Makes about 2 quarts Makes about 2 quarts
About 4 quarts cold water
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large leek, white part and a bit of green, cut crosswise into large pieces, and washed well
1 plum tomato, halved and seeded
3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a stockpot, making sure the water covers the vegetables by an inch or 2, adding more water if necessary. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 2 hours.
2. Strain the contents of the pot through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Let cool, and then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Tomatoes, Fresh
To Peel Tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water and set aside. Carefully remove the stem from each tomato and cut a shallow “X” on the bottom, just deep enough to penetrate the skin. When the water boils, add the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the tomatoes to the ice water. As they cool, the skins will begin to peel away. Remove the tomatoes from the water and peel.
To Seed Tomatoes: Simply cut off the top 1/4 inch of the tomato, invert the fruit over a bowl or the kitchen sink, and gently squeeze until the seeds run out.
Tomatoes, Canned
Any self-respecting cook turns his or her nose up at canned fruits and vegetables, which are usually precut, far from fresh, and preserved in juices that distort their natural flavor. But there is an exception to this rule, and it’s a big one. Imported, canned Italian tomatoes are a godsend, a perfectly respectable way to have great tomatoes in your kitchen year-round. My favorites are San Marzano, which isn’t a brand, but refers to any tomatoes from the town of that name at the base of Mount Vesuvius, where the conditions produce superior tomatoes. If you want to make a recipe that calls for fresh tomatoes in winter, by all means turn to canned tomatoes, which I prefer to vine-ripened tomatoes, although those, too, would be fine in most cases.
One other note about tomatoes: You may have noticed that in many of my recipes, I preseason tomatoes with salt, pepper, and occasionally sugar. This is to give the tomatoes a head start, letting their natural flavor and juices combine and develop before they are introduced to the pot.
Like bacon, distilled white vinegar is one of my biggest allies in the kitchen. I use it to add a subtle but distinctly acidic lift to dishes that might otherwise seem too rich, heavy, or overwhelming. Take great care when measuring out white vinegar; if you add too much, it can backfire and turn an entire dish into something irreversibly acidic.