In Praise of Canned Food

If you only take one thing away from this post, it is this: buy canned tomatoes.

Really, truly, I beg of you: buy canned tomatoes.

Why, you ask? Isn't canned food for giving away to the Salvation Army around Thanksgiving when you clean out your pantry and find one can of tuna and one can of kidney beans you don't even remember buying? Doesn't Michael Pollan hate canned food?

Well, I don't know if he does or not. But I do know that when you get home from a long day and are trying to come up with something to eat, driving through fast food or calling your local take-out place often sounds easier than whipping up a feast of organic acorn fed free range heirloom la la la. Not that I have anything against eating like our pre-historic ancestors; I mean, organic acorn fed free range heirloom la la la is good work if you can get it. And who can quibble with the idea of only eating foods you can actually pronounce? Not I.

But I can pronounce tomato, which is the only thing in a lot of canned tomato products. And cans are cheap. And cans stick around in the cupboard forever, lowering the chances my fellow cook-for-one-ers (or two-ers) out there will end up making compost out of half their produce. To my mind, all this makes canned tomato a darn good happy medium for a busy gal (or dude) on the go who still wants to eat half-decent food.

But they've more to offer still! Chopped tomatoes are already cut for you. Yeah, like, you just open the can and toss in. Crazy! And tomato paste is all pureed and thick-like, perfect for adding body to dishes...or for diluting and becoming a sauce or soup on its own. (Or Ketchup!) Stewed tomatoes have a thick sauce and a bit of flavoring. Tomatoes brighted up a dull dish, tame over-spiced food, add texture--that comfy, sink your teeth in feeling, and can be seasoned to go a thousand different ways. Honestly, they're downright heroic.

Do it Yourself: Here are three ways I used stewed tomatoes this week, just the beginning of infinite possibilities.

Greek Yogurt Salad
Stir approximately 1 Tbsp lemon juice into 1/2 cup greek yogurt. Season with cumin, chile powder, salt and pepper.
Pour in approximately 1/3 medium can stewed tomatoes, including juice, and stir to break up tomatoes.
Stir in about 1 cup diced crunchy vegetables such as celery, red onion, and cucumber.
Garnish with parsley or enjoy as is.

Fridge cleaning spaghetti sauce
I first made this when I had very little in the fridge, pouring in a bit of this and that to try and create something interesting to pour over noodles. The sauce was so good I ended up doing without the pasta and gobbled it up on its own...and looking for excuses to have leftover ground meat to make it again.

Brown about 1 cup ground pork or beef (or a mix) over medium heat with 2-3 minced cloves of garlic.
Dissolve in approximately 1 tablespoon harissa, 1 tablespoon fig jam, and 1/2 cup apple cider or 4 tbsp cup cider vinegar. Add 1/3 medium can of stewed tomatoes and add more liquid as needed to maintain saucy consistency.
*I had about 1/2 cup sauteed onions leftover in the fridge. I added them to the mix to great success.
Allow to simmer gently while stirring. Season with salt and pepper.
Melt in approximately 1/4 cup goat cheese.

Stewed tomatoes over rice
Ok, this isn't really a recipe. But hear me out. I had some chicken and rice with a chili adobo sauce for dinner. The sauce was a bit too powerful and lacked texture until I emptied my final third of a can of stewed tomatoes on top and heated the whole thing. It was instantly richer. The intensity of the chili sauce melded into the tomato juice and spread more evenly over the whole dish, instead of shocking me every few bites.

Now that's what I call Faux Gourmet Success! And it was all brought to you by canned tomatoes, which you should immediately go buy. They're cheap & will last forever, and you'll start using them in everything...but if you don't , you can always donate them to the Salvation Army.