The Most Impressive Homemade Tomato Sauce Is Smoked

Welcome to our summer produce series. Every week until the end of August, we’re highlighting the most in-season fruit or veggie of the moment, as handpicked by the experts at Natoora. You can learn more about the company and how they work with farmers in our first piece of the series.

It’s finally here — peak tomato season has arrived, and it’s personally the fruit that I get the most excited for every year. (I know I’ve said that a lot these past few weeks, but what can I say, I’m a sucker for summer eating.) My love goes back to when I was a kid when I ate cherry tomatoes out of my parents’ and grandparents’ gardens and enjoyed big slices of the heirloom varieties dressed simply with olive, salt, basil and red wine vinegar, the latter a byproduct of my grandfather’s winemaking. Come the end of the season, everyone would gather to crush them and jar homemade tomato sauce that we’d eat for the rest of the year. I’ve been spoiled by good tomatoes, which means I really won’t eat the fresh ones until their season finally rolls around.

And the wait is totally worth it. Those bland, truck-refrigerated tomatoes pale in comparison to the juicy morsels that have been picked fresh from the vine. Whether you’re growing them at home or buying from your local farmers market, here’s how to get the most of tomato season, courtesy of Natoora:

• What to look for when shopping: Ripe, almost bursting tomatoes, which ensures they’ve developed full flavors on the vine. Thin, delicate skins that are easily split and scarred is a telltale sign of dense flesh within and a marker of tomatoes grown for flavor as opposed to yield or uniformity.

• How to store for maximum freshness: Store outside of the refrigerator, preferably in a cool location. Handle minimally and with care.
• How to use: Enjoy fresh.

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The Recipe

While you could simply slice and dress your tomatoes for a perfect summer salad, you can also get more creative. At Knossos restaurant at InterContinental Crete, chef consultant Nikos Roussos smokes fresh, ripe tomatoes for a bold sauce that perfectly complements another summer favorite: okra.

“Inspired by the Greek culinary heritage of cooking okra in a rich tomato sauce, this recipe offers a new perspective of modern Greek food,” he says. “The okra is chargrilled…and it’s served with smoked tomato sauce and feta cheese.”

Finished with a sherry caramel, give this recipe a try to impress at your next outdoor dinner party (and maybe batch extra homemade tomato sauce to can or freeze and enjoy later). Now get to your farmers market this week while this of-the-moment ingredient is still at its prime.

Charred Okra With Smoked Tomato Sauce

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 kg. ripe and juicy tomatoes
• 100 grams oak wood chips
• 100 ml. extra virgin olive oil
• 100 grams red onion, finely diced
• 1 small garlic clove, finely diced
• 30 grams sugar
• 5 grams fine salt
• 150 ml. sherry vinegar
• 90 ml. water
• 80 grams sugar
• 150 ml. water
• 150 ml. white vinegar
• 120 grams okra
• 10 ml. extra virgin olive oil
• 10 ml. sherry caramel sauce
• 10 ml. sherry vinegar
• Pinch of fine salt
• 2 twists white pepper
• 40 grams smoked tomato sauce
• 40 grams crumbled feta cheese
• 6 basil leaves

Directions

For the smoked tomato sauce:

1. With a knife, score an “X” at the bottom of each tomato, remove the core and place them in a shallow perforated metal container with the “X” side up.
2. In a deep metal container, spread the oak chips evenly and light them with a blowtorch until they produce smoke. Place the perforated container with the tomatoes over the deep container with the oak chips and cover both trays well with aluminum foil to trap the smoke. Place the container set over an open grill and allow the tomatoes to smoke for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Remove the containers from the grill and discard the foil. Peel the skins off the tomatoes, cut them in half and discard the seeds. Blend the tomato flesh in a blender until it becomes a smooth puree.
4. In a pot, heat the olive oil (100 ml) over medium heat and sauté the onion until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Pour in the tomato puree, add sugar (30 g) and salt (5 g), and reduce heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the sauce to cool down. Use the same or the following day.

• For the sherry caramel sauce:
• Place the sherry vinegar (150 ml), water (90 ml) and sugar (80 g) in a sauce pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for about 20 minutes, until the volume reduces to 100 ml and the mixture thickens to a syrupy consistency.
• Transfer the syrup to a squeeze bottle and store in the fridge for up to 7 days.

• To serve:

1. In a bowl, mix the water (150 ml) and vinegar. Add the okra and soak for 30 minutes.
2. Strain the okra and steam them for 15 to 20 minutes in a steamer until softened but still crisp. Remove from the steamer and cool down in the fridge.
3. Grill the chilled okra on all sides until lightly charred, and transfer them to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sherry caramel sauce and sherry vinegar (10 ml). Season with salt and pepper.
4. Arrange the okra on a plate and garnish with smoked tomato sauce, crumbled feta and fresh basil leaves.