...on
the table, at the midpoint
of summer,
the tomato,
star of earth, recurrent
and fertile
star,
From 'Ode to a Tomato' by Pablo Neruda
Ten days ago, it was 30 degrees, sunny and hot. The record-breaking Autumn weather brought about an unexpected late rally on the allotment, nowhere more so than the tomato plants. As well as dark red plums, we have experimented this year with a small, yellow, pear-shaped tomato from Italy. These hang from their plants like little drop earrings, glowing brightly in the sunshine.
This weekend, though, temperatures drop to freezing overnight, so the allotment is full of worried gardeners busily harvesting all their fragile produce; boxes and bags full of not just tomatoes, but lettuces, squashes and pumpkins, the last raspberries.
To make this yellow tomato focaccia, I use the recipe posted by Bill44 on the Sourdough Companion website. At the end, after smearing the surface with handfuls of olive oil but before the final rise, I press ripe yellow tomatoes firmly into the dough.
The tomatoes are placed about 3 inches apart, but next time I will place them closer together. As well as being caramelized and sweet, the tomato juices ooze out across the bread, and mingle with the olive oil and salt.
That last photo is proper food porn! Our yellow tomato plants (Sungold) have been so good to us this year, and they're almost impossibly sweet, aren't they? The focaccia looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteBoy, will I agree with Siri. That last photo is pure food porn! And I have to go to bed now. Maybe, I'll dream tomatoes. I, like you, have to
ReplyDeleteget the last of my garden picked by Wed, Oct 26, 2011. Frost coming again, this time with a new moon, which means a hard frost. (Sustained below freezing for 6 or more hours, here in NE Iowa, USA) Found your recipe on Sourdough Companion & hope to make it after Wed. Happy Baking!