Caramelize your tomatoes

Caramelize your tomatoes to bring out the flavour.

We live in a mist-belt so we can only grow cherry tomatoes; and much to my regret often have to resort to those in cans. One day perhaps we'll get into tunnels.

But we also live in a hail-belt and I can see that plastic or glass being torn and smashed to smithereens; it remains on the bucket list to be properly researched.

Cherry tomatoes supply lycopenes that protect the prostate gland.

If we cook with those cherry tomatoes and often those from cans too, they are very tart and have an almost metallic flavour; unless we caramelize them before adding any liquid.

Gently fry the chopped onions, celery and carrots in a little butter or olive oil.

Add your favourite herbs and spices continuing to fry.

Add the tomatoes and continue cooking and stirring until it turns to a really dark-red colour.

The caramelizing neutralises that acidic taste of the cherry tomatoes and really brings out the savoury flavours of the herbs and spices.

We particularly love to use this process when cooking a tomato soup; it gives it so much more oomph.

But actually fact you can do this same caramelizing of the vegetables when you are using just a small amount of tomato to give the chili or stew a stunning savoury flavour.

We particularly like doing it in our Eggs Hilton which is really just a copy of the Florentine dish, only with added chili and fresh green peas or beans.

And in Eggs Parkinson's disease in which we use broad beans for their L-dopa content. I personally have a tremor which is greatly relieved by this phytonutrient.

In both of these dishes I use only a small amount of tomato but always caramelize it first.

Observational studies show that the lycopenes in tomatoes, especially when cooked give proven protection to the prostate gland from nasty malignant tumours[1].

However according to Tufts University studies the supplement has no benefit. It is not certain that it is the lycopenes in the tomatoes that are giving the protection to the prostate gland; perhaps it's some other phytonutrient yet unknown. As always let your food be your medicine.

Caramelize your tomatoes

Caramelize your tomatoes and other vegetables for much longer than most folk do; until they look almost burned.

Plenty of vegetables like these, fruit and unrefined carbs are all prominent in the longevity diet; with protein mainly from legumes. It is not just about added years but also plenty of zest and strength in one's latter days.

We apply Pascal's wager to food like this; it is safer to assume the scientists are right than assuming they are twits. The probably gain of a strong and vibrant ninety far outweighs the loss of highly-refined carbs if they are wrong; actually they taste better anyway once you have pulled that sweet tooth and got used to chewy foods.

Broad beans on wholemeal toast after caramelizing the tomatoes is another of our favourites.

Broad beans on toast

Coloured foods

Researchers have found that those eating 7 or more coloured foods have massive protection against many diseases; the all-cause of death is 33% lower; that's massive. Tomatoes surely lead the way with all those bright red lycopenes.

They are absorbed even better when cooked with a little fat so it's a good thing to regularly caramelize your tomatoes.

Italians men have far less prostate disease; simply because they eat tomatoes daily.

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Newsletter

Our newsletter is entitled "create a cyan zone" at your home, preserving both yourself and Mother Earth for future generations; and the family too, of course. We promise not to spam you with daily emails promoting various products. You may get an occasional nudge to buy one of my books.

Here are the back issues.

  • Lifestyle and ideal body weight
  • What are ultra-processed foods?
  • Investing in long-term health
  • Diseases from plastic exposure
  • Intensive lifestyle management for obesity has limited value
  • A world largely devoid of Parkinson's Disease
  • The impact of friendly bacteria in the tum on the prevention of cancer
  • There's a hole in the bucket
  • Everyone is talking about weight loss drugs
  • Pull the sweet tooth
  • If you suffer from heartburn plant a susu
  • Refined maize meal and stunting
  • Should agriculture and industry get priority for water and electricity?
  • Nature is calling
  • Mill your own flour
  • Bake your own sourdough bread
  • Microplastics from our water
  • Alternative types of water storage
  • Wear your clothes out
  • Comfort foods
  • Create a bee-friendly environment
  • Go to bed slightly hungry
  • Keep bees
  • Blue zone folk are religious
  • Reduce plastic waste
  • Family is important
  • What can go in compost?
  • Grow broad beans for longevity
  • Harvest and store sunshine
  • Blue zone exercise
  • Harvest and store your rainwater
  • Create a cyan zone at your home

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