saucy saffron tomatoes
p.s.: please excuse the low quality pics on this one. sometimes the good lighting just isn’t anywhere to be found and you’re too hungry to make things look pretty:-)
ahhh fall is here. tomatoes are slowly filtering out of farmers markets and while you can still get them in the grocery store year round, we all know they aren’t nearly as good as they are in the late summer. luckily you can still get the good ones for the next couple of weeks or so. and luckily x2 you can make these saucy saffron tomatoes with them and keep them in your freezer for when you need a lil taste of summer in the dead of winter. you could also make these with the winter tomatoes you’ll see at the grocery store throughout the colder months, i would just add a pinch of sugar once the tomatoes start to break down to replicate the sweetness of a perf summer tomato.
these were so simple to make and would be good on top of pretty much anything. we ate them on top of tahdig (a persian crispy rice that is absolutely delicious and as fun to make as it is to eat) with roasted chicken. it was great on both the rice and the chicken.
some other stuff i think would benefit from spooning this on top would be (but is certainly not limited to):
whipped ricotta toast
pasta of any shape or size (but especially gnocchi or a ravioli of some sort) maybe with a spoon full of crème fraîche stirred in and lots of parm
scrambled eggs or fried eggs (with or without toast, but probably with)
charred veggies: i’m thinkin’ broccolini, eggplant, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, etc.
spooned over some burrata or feta and eaten with some good bread
just some fun ideas for how to use these up. if you top em on anything else PLEASE let me know. we don’t gate keep good food ideas around here.
ingredients————————————————
1 pint of very good cherry tomatoes, we used sungolds (they are my favorite, the sweetest cherry tomatoes you will ever come across) but any ripe and sweet cherry tomatoes will do
1 small to medium yellow or sweet onion, diced
4-6 garlic cloves, skin removed and crushed with the side of your knife
small pinch of saffron
2tsp kosher salt (plus more to taste). if you are not using kosher and using sea salt instead i would dial this back to 1tsp and add more to taste.
Lots of freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbs olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2tsp sugar (optional) ONLY if using out of season tomatoes. taste them before you add this, as you will only need to add it if the dish is lacking in natural sweetness
saffron tea
instructions——————————————————
heat a small frying or sauce pan over medium and add the olive oil. once the oil is shimmering add the diced onion and crushed garlic along with 1 tsp of the salt and the red pepper flakes (if using). sauté until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent, 5-7 minutes.
add all of the tomatoes along with the remaining 1 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to break down and burst into a sauce. about 10 minutes. you can crush some of them with the back of a spoon once they start to get tender if you wish.
make the saffron tea by adding a small pinch of saffron to a mug or heat proof bowl and pour over 1/4 cup of boiling water (you can boil in a kettle or on the stove). let the saffron bloom while the tomatoes are breaking down.
once the tomatoes have begin to turn saucy, pour the saffron tea into the pan. turn the heat down to medium low and let simmer and thicken a little. about 5-7 more minutes. this would also be when you add the sugar if using
taste for salt, add more if needed.
serve them on top of whatever you want!
served here with tahdig and roast chicken
Tahdig! not relevant to the recipe i guess but.. isn’t it pretty!?!
this is how your garlic should look