Skinning Tomatoes

Handy tomato tip - Nothing worse than fishing out a bit of tomato skin from your food so:-

I prefer to skin fresh tomatoes when
adding them to a stew, curry etc.(The riper the better)
Soak tomatoes in very hot water for
a few minutes and then peel. The
skin comes off easily.

Beurre Manie - (Used to thicken stews, sauces etc.)

Beurre Manie

Sometimes we find that the stew, soup or sauce we have made is too thin. This can be easily rectified by making a Beurre Manie.

This is a paste made from equal amounts of flour and butter and is used to thicken stew, soups, sauces, etc.
It is usually mixed in small amounts, e.g. 1 Tablespoon Flour and 1 Tablespoon Butter.  The butter must be soft. Blend well with the back of a wooden spoon and then place in your stew, soup, or sauce to thicken.