Tasty Tomato Recipes with Tomatoes Grown in Western Colorado

Each month we bring our readers recipes that can be made from ingredients grown in the Grand Valley.

In 2019, tomato season kicked off in August after a wet winter, cold spring, and warm summer. The harvest was bountiful, and today’s recipes celebrate the tasty tomato.

Eggs in Purgatory

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ½ medium onion chopped
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• You can’t beat homemade flavors, so make your own tomato sauce with fresh Colorado tomatoes using this easy recipe — make a big batch and use it in any recipe that calls for tomato sauce.
• 1 clove garlic minced
• ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Drizzle olive oil into a skillet set over medium heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add onions and cook until tender, approximately 3 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle half of the parsley over the mixture to thicken for approximately 5 minutes.

Break one egg into a small bowl. Using a large spoon, make an indention in the tomato sauce mixture. Gently pour the egg into the indentation. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Top with grated parmesan, salt, and pepper. Cover the skillet and cook until the whites of the eggs are set and the egg yolks are cooked to your preference. Remove cover from the skillet and remove the skillet from the heat. Before serving, sprinkle with the rest of the parsley.

Summer Gazpacho

Ingredients:

• ½ English hothouse cucumber, peeled and seeded
• ½ large red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded
• 2 pounds very ripe red tomatoes, preferably heirloom, cut into ½-inch wedges,
• 3 tablespoons of seeds reserved
• ½ large shallot, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 2 Tablespoons (or more, if desired) red wine vinegar
• Flaky sea salt
• 3 Tablespoons of olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• Quartered cherry tomatoes, chopped chives, and grilled or toasted country-style bread (for serving)

Directions:

Cut 2 inches of the cucumber into ¼ inch pieces and set aside for serving. Chop remaining cucumber coarsely and place in a large bowl. Cut one-quarter of the bell pepper into ¼" pieces and set aside for serving.

Next, coarsely chop the remaining bell pepper, adding to bowl with chopped cucumber. Add tomatoes to bowl and toss with the shallot, garlic, 2 Tablespoons of vinegar, and 1 Tablespoon of salt. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Transfer tomato mixture along with any juices to a blender. Add 3 Tablespoons oil and purée on medium speed until smooth, then season with salt and vinegar. Strain through a coarse-mesh sieve into a large bowl or pitcher and chill until cool (approximately 1 hour.)

Top each bowl of gazpacho with cherry tomatoes, chives, reserved cucumber and red pepper pieces, and tomato seeds, with a drizzle of oil and a dash of salt to finish. Serve with a crusty bread.

Cherry Tomato Compote

Pick up a batch of fresh cherry tomatoes at your local farmers’ market or favorite grocery store, then try this unique recipe. You can spoon this compote over ice cream, pound cake, sweet mascarpone cheese, or sweet ricotta cheese for a decadent dessert.

Ingredients:

• 20 fresh cherry tomatoes
• 200 ml water (or slightly less than one cup)
• 3 Tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Peel the cherry tomatoes by slicing a small X into the bottom of each tomato. Place tomatoes in a pot of boiling water, then boil for 20-30 seconds (or until the X begins to split open.) Remove the pot from the heat immediately and use a slotted spoon to put the tomatoes into a bowl of ice water. The skins should now be easy to peel off.

Next, add water and sugar to a small pan, bring to a boil and then turn the heat off. Add tomatoes to the pan, put the lid back on and allow to cool. Refrigerate before serving.