Cookaholics Bulletin Board

We are avoiding tomatoes and bell peppers (and all other nightshades). For dishes like cioppino, stews, soups, paella, etc., is there any other ingredient I could use that would be a satisfactory substitution for the tomato flavor? (I joined this board back when Cooks Illustrated closed down, but forgot about it and just today re-discovered it! I recognize several names from CI!) Thanks for any suggestions! Lexycat

Hi and Welcome Back!
This is a hard one - I can't think of anything at the moment, except for spices like smoked paprika, chili powder, red chili flakes, etc. to add that missing flavor - plus they'd add a kick at the same time. Also, some lemon juice would be good for the tang.

First time I've heard of avoiding nightshade, but a little googling found this article
http://vegetalion.blogspot.com/2010/11/ ... art-1.html

Part 4 deals with tomatoes (the other 3 sections deal with Eggplants, Peppers, and Potatoes)
http://vegetalion.blogspot.com/2010/11/ ... art-4.html

Two ideas it offers are umeboshi paste and tamarind concentrate as a substitute in a recipe calling for a small amount of tmoato. It says under-ripe mango can substitute for the texture and tartness of chopped tomatoes.

Tamarind was going to be my suggestion for giving some acidity and tang, but I don't know what you will do about the actual flavor. And all the capsicums are nightshades, so this is not something I could live without.

Lexy,

Out of curiosity, is this an allergy?

Substituting for the whole nightshade family is going to be hard. Usually one substitutes red bell peppers for tomatoes, and vice-versa. So you're going to have to take it case-by-case. Paella can simply be made without the tomatoes; I'd suggest adding an acidic white wine in place of some of the water. Cioppino should be similar; I'd choose a fairly acidic red wine, like a chianti, and even add a bit of red wine vinegar. In both cases, I'd also add a little anchovy to replace some missing umami flavor.

Pizza margherita or gazpacho are going to be right out, I'm afraid.

Well Lexy, you certainly returned with a bang What an interesting question! My first thoughts turn to long, slow oven roasting of a variety of veges to create the deep flavors and then add a specific vinegar type to raise the acidity, balsamic might be too rich but a simple white or Champagne vinegar would probably work. This will be an interesting thread - THANKS

Many, many years ago I dated a guy who avoided all nightshades. He said they triggered his arthritis.

Amy

The first thought that came to my mind was butternut squash puree....than add herbs and acidity to amp the flavor. but I could see you making a pasta sauce with the puree and sage or using it on pizza with your choice of toppings.
This sounds hard...but you might invent a whole new flavor profile.

Thank you all for your suggestions! This is new to me, so I appreciate the help. I want to try the tamarind and umeboshi paste. I have never had either of them, so what is a quality brand? Kathy's Pete, thanks for finding the blog. I was surprised to see a blog specifically addressing the subject! Wino, yes, I was wondering if slow roasted carrots, for example, with their sweetness may help some dishes. I'll experiment all your suggestions. Yes, Fuzzy and Amy, some people are allergic to nightshades and it causes inflammatory reactions for them. For my husband, he has an autoimmune condition (H.S.) that I have been reseaching. From what I have learned, since it is inflammatory in nature, allowing the digestive tract to heal is very important (avoiding all irritants), and many people with this particular disease say that tomatoes and potatoes seem to be triggers for flare ups. I'm hoping we will be able to resume eating tomatoes after things are more under control. The potatoes I don't really care about much. I've been trying to use other starches like jicama and boniato. Unfortunately, any spices derived from peppers are nightshades as well. Thanks again! Let me know if you come across anything else!

Another post mentioned Grains of Paradise and they sounded interesting so I got some. I really like it and having been using it instead of black pepper. Even though it is called a pepper, it is more related to the ginger family and supposedly has anti-inflammatory properties. You may want to Google it and see it this could be something you can use instead of the pepper family spices. Can you use cumin as well?