Backyard Bounty: Tomatoes

Whether your tomato plants have gone gangbusters or you’ve scored a haul from a green-fingered friend, now’s the time to make the most of it. As tomato season draws to a close, here are four unique ideas to see you through the late summer harvest.

Leek, almond and bruised tomato galette

This galette looks like something you'd spent all afternoon on, but don't let that put you off. The store bought pastry does the hard work for you. Bruised and over-ripe tomatoes are actually ideal here, their flavour coming into its own alongside sweet roasted leek, salty capers and toasted almonds. A little effort; lots of impact.

What you'll need...

• 1 sheet store-bought shortcrust pastry, thawed

• 5 over-ripe or bruised truss tomatoes, chopped

• 3 leeks, thinly sliced

• ½ bunch hard herbs (thyme or rosemary)

• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 bunch basil, leaves picked and torn

• ⅓ cup roasted almonds, chopped

• ⅔ cup finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

• 2 tbsp baby capers, drained

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• Sliced heirloom and cherry tomatoes, to serve

What to do...

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place tomatoes, leek and herbs on a foil-lined tray. Drizzle with oil, season and roast for 40 minutes until the leek is tender. Drain through a colander, reserving liquid. Discard herb sprigs.

2. Roughly chop half the basil and mix with almonds, parmesan and capers. Place the pastry sheet on a lined baking tray. Scatter over basil mixture leaving a 7cm border, top with leek mixture and fold the border of the pastry over. Brush with egg and bake for 50 minutes until golden. Cool slightly.

3. Top with sliced tomatoes, remaining basil and extra parmesan. Drizzle with reserved roasting juices and serve.

Oven dried tomatoes

This recipe is an easy way to oven dry tomatoes down to a wrinkled, tasty little sandwich and salad filler to please even the most tomatoed-out family member.  With its richer flavour, jars of oven-dried tomatoes will be warmly welcomed in the colder months to come - if they last that long!

What you need...

• 2kg tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Spices of your choice

What to do...

1. Heat your oven to 80℃ (fan bake).  Slice tomatoes in half, cutting out the core as you go.  Line them up on a baking tray, cut side up. 
2. Drizzle olive oil over them and scatter salt evenly and liberally over the top.  Add spices now too, if you wish.  Cumin, fennel and coriander all work well. 
3. Leave in the warm oven for 5-6 hours or until they have shrunk right down but still have a bit of juiciness to them. 
4. Once cool and placed in containers, these will keep int he fridge for a good week or more.  Or place them in a sterilised jar and cover with oil (like they do in the shops!) and they will last up to two months, provided you don't eat them first. 

Cherry tomato and bacon skewers

Forget the pack of saussies or the bag of chips you were planning on picking up for that autumn barbecue.  You'll be the star of the grill if you make this instead.

Easy to put together and incredibly flavourful, this is a perfect choice when you've got cherry tomatoes coming out your ears. 

What you need...

• A packet of bacon (preferably free range)
• Cherry tomatoes
• Skewers
• 1 clove of garlic, 1 tsp mustard, 1Tbsp white wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp olive oil and a handful of fresh basil for the dressing. 

What to do...

1. Blend dressing ingredients together until smooth and put aside
2. Pierce the end of a rasher of bacon onto a skewer, then add a cherry tomato, and thread the bacon over it... and repeat.  You should use one rasher of bacon and around 5 tomatoes per skewer.
3. Grill on the barbeque, turning now and then, until the bacon is crispy and the tomatoes look ready to burst.
4. Drizzle the dressing over the whole plate of skewers and serve. 

Tomato, peach and burrata salad

We know you've had salads.  But have you combined peach and tomato with some creamy Italian cheese, drizzled it in vinaigrette and sprinkled seeds on top?

Didn't think so.  This one has a lovely combination of sweetness and tart, combined with rich creaminess, making it a beautiful match with warm toasted ciabatta.