Stewed tomatoes are one my all-time favorite summertime treats. My mom still
makes the absolute best, but I give it the old college try and don't do too
badly. I don't have a set recipe, so it's kind of what floats your boat and
what you have around the house. I take whatever tomatoes I want to use, be
it fresh or canned, peel the fresh ones by dipping in boiling water for a
short period of time. Then chop them coarsely and set aside.
In a saute pan, either spray with vegetable spray or use a little margarine,
melt and add chopped onions. Sweat the onions over medium low heat for about
10 minutes, until they are just lightly browning and caramelizing. You can
add some chopped garlic if you wish, but I don't. Then turn the heat up a
little and add your tomatoes. Let them cook, stirring often, until they
reduce and a lot of the juice has evaporated. I usually add salt, a generous
amount of ground pepper, and a little sugar or honey to cut the acidity of
the tomatoes.
When your tomatoes are reduced by about half, take some day-old bread (or
whatever is lying about, a roll, pita, whatever) and break into fairly small
pieces and add to the tomato mixture. Then lower heat and cook this all
until the whole melange is melded and thick. As a point of reference, when I
use a large can of whole tomatoes, I will use between one and two slices of
bread, depending on the juiciness of the tomatoes.
This dish has been a family favorite for years and everyone always asks for
seconds!
Anne DeNitto (elpaw@xxxxxxx)
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