Lacto Fermented Tomatoes

These tomato recipes are perfect on grilled bread or pasta. Prep and store now and open a jar up for those lazy evenings.

Lacto-Fermented Tomatoes:

• 1 lb BC-grown greenhouse cherry tomatoes, gently washed
• 3 tbsps Kosher salt
• 1 L water, filtered
• 5 leaves of basil
• 4-5 cloves of garlic

Start with a clean glass jar or any vessel with a lid, glass preferably. Pour salt and a little water into your fermenting vessel, stir to begin dissolving the salt. Add several garlic cloves, tear the basil and use other spices like peppercorn, herbs, or thyme to the jar. Pack the vessel full of tomatoes. Pour more water to cover. Cap the jar with a lid. Leave out at room temperature for 3 to 4 weeks.

Compressed Tomatoes:

• 25 gms shallots
• 10 gms sugar
• 4 gms pepper
• 5 gms salt
• 5-6 leaves of basil
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 35 ml olive oil
• 15 ml red wine vinegar
• 15-20 BC-grown greenhouse cherry tomatoes

Mix all of the ingredients but the tomatoes together in a bowl. Take a medium pot and add water and salt. Once it starts boiling, add the washed cherry tomatoes and blanch for 10 seconds.Remove and peel the skins. Add the peeled tomatoes to the marinade in the bowl and using a vacuum press machine, compress the tomatoes twice. (If you do not have access to a vacuum press, cut the tomatoes in half and add to the marinade for 2 to3 days, stirring every few hours.)

Sweet Pepper Vinaigrette:

• 30 gms sweet peppers, chopped
• 50 ml olive oil
• 10 ml red wine vinegar
• 4 gms honey
• 4 gms mustard
• 2 gms pepper
• 15 gms basil seeds
• water

Take a blender and add chopped sweet peppers along with the rest of the ingredients except for the oil and basil seeds. Start blending while adding a slow stream of oil to it. Keep blending until all of the oil is used up. Add a couple tablespoons of water to the vinaigrette if it is too thick. Adjust seasoning as per your preference. Take basil seeds and bloom in water right before plating for 15 to 20 minutes. You can do this ahead of time and have it stored in the fridge.

Garnish with fresh baby basil leaves and sprinkle on some flaky Maldon salt.

Recipe by Chef Vish Mayekar