It's been a while since I had a reason to experiment with a new ingredient. On Saturday, at the market, P of McGregor Herbes de Provence fame gave me a new product-in-development to try: tomato powder. She noted that it's not so pretty in its dried form: it clumps.
That didn't worry me, and I have some thoughts about potentially managing this, which I shall discuss with her.
I digress.
I had most of the makings for a quick-ish ratatouille, and not only was yesterday a meatfree Monday, but it was a chilly evening, so a hot meal was in order.
I added hot water to reconstitute the tomato powder and make a paste which is not as heavy - and almost bitter - as the commercial product, and which was a niggling concern at the back of my mind.
I added that to my ratatouille before adding the courgettes.
After adding the tomato and courgette and cooking for a while, I added a generous sprinkling of fresh oreganum from the garden.
The result? A delicous, warming supper that didn't miss the fresh or canned tomatoes.
I served it with a generous sprinkling of mature cheddar and pita bread. Of course, you can either lose the cheese or use a plant-based alternative to make this vegan.
And, yes, I have other ideas for what to make with the tomato powder - for vegans and carnivores. I shall also experiment with other recipes that I regularly make and use commercial tomato paste.
I shall report back in due course.
Until next time
Fiona
The Sandbag House
McGregor, South Africa
Photo: Selma
Post script
If this post might seem familiar, it's because I'm still re-vamping old recipes. As I do this, I am adding them in a file format that you can download and print. If you download recipes, buy me a coffee. Or better yet, a glass of wine....?
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