Three ways to use tomato leaves
Capture the taste of a greenhouse, as a chef once said.
I pruned my tomato plants in the garden this week and vaguely remembered something I had watched online some time ago using the leaves in a recipe. I eventually found said video on Riverford’s YouTube page with one of their chefs (past or present, I’m not sure) who made a tomato leaf pesto. He described the taste of the tomato leaves as “like a greenhouse” which I thought was a perfect description.
J’adore the smell of tomato plants and it looks like I’m not alone. I’ve come across many home fragrances and perfumes online that claim to capture this beloved plant's fresh, green scent. As for taste, they’re not so common in recipes, but perhaps there’s a reason why. There’s a great deal of debate online as to whether the leaves of tomato plants are toxic. Tomato plants contain alkaloids tomatine and solanine. These compounds can be found in several other members of the Solanaceae or ‘Nightshade’ family. These compounds are considered toxic to humans when consumed in large quantities. Others claim this is false and that the leaves do not harm humans when consumed. Wherever you stand, the recipes below do not contain vast amounts of the leaves. By all means, read up some more if you’re concerned.
Here are three ways that you can use tomato plant leaves.
Pesto
We all know that pesto can be used in many ways. On bruschetta, pasta, salads etc. I used this batch with gnocchi for a lazy solo dinner one evening and stirred it into rice to give it a green hit on another.
In my recipe below I use breadcrumbs in the absence of nuts. Normally we have the dregs of a packet of mixed nuts in the cupboard but not today, so I had to improvise. It worked out well and helped to bind the pesto together. A traditional pesto would include grated cheese, normally Parmigiano Reggiano, but I excluded this too.
You’ll need:
2 handfuls of tomato leaves
A small bunch of parsley or other herbs (optional)
Small clove of garlic
Salt
Olive or rapeseed oil
1-2 teaspoons of breadcrumbs
Add the tomato leaves and optional herbs into a mortar along with a glug of olive oil and bash with the pestle until the leaves begin to break down. Now add a pinch of salt, garlic, more olive oil and a teaspoon of breadcrumbs. Continue to pound with the pestle until the consistency is a thick paste. Depending on how you like your pesto (thick or a bit sloshy) add additional olive oil or the remains of the breadcrumbs.
If you’re using a blender or chopper, follow the same instructions.
Infused oil
This takes more time but I think it’s always worth having an assortment of infused oils to hand to drizzle over plated dishes (my favourite is sage oil). Infused oils can be drizzled over tomatoes, salads, potatoes, chicken, fish… almost anything! It will add a fresh ‘green’ flavour.
100ml of olive or rapeseed oil
2 handfuls of tomato plant leaves
Add your leaves and olive oil into a blender or chopper and blitz. It doesn’t need to be very fine, only until the leaves have broken down.
Pour the contents into a saucepan and heat on low for 3-4 minutes. This method allows for a faster extraction of the leaves’ aromatics. After this time, remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool.
Use a coffee filter or fine muslin cloth to filter the oil, leaving behind the fine particles. A coffee filter works best for this but a muslin cloth will capture 95% of it. I never lose sleep over a tiny amount of sediment at the bottom of my bottle and neither should you.
Pour the beautiful green oil into a jar or bottle. It will keep for up to a month. You could find a use for the remains; perhaps fold them into bread or pasta for colour, jazz up some hummus or add to a sauce.
Fertiliser
This fertiliser can be used to water your tomato plants and courgettes or sprayed on your plants as a repellent against pests such as the dreaded aphid. Thoroughly check your leaves for any signs of disease as you carry the risk of passing this on to your healthy plants at a later stage. A warning for those sensitive to smell: just like nettle fertiliser, this one smells terrible, too!
You’ll need
100g tomato leaves, including stalk
1 litre of water, ideally rainwater if you collect it
A clean jar or plastic bottle
Roughly chop the leaves and stalk and add to the jar. Add the water and seal the lid. Shake the bottle once a day. When you begin to see bubbles forming at the top of the liquid, you know it’s fermenting. After seven days, the water will look slightly murky. Strain the leaves and you’re ready to use this fertiliser.
Dilute 1 litre of fertiliser in 3 litres of water in a watering can.
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