Fermented Tomatoes with Basil and Garlic (1 Viewer)

DBK

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On an earlier thread I mentioned an interesting edition of the Food Programme on Radio 4 which covered fermented foods.

Of course I had to give it a try and as something like fermented cabbage or broccoli didn't leap out at me as perhaps ideal for a first go I found a recipe involving tomatoes, basil and garlic.

The recipe was American and all cups, so to speak, so this is my translated version:

325g cherry or baby plum tomatoes
500ml water
25g sea salt
A whole bulb of garlic
Fresh basil

First make the brine by dissolving the salt in a little boiling water and when it has dissolved add a few ice cubes to cool the water and then top up with cold water to 500ml.

Peel the garlic cloves and roughly chop them, I cut each clove into three pieces.

Put some of the garlic and a few whole basil leaves in the bottom of a one litre storage jar. I had a supermarket basil plant and just used the tip of a stem, which had three or four leaves on it. Then add a layer of tomatoes, but prick each tomato two or three times with a skewer before dropping them into the jar. Then add another layer of garlic and basil and another layer of tomatoes and so on. The picture below show the jar almost full.

OI000008.jpg


The jar needs to be topped off with a good layer of tomatoes to prevent any of the garlic or basil floating to the top.

OI000010.jpg


Then fill the jar with the brine, you probably won't need all of it.

OI000011.jpg


Don't overfill the jar, which is what I did. :) If you do it will over flow at the next stage - as mine did!

You need to find something which will press the tomatoes down into the brine. I found a glass tumbler which was just the right size.

OI000012.jpg


Cover with a tea towel and place somewhere dark.

It should be ready after three or four days but I will check daily. The tomatoes are supposed to have a very intense flavour.

I'll tell you how it turns out later. :D

Happy fermenting!
 
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DuxDeluxe

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Nice knife (y) it is Japanese ?

Sounds interesting. It cannot fail to taste better than Kimchi.............

Will give it a whirl sometime.

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Nice knife (y) it is Japanese ?

Sounds interesting. It cannot fail to taste better than Kimchi.............

Will give it a whirl sometime.
It's just a Tesco knife, a lot bigger than I used to use but I heard James Martin say you won't cut yourself so much if you use a large knife - and so far it's worked. Still got all my fingers. :)

Haven't tried kimchi but it is very spicy I believe, lots of chilli and ginger etc.
 

DuxDeluxe

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It's just a Tesco knife, a lot bigger than I used to use but I heard James Martin say you won't cut yourself so much if you use a large knife - and so far it's worked. Still got all my fingers. :)

Haven't tried kimchi but it is very spicy I believe, lots of chilli and ginger etc.
Rotting cabbage.....an acquired taste..... not as bad as trying to eat sea urchin insides with chopsticks :sicker:

A santoku knife is probably my favourite as well - very versatile(y)
 
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DBK

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I think making kimchi involves burying it in the ground for a few months. Sounds like the best outcome would be to forget where you buried it.

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DBK

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Quick update. Nothing happened for the first 24 hours but then I realised I had put it somewhere too cold so I moved it back into the kitchen and after another 24 hours bubbles started to appear. Its not exactly bubbling away like a brew of beer but then there is no added sugar. I'll give it another couple of days then taste one.

I also ditched the tea towel and put a plastic bag over it instead.

Exciting huh? :)
 

DuxDeluxe

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Quick update. Nothing happened for the first 24 hours but then I realised I had put it somewhere too cold so I moved it back into the kitchen and after another 24 hours bubbles started to appear. Its not exactly bubbling away like a brew of beer but then there is no added sugar. I'll give it another couple of days then taste one.

I also ditched the tea towel and put a plastic bag over it instead.

Exciting huh? :)
Absolutely gripping stuff.



Just hope it doesn't turn into griping stuff....... :groan::imoutahere:

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Minxy

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Did you sterilise the jar first, or wasn't that necessary?
 
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DBK

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Did you sterilise the jar first, or wasn't that necessary?
I did consider that but just put it through the dishwasher. The process uses the wild yeasts on the ingredients and no doubt floating around our kitchen as we make a lot of bread.

What I'm not sure about is how long it will keep given it starts off at the stage you would throw most things out!

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laird of Dunstan

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It's just a Tesco knife, a lot bigger than I used to use but I heard James Martin say you won't cut yourself so much if you use a large knife - and so far it's worked. Still got all my fingers. :)

Haven't tried kimchi but it is very spicy I believe, lots of chilli and ginger etc.
lol i have one of those knives in my caravan
 
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What I'm not sure about is how long it will keep given it starts off at the stage you would throw most things out!
I've done a bit more research (well OK I looked on Google) and it should last several months if kept cool. The brine acts as the preservative. It is indeed the same process as sauerkraut which @jockaneezer mentioned.
 

Minxy

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On this morning of gloom from Brussels I thought I would try one of the fermented tomatoes.

It was delicious! So much so I had to have another to confirm my first impressions. What I didn't expect was the skins have gone soft. They are sweet and taste like tomatoes on steroids. Just need to work out what to eat them with. :)
 
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CWH

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Fingers :)

..... oh I see what you mean... If they're that tasty, then I'd think toast should be enough, like the Spanish breakfast staple of tostadas y tomate, con zumo de naranja :clap:
Sitting outside under the sun of course :sun:
 

kcy

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A German / American neighbor of ours when I was a child used to make Sauerkraut and wieners, I loved it then. Haven't had it since

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DBK

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I suppose I ought to try sauerkraut although I can't remember ever eating it - although I suspect I might have done when I lived in Germany but I was too ignorant and callow a youth at the time to have recognised it for what it was.

Here is the BBC recipe, there are others. There's a useful tip in it which suggests the longer it is fermented the more sour it becomes. So you should taste it each day and when it is as you want - bung it in the fridge because that will stop the fermentation, or at least slow it to a snail's pace.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/simple-sauerkraut
 
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Having said about my dislike of sauerkraut, there's an American style deli opened up the road at Stanwix and I like their Reuben sandwiches, which contain a smattering of the adulterated brassica, maybe my tastes are maturing, wonder when the rest of me will catch up ?
 

scotjimland

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Inspired by your recipe and results I have put a batch on to brew today.. cheers

I didn't have fresh Basil and our village emporium/trading post only had dried..

but they and very nice ... . must do a bigger batch and use fresh Basil..

these won't last long.. yummy

12419267_1711343845746646_3275394801916681551_o.jpg

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DBK

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I didn't have fresh Basil and our village emporium/trading post only had dried..

but they and very nice ... . must do a bigger batch and use fresh Basil..

these won't last long.. yummy

12419267_1711343845746646_3275394801916681551_o.jpg
I'm glad it's been a success. Fermented tomatoes sounds yucky and if it hadn't been for the radio programme it isn't something I would ever have tried.

You can ferment lots of other things, the programme mentioned water melon I think.
 

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