A Moment for the Tomato

the herald of British summer

For me, the arrival of British tomatoes signals the true beginning of summer.

Whether served with oil and salt in a Caprese salad, shrivelled into jammy red gems in the oven or grated raw over a bowl of pasta with garlic and basil, the tomato reigns supreme as a simple, Mediterranean staple. Eaten at its best, sliced and generously salted, a tomato tastes like a mouthful of sunshine, and really cannot be beaten.

For all its Italian associations (at least in my cooking), we actually have Central America to thank for the tomato’s origins, as it was the Aztecs who first introduced them to Europe (via the Spanish conquistadors) in the early 16th century. They became a key ingredient in the Columbian exchange – a mass export of exotic ingredients from the New World to the Old. Whilst it wasn’t a particularly friendly period in Spanish history, it did mark the beginning of a new cultural and gastronomical era, and facilitated the safe passage of our juicy ruby jewels to Europe. In the warm, Mediterranean climate the tomato thrived, and cultivation of them for their ornamental properties began in the 1540s. We can date the presence of tomatoes in Italy as early as 1548, through a letter from the house of Cosimo de Medici, confirming safe receipt of a basket of tomatoes from his Florentine estate. However, it was only in the 1700s that the Sicilians experimented with tomatoes in cooking, and the oldest Italian tomato recipes emerged in the form of sauces and dry conserve. Cultivation of them then exploded in the 1800s… and here we are today!

Tomatoes find their way into my cooking all year round, mostly in the tinned variety, but summer time is when they really come into their own. Recently I’ve enjoyed a yellow heirloom tomato salad alongside a Sicilian-inspired fried mackerel and pangrattato; a roasted cherry tomato and peach gazpacho; and a homemade potato gnocchi with mixed tomatoes, crème fraiche and basil. It’s been a delicious week, and I thought it only fair to share my tomato gnocchi recipe with you to round it off.

Homemade Gnocchi with Summer Tomatoes & Crème Fraîche

Serves 4

for the gnocchi

1 kg floury potatoes

200g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)

1 heaped tsp cornflour

2 egg yolks

1 tsp salt

for the sauce

1 kg mixed tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

a good pinch of salt

black pepper

4 cloves of garlic, finely diced

125g crème fraîche

a small handful of basil, roughly chopped

80g butter

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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Roast the potatoes whole in a tray for an hour, or until soft when pierced with a fork. Leave the oven on for the tomato sauce. Once cooled, peel and halve the baked potatoes and break into a large bowl. Add the remaining gnocchi ingredients and work until you have a nice, supple dough. Leave to rest.

Meanwhile, quarter the tomatoes and arrange in a single layer on a large baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, then roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Add the diced garlic and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, until just falling apart. Leave to cool for five minutes, then stir through the crème fraîche.

Lightly flour a clean surface and cut the gnocchi dough into 8 equal parts. Roll each part out into a long log about 3cm wide, adding more flour if the dough sticks at all. Use a sharp knife to cute the logs into little pillows, about 2-3cm wide. Store on a floured surface until ready to cook.

Set a large pan of salted water to boil, then add the gnocchi and cook for a few minutes, until they float to the surface. On the next door hob, set a frying pan to heat before adding the butter. Once melted and sizzling hot, transfer the cooked gnocchi to the frying pan using a slotted spoon. Fry on high heat until they’ve got a golden skin.

Add the creamy tomato mix to the pan and stir to warm through. Plate directly and serve with a mountain of parmesan, drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of basil.

We enjoyed ours with a glass of floral Chardonnay from Made in Little France.

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Thank you so much for reading! If you liked the recipe (or the ramblings) I’d love to hear your feedback 💛 and please do share the love using the link below.