh tarragon, leaves picked and finely chopped500g ripe tomatoes – you want as many different shapes and colours as possible, so go for heritage varieties if you can Put all the spices in a spice or coffee grinder (or mortar), add the salt and peanuts, and grind to a rough powder – don't overprocess it. Put a small, dry frying pan on a low heat, add the spices and cook, stirring, for about five minutes, until very fragrant. Tip into a small bowl and leave to cool. For the crust, in a small bowl, mix the butter, spice mix, breadcrumbs and herbs until well combined. Season the lamb racks with salt, then press a thin layer of the crust on to the fat side of the lamb racks. Put them in a shallow roasting tin and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, to firm up the crust. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7, and take the lamb out of the fridge 10 minutes before you want to cook it. Roast for 20-25 minutes, then remove and rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the salad. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, oil, sugar and salt, then stir in the shallots and tarragon. Slice the tomatoes, arrange them on a larger platter and pour the dressing over the top. Slice the rested lamb into individual ribs and serve with the salad. Hand pies are a popular Sierra Leonean party food, and these ones, with sweet plantain, salty feta and a spicy salsa, are perfect for a summer get-together. Prep 15 minCook 3 hr 30 minChill 1 hrMakes 10 small pies For the salsa10 large plum tomatoes, halved lengthways, cored and deseeded1 tsp salt A few twists of black pepper 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano 6 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed¼ tsp finely chopped scotch bonnet 25g fresh coriander, finely chopped For the pies4 yellow plantains 30g unsalted butter 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped400g feta 150g plain flour, plus extra for dusting1 tsp salt Sunflower oil, for deep-frying Heat the oven to 140C (120C fan)/275F/gas 1. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and arrange the tomatoes halves on top in a single layer. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, oregano and two tablespoons of the oil, then slow-roast for about three hours, until the tomatoes are shrivelled at the edges but still plump in the middle. Then make a start on the pies. Increase the oven temperature to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Wash and dry the plantains, put them on a baking sheet, roast for 40-50 minutes, until soft, then remove. Melt the butter in a saucepan on a gentle heat, then add the chopped onion, cover and cook very gently for up to an hour, until softened and golden brown. Transfer to a bowl, leave to cool completely, then crumble in the feta. When the plantains are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins, put the flesh in a food processor and pulse to a smooth mash. Scrape into a bowl, add the flour and salt and mix to make a smooth dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for an hour. While the dough is chilling, make the salsa. Heat the remaining four tablespoons of oil in a saucepan, add the onions, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and chilli, and cook for another two minutes. Finely chop the roast tomatoes, add them to the pan, then take off the heat. Now fill the pies. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces, then, using a rolling pin or a tortilla press, flatten each piece into a thin 15cm round. Spoon two tablespoons of the feta mixture into the centre of each circle of dough, fold over to enclose and use your fingers to crimp and seal the edges. To finish, gently reheat the salsa, if need be, then stir in the coriander. Heat the deep-frying oil in a wok or deep pan over a medium-high flame, then, working in batches, fry the pies for three to five minutes, until golden all over. Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain on a plate lined with kitchen towel, and serve at once with the warm salsa for dipping. Maria Bradford is a chef and food writer, and owner of Shwen Shwen in Sevenoaks, Kent. Her book, Sweet Salone: Recipes from the Heart of Sierra Leone, is published by Quadrille at £30. To order a copy for £27, go to
Washington Post
28-07-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
5 common tomato problems and how to solve them
Tomatoes are the quintessential summer garden crop, but they're not always simple to grow. In fact, by this point in the growing season, even the most experienced gardener may be having problems. According to experts, unusual weather, including a massive amount of rain in some places, is making for an especially tough tomato season this year. The good news: Most tomato plant issues are solvable.
New York Times
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
I've Dreamed of This Salad for Over a Decade. Now, It's Yours.
Roman's opened in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, in 2009, a little over a year into my daughter's life. I was still just emerging from the fevered seclusion of early motherhood, and when I stepped outside, the world seemed unnaturally bright. I was hungry all the time. Recipe: Melon Salad With Nectarines, Tomatoes and Basil My husband and I would walk the four blocks from our apartment to the restaurant. We'd arrive at 5 p.m., right when it opened, with our daughter in my arms, feeling like fugitives, ready to eat and run before the proper customers showed up. Often we were the first through the door. We always had the same table, the last four-top across from the marble bar, angled against the wall like a diamond. A server would slip a shim of cardboard under an unsteady leg so it wouldn't rock. The menu was printed on graph paper and changed daily — completely, with almost no repeats. What you loved, you loved once and might never see again. (Pete Wells, then The Times's restaurant critic, wrote that raving about such dishes 'borders on sadism.') Sometimes I had no idea how to order; but whatever came turned out to be exactly what I wanted. Over time, patterns emerged. Suddenly fennel was a significant part of my diet. Likewise cardoons, an obstinate vegetable — technically, a thistle — I had never heard of. The writer Scarlett Lindeman, who was a cook there, told me they required up to six blanchings to be coaxed into tenderness. 'Those bitter puny vegetables,' she recalls now, adding: 'Best kitchen I ever worked in.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Business Insider
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Every 'Superman' movie, ranked by critics
The beloved character, who first appeared in a 1938 comic, got his first big-screen depiction forty years later, when Christopher Reeve took on the role in 1978's "Superman: The Movie," cementing Superman's place in pop culture lore. Since then, many more actors have played Superman, to varying degrees of critical acclaim. More recently, director Zack Snyder's now-defunct DC Extended Universe era showcased a darker side of Superman through Henry Cavill 's performance. Now, "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise director James Gunn is trying his hand at a Man of Steel movie, with David Corenswet playing the character in the latest era. Gunn's "Superman," which also stars Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, harkens back to the lighter tone of the Reeve era, when Superman's priorities were striving for truth, justice, and preserving the American way. How does the new movie compare to previous depictions of the comic-book icon? Here are all the "Superman" movies, ranked by critics' scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Three years after Henry Cavill came on the scene as Superman in "Man of Steel," director Zack Snyder put together the ultimate faceoff: Superman versus comic-book icons finally sharing one screen meant the hype for the movie was through the roof. But ultimately, Snyder couldn't deliver. Cavill plays a Superman who is too tortured, and though Ben Affleck is impressive as Batman, the corny connection between Superman and The Dark Knight (both their mothers are named Martha!) is Tomatoes score: 28% After the massive success of "Superman II," a third movie was fast-tracked. Gene Hackman didn't return as Lex Luthor, but Richard Pryor was added as a bumbling tech whiz who goes up against Superman, getting a $5 million paycheck for his resulted in a flat story that lacked the high stakes of the previous Tomatoes score: 29% Aside from "Zack Snyder's Justice League," Cavill hasn't been seen in the DC universe since 2017's "Justice League." He appears in a shocking mid-credits scene where he introduces himself to Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam and tells him they should to The Hollywood Reporter, the Rock pushed to bring Cavill back as the Man of Steel, even going over the head of former DC Films' head Walter Hamada to make it happen because he believed that was what fans wanted. Johnson has been immensely vocal about wanting to go toe-to-toe with Cavill's Superman in a future can read our explainer on his return here. Routh had the deck stacked against him from the moment he put that "S" on his the first Superman on the big screen since Christopher Reeve played the character in the 1980s, audiences suddenly had to adapt to a new actor in the a par-for-the-course movie, plus Routh's performance hardly giving audiences a "wow" factor, his Superman is pretty also didn't help that Routh was one-and-done with the character. Everything about 1978's "Superman: The Movie" is perfection. After decades of trying to get Superman to the big screen, director Richard Donner was the man to finally pull it off. He cleared the biggest hurdle by casting Superman right with the choice of Reeve, a physically impressive actor who also had the acting chops to land the emotional scenes.A cast filled out by heavyweights like Marlon Brando as Superman's father, Jor-El; Glenn Ford as his Earth father, Jonathan Kent; Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, and Margot Kidder as Lois Lane helped cement the movie a beloved work decades Tomatoes score: 86% One of the rare sequels that's better than the original, the dual storylines of Superman being willing to let go of his powers to be with Lois (Kidder), and General Zod (Terence Stamp) escaping exile to come to Earth to destroy Superman with the help of Luthor (Hackman) are perfectly the big showdown between Superman and Zod on the streets of New York City is a feat of 1980s practical Tomatoes score: 88%
