What to use instead of tomatoes
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Acidic savoury liquid that becomes the body of a stew or curry
Cooked tomato brings water, acid, sugar and a lot of glutamate at once. It thins a braise while making it taste of more than the meat, and its pectin gives the sauce a little cling.
Canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by handRan out
1 lb fresh = one 14 oz can, half its juice drained off
More consistent and more acidic than out-of-season fresh. If the brand is sharp, a pinch of sugar settles it.
Passata or sieved tomato pureeRan out
1 cup passata per 1 lb fresh tomatoes
Smooth the whole way through, so there are no soft pieces left in the finished stew.
Tomato paste plus waterRan out
1/2 cup paste + 1/2 cup water for every 1 cup of tomato sauce needed
Deeper and sweeter with no fresh acidity behind it. Add 1 tsp vinegar per cup to put the sharpness back.
Sun-dried tomatoes, soaked and blended with the soaking waterRan out
1/2 cup dry + 1 cup hot water per 1 lb fresh
Much more concentrated and slightly leathery in flavour, and the stew turns brick-coloured.
What doesn't work: Pale out-of-season fresh tomatoes because the recipe says fresh. A winter tomato is water and skin; it thins the curry and adds neither acid nor sweetness. Canned beats it from October to June every year.
Chopped tomato fried down into a masala or sofrito base
The point here is not liquid. It is the stage where the tomato water boils off and the sugars start to catch in the oil, which is where the base gets its colour and depth.
Canned diced or crushed tomatoes, drainedRan out
1 medium tomato = 1/3 cup drained canned
Reaches the frying stage faster because there is less water to drive off. Colour is duller.
Tomato paste fried in the oilRan out
1 tbsp paste + 2 tbsp water per 1 medium tomato
Hits the dark stage in about a minute instead of ten, and it is sweeter. It scorches if you look away.
Roasted red peppers, blended, plus vinegarRan out
1 cup blended peppers + 1 tsp vinegar per 2 medium tomatoes
Sweeter and thicker with no tang until you add the acid, and the base goes orange-red rather than deep red.
Carrot, beet and celery simmered soft and blended with lemonRan out
2 carrots + 1 small beet + 1 celery stalk + 1 tbsp lemon juice, makes about 2 cups
Earthy and sweeter with no glutamate punch at all. Add 1 tsp miso or fish sauce per cup to replace the savour.
What doesn't work: Ketchup as the tomato in a masala. It is already sugared, vinegared and spiced with clove and allspice, so no amount of frying gets the base past tasting of ketchup.