Recipe

Double Duty Tomatoes: Zesty Tomato Water and Roasted Tomato Relish

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Double Duty Tomatoes:  Zesty Tomato Water and Roasted Tomato Relish

Photo by vvvanessa

  • This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Condiment
    This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Dish in the Raw
  • A&M's Testing Notes: The tomato water was quick and easy to make, and the relish just needed to be mixed with olive oil and roasted after the water was finished. Both recipes were very popular in my household...

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  • Chef

    vvvanessa's Notes: Though I'm a big fan of tomato juice, lately, with the abundance of big, juicy, ripe tomatoes all over the Greenmarkets, I've developed an obsession for tomato water, the liquid that runs...

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Makes 2 cups each of relish and water

Zesty Tomato Water:

4 pounds fresh, very ripe tomatoes, washed and dried Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon kosher salt Ask a question about this ingredient

2 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced Ask a question about this ingredient

optional: 1 fresh hot pepper, like jalapeño or serrano, cut into thin rounds (use the ribs and seeds for a spicier drink or remove them for a milder effect) Ask a question about this ingredient

optional: fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley, or basil, roughly chopped Ask a question about this ingredient

optional: freshly ground black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

  1. Cut the tomatoes into a large, rough dice. Place them in a large bowl.

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  2. Add salt and garlic and stir to combine.

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  3. Allow the mixture to sit for about 30 minutes, then drain off the liquid.

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  4. Let the tomatoes sit for another 30 minutes, adding a little more salt to taste, then drain the liquid off again. Use a sieve to help extract as much liquid as possible.

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  5. Add the hot pepper and/or fresh herbs to the liquid if you'd like. Chill the seasonded tomato water for at least an hour. To serve, pour it into glasses, straining out the peppers and herbs. Garnish with a dusting of black pepper if desired. I like it best served very cold.

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  1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

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  2. Put the tomato-garlic mixture and olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet and mix well with your hands to combine.

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  3. Roast the mixture for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching, until the tomatoes become limp and start to caramelize.

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  4. Cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or so.

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  5. Ideas on how to use the relish: spread it on toast or on burgers, or toss a few heaping spoonfuls of it into pasta with some fresh baby spinach leaves and a shower of fresh parmesan. Stir it into macaroni and cheese, use it as part of an antipasti platter, top a grilled chicken breast or pork chop with it.

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  6. You can also make it into a paste by mincing it or smushing it with the flat side of a broad chef's knife. Mix the paste in with cooked garbanzos, shredded raw zucchini, minced onion, lots of olive oil, and a splash of white wine vinegar to make a quick, light, summer salad. Or whisk some into a vinaigrette to dress salads or vegetables.

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13 Comments on Double Duty Tomatoes: Zesty Tomato Water and Roasted Tomato Relish

Reply

This recipe was just the ticket for all my tomatoes from the garden! The tomato water was delicious. I think next time I may spike it with some vodka for a cocktail! I used the tomato relish on toasted baguette with fried egg on top. Wow! I am making more tomorrow, I am sure I will find many more uses for it. Thanks.

Dsc00426 Reply

thank you for the feedback, robin o'd! i'm really glad you enjoyed it. i used to work in a restaurant where we made a gin and tomato water martini-- customers waited all year for it to appear on the menu and guzzled them down come summer. i love to eat the relish on toast with soft goat cheese or just more olive oil. it also is pretty yummy on a blt.

Reply

This sounds amazing! I'm salivating just looking at the picture.

Off to the farm stand for me.

Dsc00426 Reply

: )

Copy_of_me Reply

Made this recipe the other day and used the tomato water in my vegetable soup...a great addition, and as for the relish....delicous!

Copy_of_me Reply

Delicious!!

Reply

I'm in the middle of recipe testing-- the relish is in the oven and the tomato water is in the frig. My daughter tried to shanghai the tomato water before it even chilled-- she loves it!
And I would have eaten the tomatoes as salad if I wasn't recipe testing!! Thanks for the recipe and the opportunity to test it!

Dsc00426 Reply

thanks for checking in! i hope you enjoy the process and outcome as much as i do. have fun with the roasted tomatoes-- they're wonderfully versatile. i made the last couple of batches of tomato water with extra serrano peppers with ribs and seeds. i drank it for breakfast, and it's a zippy way to wake up in the morning!

Img_0336 Reply

I, too, am a fan of tomato water and keep some vacuumed sealed in the freezer to make stock all winter long!

Dsc00426 Reply

oooh. vacuum sealing! love it!

Img_1884_tillie Reply

double yum!

Copy_of_me Reply

Similar to my oven roasted tomatoes; I shall try your recipe on pizza...for starters!

Dsc00426 Reply

super idea!

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