Tomatoes and Bacon

This is a great recipe for brunch or lunch, especially if you are lucky enough to have tomatoes still ripening in your greenhouse. It’s so simple but makes bacon and tomatoes just a bit special.

Use any colour and size of tomato. Allow the equivalent of 3 medium sized tomatoes per person. Smoked streaky is my favourite, but any kind of bacon will work.

Method

1. Remove the tomato skins:

• Put the tomatoes in a bowl large enough to allow them to be covered with boiling water.
• Put the bowl in the kitchen sink. (This saves any need to carry the bowl across the kitchen which is not a good idea when full of boiling water!)
• Boil a kettle of water and pour immediately over the tomatoes.
• Allow to stand for a few minutes and push the tomatoes under the surface as they float.  The skins will split when they are “cooked” on the surface, you can test this by just nicking the skin with a pointed knife to cause them to split.  As soon as this happens pour out the boiling water and run cold water over the tomatoes. Slip the skins off and discard.

2. Roughly chop the tomatoes up into a saucepan.
3. Season with salt, pepper and brown sugar according to taste.
4. Put the saucepan on a gentle heat and cook slowly so the tomatoes don’t go into a mush.
5. Whilst the tomatoes are cooking grill the bacon and make a slice of toast per person

To serve, butter your toast and put on a hot plate. Pile the tomatoes onto the toast and top with the bacon. Yummy!!!

Enjoy,
The Tidy Gardener