Tomatoes are summer vegetables and fresh ones should therefore be eaten in good weather. The good period to eat them ends, therefore, with the month of September.
Tomatoes, such as peppers and aubergines, are salanacee, a family of vegetables that contains solanine. If taken in excessive quantities, solanine can be harmful to the body. But then should we not eat tomatoes? Absolutely! We must eat them all right, but in the right way.
The solanine content is inversely proportional to the degree of ripeness, so the tomatoes should preferably be well ripe. Furthermore, those in season and naturally matured contain less than those out of season.
In the months other than summer, tomatoes, with their precious qualities, can keep us company in the form of preserves and buckets : cooking and salting, in fact, help to inactivate solanine.
Tomatoes are rich in vitamins, mineral salts and antioxidant substances ; they facilitate digestion and are low in calories: 100 grams of fresh tomatoes contain less than 20 calories.
How to eat tomatoes
The tomatoes, raw or cooked, are rich in nutrients. The lycopene, however, is found in the cellular walls and, therefore, cooking them with a thread of oil, the cells burst and release a greater quantity of this precious substance to.
Tomatoes, who doesn't love them? Who doesn't use them in dozens of dishes? Fresh or preserved, they are the winning solution for a thousand recipes. In September, we take advantage of the latest fresh seasonal tomatoes and consume them in a simple way, in the context of a healthy and natural diet.
Find out more about solanaceae
5 quick and healthy recipes with tomatoes
When it comes to tomatoes and quick recipes, it is superfluous to give too many indications, so here are 5 ideas, very simple dishes, to bring fresh tomatoes on the September table:
Spaghetti with San Marzano tomatoes
Ingredients for 4 people:
> 8 San Marzano tomatoes,
> 320 grams of spaghetti,
> extra virgin olive oil,
> a few leaves of basil,
> salt.
Preparation : allow the San Marzano tomatoes to boil, remove the peel, crush and season with salt, extra virgin olive oil and a few basil leaves. Season the pasta and serve. Very simple and very healthy dish.
Fusilli with cherry tomatoes, pitted black olives and capers
Ingredients for 4 people:
> 320 grams of fusilli,
> a dozen of tomatoes,
> a dozen of pitted black olives,
> a teaspoon of capers in vinegar,
> salt (a little) and extra virgin olive oil.
Preparation : wash and break the tomatoes and sauté them for a few minutes in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil together with the garlic; add the olives and capers, season with salt, remove the garlic and season the fusilli. Finish the dish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Mixed salad with cherry tomatoes
Ingredients
> cherry tomatoes
> pitted green olives,
> lettuce,
> rocket
> feta.
Preparation : add everything and season in a very simple way, with salt and extra virgin olive oil. Also try the completely vegetable version, with tofu instead of feta.
Friselle with tomato sauce
Very summer dish, typically southern.
The ingredients are very simple:
> cherry tomatoes,
> extra virgin olive oil,
> salt,
> oregano,
> friselle.
Preparation : wet the friselle with water, neither too much nor too little, otherwise they become excessively soft or remain very hard. Break the tomatoes, lay them on the frisella, pressing a little to make the juice come out, and season with extra virgin olive oil, oregano and salt.
Finally, we recommend the caprese salad with veg mozzarella, to try a 100% vegetable version of one of the most famous summer dishes.
Another recipe for the summer: the panzanella
To know more:
> September vegetables
