Wild Cocktail Tomatoes by Erich Stekovics, sweet and sour
Wild cocktail tomatoes by Erich Stekovics are tiny, whole "Paradeiser" (tomatoes) from heirloom and wild varieties, pickled in vinegar made from Beerenauslese grapes. The skin, color, and shape remain intact, so that each fruit bursts individually upon the first bite, releasing its juices.
Wild cocktail tomatoes are pickled, small tomatoes from Stekovics in the Seewinkel region near Lake Neusiedl, where the tomato has always been called a "Paradeiser." Red, orange, and amber, these tiny fruits—barely larger than a marble—sit in a brine of vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Small, plump, and full of juice
Behind the glass, the fruits glisten like pearls, and the moment you open the jar, it smells of vinegar and ripe summer fruit.
Each fruit feels firm between your fingers; the skin is thin and only gives way under light pressure. First, you taste the sweetness inside, then the acidity from the brine, and finally, a lingering herbaceous note that only small-fruited varieties possess. Because they contain so little water, the aroma is more concentrated than in any palm-sized tomato.
Why the small fruits stay whole
Small varieties have more skin in proportion to their contents, and it is precisely this skin that holds them together during the pickling process.
They are picked by hand, pickled unpeeled, and then the sealed jar is briefly placed in a hot water bath so that the contents remain shelf-stable without further additives. What would turn into mush with fleshy varieties stays almost entirely intact with these small ones, thanks to their firm skin. Stekovics selects only varieties with thin but tough skins for this purpose.
A vinegar made from overripe grapes
The brine is created using Beerenauslese, a wine made from overripe grapes that are harvested individually from the vineyard.
Because such grapes contain a lot of sugar and little water, the resulting vinegar has a soft, almost honey-like acidity. It isn't harsh; rather, it wraps around the fruit and enhances its sweetness instead of overpowering it. This combination of two Burgenland harvests—fruit and grape—gives this jar from Stekovics its special character. A brine that you won't want to pour away after the last bite.
For snacks and braised meat
For a "Jause," as a cold snack is called in Austria, you simply take the fruits out of the jar with a fork and place them on your board.
Next to cheese and cold cuts, they add a fruity contrast to the salt, and when scattered over a green salad, they replace both dressing and garnish at once. Add them to braised meat only at the very end; their acidity will brighten the heavy sauce and bring color back to the dish. On an antipasti platter, they sit between olives and pickled vegetables and are usually the first to be eaten. Served lukewarm alongside pan-seared fish, they show their sweet side most clearly.
A jar of summer for the winter
Unopened, the jar stays cool and dark and will easily last until the next harvest.
Whoever lifts the lid in January will have the scent of an August day in the room—and that is exactly why they are pickled in the summer.
Once opened, keep them well-covered in the refrigerator, and save the remaining brine for a vinaigrette. More from the Stekovics garden can be found under "Paradeiser" (Tomatoes), along with the Tomato Tartare and Tomato Vinegar.
Content 270 ml – Drained weight 160 g
