The CookingBites recipe challenge: tomatoes

First of all, thank you all so much for your contributions, especially as (a) tomatoes are mostly out of season and (b) Xmas and New Year were rather important distractions!
It was a great honour for me to judge my first Cooking Bites Challenge and I was duly impressed with the 25 entries received. The challenge was "Tomatoes", and that meant there was a single criterion in my decision: the recipe had to be a tomato dish, a dish where the tomatoes were the principal ingredient, rather than a dish where tomatoes were part of the bigger picture. Consequently, the five contenders were Morning Glory ´s Keralan Tomato Curry, TastyReuben ´s Tomato Fritters, hemulen´s Tomato Buns and Elizabeth´s Tomato Puff Pastry Tart & Tomato Confit.
However, before I announce the winner, I´d like to give a special mention to FIVE recipes that, while they didn´t meet my specific criterion, looked absolutely delicious and will be prepared in my house in due course:
JAS ´s Chilean Seabass. Yummy!
Kanohegirlinaz ´s Lomi Lomi salmon - simple, very unusual and eye-catching.
Murphy´s Creek - both the Tuscan butter shrimp and the Tuscan chicken. Right up my street, especially since my wife is half-Italian!
Windigo´s Pasta alla Bruno. I love pasta, and I don´t know who Bruno is, but he´s got an eye for good combinations.

RIGHT!! without more ado - the final decision was between the Keralan Tomato Curry and the Tomato Puff Pastry Tart, and it was a very tough decision, but I´m going with the Keralan Tomato Curry.
Well done Morning Glory, and over to you for the next challenge.
 
Here are some thoughts for ingredients for the new challenge. Feedback appreciated.

Tofu (never chosen before)
Spinach (last chosen 2017)
Lentils (last chosen 2016)
Root vegetables: lots of scope and only one (two if you count 'alliums') root vegetables have been featured in the last two years.

I'll try to post the new challenge by midnight UK time. So that will be in 4 hours time from now...
 
Morning Glory said:
Here are some thoughts for ingredients for the new challenge. Feedback appreciated.

Tofu (never chosen before)
Spinach (last chosen 2017)
Lentils (last chosen 2016)
Root vegetables: lots of scope and only one (two if you count 'alliums') root vegetables have been featured in the last two years.

I'll try to post the new challenge by midnight UK time. So that will be in 4 hours time from now...
Click to expand...
I'd love a tofu challenge but I think it is one step too far for many (despite it being Veganuary). But there is Burmese tofu as well as silken or 'normal' tofu which is made with chickpea flour (and pretty much has to homemade but that's a doodle, gram flour it chickpea flour and hot water)....

Spinach... yeah, not great (high iron foods of any kind are not really allowed in this household due to a medical condition of my husband's)

Lentils, they would be great, but the definition is going to have to be very carefully, e.g. are split yellow peas classed as lentils for example (depends on what they came from, split yellow peas come from mung beans so...)

Root veg again needs careful definition (are you counting potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, new Zealand yams, artichokes. In my book no, they aren't root veg but not everyone agrees (online definition is any veg that grows underground which isn't my definition or understanding) ...)

Lentils would be great from my point of view... <now can I find a licking my lips emoticon? 😋
 
Morning Glory said:
Here are some thoughts for ingredients for the new challenge. Feedback appreciated.

Tofu (never chosen before)
Spinach (last chosen 2017)
Lentils (last chosen 2016)
Root vegetables: lots of scope and only one (two if you count 'alliums') root vegetables have been featured in the last two years.

I'll try to post the new challenge by midnight UK time. So that will be in 4 hours time from now...
Click to expand...
I would be out on any of those except maybe the root vegetables or spinach (so basically that means I don't like lentils much and not a big fan of tofu, LOL). Just not overly enthused. I do make some really good spinach dips, but usually spinach is a side for a meal or a component of a salad for me. Hey, but you can't tailor every challenge to meet everyone's needs, and since SNSSO said no to the spinach, there's that. And even though I like regular potatoes (no yams or sweet potatoes), onions, and garlic, well...I supposed it might depend on whether or not you want us to make it the "star" of the dish or not. Other than The Late Night Gourmet's roasted garlic soup, I can't think of any root vegetable that deserves a full command of attention. They are all just players to me.

But I will be happy to read and chime in throughout the challenge whether I participate or not. It's always great fun!
 
I'm ok with all of those, minus the tofu.

That said, I feel strongly that what may be perceived as a less-than popular ingredient should never get its moment to shine, just because a good number of folks my initially have reservations.

We have great cooks here, really inventive ones, and I've no doubt tofu would get some attention, and it might be nice to see what people do with it. It's something I've never seen (except in a package in the store), or eaten, so I'd take a "surprise me" attitude if it were suggested.

Also, we may get some other members who don't normally participate chiming in, because it's something they personally like, and never get to see.

I'd have no problem at all with a tofu challenge, even though I personally wouldn't be cooking for it.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
since SNSSO said no to the spinach
Click to expand...
I haven't said no to it, just that it is difficult for us because of hubby's medical condition. I could do 1 with spinach in 3 weeks but given he has to be careful even with red or purple rice because it contains more iron than regular white or brown rice, spinach (or anything high in iron content) isn't great here.

And he had quite a bit over Christmas.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom