Two words always appeal to me: quick and pickled. Yes, I know, chocolate really does come first but that’s for another day.
For her cooking school, Suzen buys in quantity and, at the end of the week, we can have an extra container, or five, of cherry tomatoes. Even Suzen can tire of popping them like candy into her mouth. I cut them in half, top them with a flavored salt, like chipotle, and enjoy. And eventually get a little bored, too.
Here’s the solution. In just a half hour, you can quickly pickle those cherry tomatoes to produce a delight that can be app, a salad component, a side, or an element to go on top of your new favorite burger.
The authors of this recipe, Scott Daigre and Jenn Garbee in Tomatomania!, say to pickle these tomatoes only briefly, so they keep their texture, color and brightness. I’ve kept them in the jar for a week and loved them still, now over the top in sour flavor accented with ginger and mustard.
Scott and Jenn also suggest, if you don’t have cherry tomatoes, using finely diced tomatoes. Or you can use larger slices and enjoy them as components again in a salad. You can use them, too, as a garnish in your Bloody Mary.
Quick Pickled Cherry Tomatoes
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
- 1 cup firm cherry, grape, or other small tomatoes
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded
- One 3-inch sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon whole yellow mustard seed or ½ teaspoon mustard powder
Preparation:
Wash and thoroughly dry the tomatoes on paper towels and place them in a 2-cup glass measuring cup or small, deep glass bowl.
Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, ginger, serrano or jalapeno pepper, rosemary, and mustard seeds in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil for 30 seconds, remove from the heat, and set aside to cool completely.
Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the tomatoes, making sure the tomatoes are completely submerged (remove the rosemary and a few slices of ginger if necessary). Marinate for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, drain, and serve immediately.
Source: Tomatomania!: A Fresh Approach to Celebrating Tomatoes in the Garden and in the Kitchen by Scott Daigre and Jenn Garbee [St. Martin’s Griffin, 2015]
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/4 for1/50th second at ISO‑1250