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Stewed Tomatoes
The idea prevails among many inexperienced cooks that all that is necessary in stewing tomatoes is to cut them up, stew a few minutes, and serve, either without seasoning, or if too juicy, with some bread crumbs, and perhaps salt, pepper, and sugar. The flavor of the tomato is brought out and greatly improved by long stewing; some authorities claim that they need an hour. This, of course, means very slow cooking.
The tomatoes should always be peeled, not at all a troublesome matter. If rapidly boiling water is poured over them, and they are allowed to stand a few minutes, then drained and plunged into cold water until cool enough to handle easily, the skins will come off very readily. They should then be cut in pieces and stewed in their own juice until tender--fifteen or twenty minutes. If they are too juicy to serve as a vegetable, drain off a part of the liquor and put it aside to add to the next day's soup or sauce; add the necessary salt, a little pepper, and a good-sized piece of butter. Then stew very slowly at least another fifteen or twenty minutes. If liked, a very little fine bread or cracker crumbs may be added, 1 tablespoonful of butter, rubbed smooth with butter, putting less butter in when stewing them. 2 cupfuls of mashed rice may be added while the tomatoes are stewing--or 1/2 pound of American cheese, grated and beaten up with 3 eggs, and added after the tomatoes are stewed. Or tomatoes may be stewed in stock or gravy.
A method piece rather than a fixed formula: the point is slow cooking and peeled fruit, with a short list of enrichments at the end. Everything here works with modern equipment as written.
- The hinge is time, not heatThe whole argument of the entry is that tomatoes taste of little after five minutes on the stove. Keep the pan at a bare simmer so the liquid reduces and the sugars concentrate rather than the pieces boiling to shreds.
- PeelingPour on boiling water and let the tomatoes stand a few minutes as the recipe directs, then into cold water until cool enough to handle. Very ripe summer tomatoes slip sooner than that; underripe ones resist and are better peeled with a serrated peeler.
- Quantity and yieldNo amount is given. Reckon on about 2 lb of ripe tomatoes to serve four as a side dish, which will cook down to roughly 2 cups.
- The drained juiceSetting aside the thin liquor for tomorrow's soup is sound practice, but refrigerate it and use it within two days. Alternatively let it reduce in an open pan and return it to the tomatoes.
- American cheeseIn this period the term generally indicated a plain firm cow's-milk cheese of the cheddar type rather than processed slices. A sharp cheddar is a reasonable substitute. Beaten with eggs and stirred in off direct heat, it thickens the dish; if it goes above a gentle simmer the eggs will curdle.
- Crumbs and thickeningBread or cracker crumbs are the period thickener. Butter worked smooth with a little flour, stirred in and cooked a couple of minutes, does the same job with less grain flavor.
- SeasoningThe recipe salts only after the first stewing and after draining off surplus liquor; taste again at the end. Canned or out-of-season tomatoes usually want a pinch of sugar to offset their acidity; ripe field tomatoes rarely do.