TOMATOES

As you gaze on the countless varieties of tomatoes in the produce store wondering which to buy, it’s hard to believe this acidic fruit got off to a slow start. It was a long slog from feared to revered and feted at festivals. Now we can’t get enough of them – fresh, roasted, dried, tinned, juiced, and made into soups, sauces, salsas, pickles and preserves. They are also one of the most popular vegetables with home gardeners, despite certain inherent challenges. It seems obvious to recommend buying them in season, but we can’t overstate the importance. Ripeness is all. And in salads and sauces the quality of the tomatoes is the key to the success of the dish.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Choose ripe, red tomatoes that still have a bit of green stem attached. Out of season, make the most of tinned tomatoes – whole, diced or crushed – and opt for a good-quality brand.

HOW TO STORE THEM

If they are slightly underripe, leave them on the windowsill or kitchen bench. Otherwise, store them, stem down, out of direct sunlight and use within a day or so. Don’t store them in the fridge. Tomatoes are a sunshine fruit: the cold breaks down their cell walls and causes them to go mushy.

WHAT’S IN THEM?

A medium fresh tomato (about 170 g/6 oz) has about 110 kilojoules (26 calories), 2 g protein, no fat, 3 g carbs (3 g sugars, 0 g starches), 2 g fibre, 10 mg sodium, 334 mg potassium and a low GI (33); the GL is low (1).

WHAT ELSE?

Just as well we love tomatoes because they give us the red pigment lycopene, which may reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men but is also said to help us keep our cholesterol numbers in the right zone and protect our skin from UV damage. And don’t fret about cooking tomatoes or using them tinned, because lycopene is more available when puréed and cooked with oil.

There are so many tomato products – from tomato paste (concentrated purée) to passata (puréed tomatoes) and other tomato-based sauces – that are useful to have on hand.

HERO RECIPES

Fresh tomato sauce for pasta (here )

Tomato and fig salad with burrata and date-mint dressing (here )

Green tomatoes with a chopped olive and herb sauce (here )

Salmon curry with lychees and tomatoes (here )