Book Review: Tomato Love

Tomato Love: 44 Mouthwatering Recipes for Salads, Sauces, Stews, and More by Joy Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a country gardener who also cans and preserves my bounty, I’m always looking for new things to do with tomatoes. Every summer I load up my pantry with pints and quarts of tomato sauce, tomato juice, and chunk tomatoes. Recently I added marinara sauce, faux-Campbell’s soup, and ketchup to my repertoire, but I’m still craving more variety. And even with a pantry filled with tomatoey goodness, summertime is the season to indulge in meals created with fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes.

I have the bad habit of always growing too many tomatoes – as if that’s possible! Still, they all need to become something, and a book filled with new-to-me recipes is very welcome.

Don’t skip the introduction – here you’ll learn about the different varieties of tomatoes, and gain advice about cooking with tomatoes (both fresh AND canned). And then we dive right into the recipes, starting with a breakfast show-stopper called Shakshuka with Extra Veg. This North African dish can be made with easy to find ingredients. I was pleased to see that the very first recipe had me already planning my next shopping trip. I wondered what other treasures I’d find up ahead. As it turns out, I’ll also be making Enchilada Stacks with Chipotle Salsa soon – That recipe just pushes all my buttons.

There’s plenty of easy, friendly recipes for tomato-based dishes that should please both novices and long-time cooks as well, along with instructions for making any needful accompanying sauces. Often, the tomato *is* the sauce. However it works out, you’re given everything you need to make a fine meal, snack, soup, or appetizer. Instant Pot aficionados will find recipes for their beloved devices, too.

The food photography is excellent throughout the book. It’s quite warm, bright, and cheery, with backgrounds and objects that compliment the deep red tones of ripe tomatoes.

My thanks to author Joy Howard, Storey Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

View all my Goodreads reviews