There are recipes requiring bushels of sun-kissed tomatoes – they belong in summer,let's leave them there. During the cooler months,let's embrace all the goodness that can be created from a humble tin of toms.
If my pantry ever runs low,I feel all isn't right with the world – they are one of life's most truly glorious staples and a fundamental start to so many good,great and dare I say it,excellent meals. They are reliable and the base for so much flavour and diversity come dinnertime.
The following recipes celebrate all that is good about a tin of tomatoes and their journey to our tables. Easy,quick and delicious.
Creamy tomato one-pot chicken
Think of this dish as less of a recipe and more of a formula for winter eating because let's be honest,creamy tomato-ey cheesy meals are comfort personified. Bone-in chicken works best for this braisey number. It may take a little longer to cook than flash frying a chicken breast,but there is so much more flavour and the result is tender and glorious chicken with crisp tanned skin.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 skin-on chicken supremes (chicken breast with wing bone attached)
- 1 onion,finely diced
- 2 marinated red peppers (jarred roasted capsicum),sliced
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 3 garlic cloves,crushed
- 400g can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- pinch brown sugar
- ½-1 cup pouring cream
20-minute stovetop beans
The kind of food that can grace a table from breakfast through dinner and take about 20 minutes from start to finish,is the kind of food that should be on high rotation when the stakes are high,but the motivation is low.
This recipe easily doubles or triples to feed more mouths. To bulk it further you could add a fried egg,tinned tuna,pasta,prosciutto or spinach... the feeding opportunities from this number are plentiful.
INGREDIENTS
Pasta all'arrabbiata
There is little else as perfect in the world as a beautiful sugo-laden pasta with a heft of excellent cheese.
I've made this recipe with a slow Sunday in mind,but you can easily make this midweek magic by cooking the sauce for 20 minutes over a higher heat – it won't reduce as much as the longer method,so you may have some excess sauce,save this for anotheruse. If you don't want to make the pasta yourself,use packet pasta or buy some freshly made,it will never disappoint.
INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 eschalots (French shallots),peeled and halved lengthways
- 4 whole garlic cloves,peeled
- 1 tbsp finely chopped oregano leaves
- 1 cup passata
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- chilli flakes to taste
- pinch of brown sugar (optional)
Tomato and mozzarella risotto
If you've suffered the low-vitamin-D-induced envy of those on European summer holidays,but also feel the need for winter comfort,this Caprese-inspired risotto is the bridging salve you need.
INGREDIENTS
- 500g cherry tomatoes on the vine