Gazpacho: What It Is, Original Recipe and How to Serve It
Sopas-e-caldos
Glossário Culinário
Tomato
The tomato is the fruit of the tomato plant, a plant with the scientific name Solanum lycopersicum. Although botanically a fruit, in the kitchen it is treated as a vegetable: tangy, juicy and full of pulp, it is the base of sauces, salads and sautes worldwide. In Brazil, it shows up from Sunday pasta sauce to the vinaigrette of the barbecue, always bringing freshness and balanced acidity.
Characteristics
The most common varieties are the Italian, elongated with few seeds, perfect for sauces; cherry and grape, small and sweet, great raw; beefsteak-style caqui, large and meaty, ideal for salads and fillings; and Débora, firm and versatile. The thin skin, juicy pulp and seeds wrapped in jelly define its texture. When ripe, the tomato is sweet and acidic in measure; green, it stays firm and sour.
Uses in the kitchen
It is the king of sauces: marinara, Bolognese, pizza and meatball sauce. Raw, it shines in salads, bruschettas, vinaigrettes and gazpacho, the cold tomato soup. Roasted, confit or grilled, it concentrates flavor and gains sweetness. Stuffed and gratin it becomes a main dish, and blended with water and strained it yields juice. It pairs with basil, oregano, garlic, onion, olive oil and cheeses.
Substitutions
Among fresh varieties, swapping is free according to use: Italian for sauce, cherry for salad, caqui for stuffing. Canned peeled tomatoes replace fresh ones well in sauces and stews, and diluted tomato paste saves the day when there is no tomato at home. For the acidity it lends to recipes, a touch of lemon or vinegar helps, but neither reproduces its pulp and body. In salads, bell pepper can add color and crunch, with a different flavor.
Fun facts
Tomatoes kept in the refrigerator lose aroma and turn mealy, so the ideal is to keep them at room temperature until ripe, and only refrigerate after ripe or cut. To peel easily, score a cross at the base and blanch in boiling water for a few seconds. Seeds can be removed when a fuller, less acidic sauce is wanted.
