More from a century ago. There seems to be a lot of ‘stewing’ going on in these vintage tomato recipes and as we know stewing and boiling the life out of veggies really does reduce the vitamin content dramatically, it may be a better idea to steam or boil gently.

Although, having said all that, tomatoes are one of very few foods that retain their vitamin content during cooking.

I’ve kept the style of writing but added a couple of notes….

Baked Tomatoes. -Fill a pudding dish two thirds full of stewed tomatoes; season with salt, and sprinkle breadcrumbs over it until the top looks dry. Brown in the oven, and serve with a cream dressing. (“Or how about basil and oil?”)

Baked Tomatoes No. 2. -Wash and wipe a quantity of smooth, even-sized tomatoes; remove the stems with a sharp-pointed knife. Arrange on an earthen pudding or pie dish, and bake whole in a moderate oven. Serve with cream.

Scalloped Tomatoes. -Take a pint of stewed tomatoes, which have been rubbed through a colander, thicken with one and a quarter cups of fine wholewheat breadcrumbs, or a sufficient quantity to make it quite thick, add salt if desired, and a half cup of cream, mix well, and bake for twenty minutes.

Or, fill a pudding dish with alternate layers of peeled and sliced tomatoes and bread crumbs, letting the topmost layer be of tomatoes. Cover, and bake in a moderate oven for an hour or longer, according to depth. Uncover, and brown for ten or fifteen minutes.

Tomato Gravy. -Heat to boiling one pint of strained stewed tomatoes, either canned or fresh, and thicken with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little water; add salt and, when thickened, if desired, a half cup of hot cream. Boil together for a minute or two and serve at once.

Tomato Pudding. -Fill an ovenproof pudding dish with alternate layers of stale bread and fresh tomatoes, peeled, sliced, and sprinkled lightly with sugar. Cover the dish and bake. (“no time indication here so go with your intuition”)

Tomato with Okra. -Wash the okra, cut off the stem and nibs, and slice thin. For a quart of sliced okra, peel and slice three large tomatoes. Stew the tomatoes for half an hour, then add the okra, and simmer together for half an hour longer. Season with salt and a little cream.

“Lots of cream used in these vintage tomato recipes – but many good chefs swear by it! Flour, bread and breadcrumbs could perhaps be replaced with gluten-free alternatives?”

And just a quick note – peeling tomatoes can be time-consuming. Put them in a bowl first and cover with boiling water. Leave for a minute or two and the skins should come off easily. Be careful though, boiling water is hot! 🙂

Bon Appetit!

Linda x

P.S. Grow your Own! This handy downloadable guide costs less than a packet of seeds and will help you get the most from your tomato plants. You’ll discover….

How to Grow Tomatoes

-Preparation strategies
-Recommended Varieties
-Sowing and Growing, step by step
-A few bugs and troubles to watch out for
-Clues on harvesting and storing your crop
-And a few delicious recipe ideas so you don’t get bored!
If you’re a seasoned gardener, you probably know all this stuff, but if you’re just beginning to get your hands dirty in the garden, try growing some tomatoes first and see how you get on.

So, here we go. Choose from your favourite online bookstore…

Amazon US , Amazon UK , Kobo , Barnes & Noble , Etsy