Tomatoes marry well with all sorts of other flavours. High in glutamic acid, which creates the so-called fifth taste 'umami' (loosely translated as 'savoury'), they enhance meat and fish dishes. Garlic and onion add to its deeply savoury nature while basil, thyme, oregano and mint all work their own aromatic magic. Peppers, aubergines and potatoes hail from the same family as the tomato and complement each other well.
For maximum flavour, it's better to leave both the skin and the seeds and surrounding jelly intact, as this is where much of the flavour is stored. If cooking them, use the whole lot and then sieve out the skin and pips after cooking.
Some recipes call for skinned and de-seeded tomatoes. To prepare tomatoes in this way, use a sharp knife to make a small cross in the bottom of each tomato, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 15-30 seconds, drain and refresh in cold water. Use you fingers to peel away the skin (it should pull away easily) then quarter the tomatoes and push out the seeds.
An easy way to improve indifferent tomatoes is to oven-dry them. Halve the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt, sugar and pepper and dry them in a low oven (100C/200F/Gas ½) for 2-4 hours to intensify the flavour. Turn the oven off and leave the tomatoes overnight.
