听美文故事记6级单词04-02

2.Microwave Tomato Sauce

We've developed a simple microwave method of cooking tomatoes down for sauce. We cut out the stem ends and blanch¹ the whole tomatoes in boiling water until the skins begin to split (about a minute), then plunge² them into cold water so they're easy to handle. Then we slip off the skin and squeeze out the seeds. We put the tomatoes in an uncovered bowl and microwave until bubbling, 8 to 12 minutes. Then we pour the tomatoes into a colander³ and let them sit to drain. We repeat this process in the microwave until the sauce reaches the thickness we're looking for. If you leave the sauce in the refrigerator overnight, even more liquid will separate. It sure beats standing⁴ over a hot stove on a summer day, stirring tomato sauce.

Tomato Flakes⁵

When I have extra tomatoes, I put them whole into the food processor, along with fresh herbs-- basil, thyme, oregano-- and sometimes peppers. I process them until they become liquid, then pour the contents in fairly thin layers onto the fruit-leather sheets that come with my dehydrator⁶. When the tomato sheets are thoroughly⁷ dry, I crumble⁸ them into flakes and put them in a jar. These flakes are great in winter when you don't want to buy tasteless, grocery store tomatoes. You can add the flakes to sandwiches, soups, and salads. The flavor is fantastic, and the flakes are instantly available. They also make a great gift because of their lovely color.

Tomato Ristra

Around the end of September, I break off clusters of green plum tomatoes that won't have time to ripen⁹ before frost. I hold a piece of strong twine¹⁰ like a noose¹¹ and drape the tomato clusters over the twine, starting at the bottom of the noose and working up the sides. Then I tie the ends of the twine together and hang the tomatoes in the kitchen. The air circulation allows the tomatoes to ripen slowly, without rotting, so they are ready to eat by Christmas. We used to ripen tomatoes this way in Italy, where I was born. These tomatoes don't taste as good as those ripened¹² on the vine,but they're better than you might think.

1 blanch   

v.漂白；使变白；使(植物)不见日光而变白

参考例句：

• We blanch almonds by soaking off their skins in boiling water.我们把杏仁泡在沸水中去皮弄成白色。
• To blanch involves plunging food into boiling water,usually very quickly.漂白是将食物放进开水里，通常非常快。

2 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

3 colander   

n.滤器，漏勺

参考例句：

• When you've boiled the cabbage,strain off the water through a colander.你把卷心菜煮开后，用滤锅把水滤掉。
• If it's got lots of holes,then it's a colander!如果是有很多漏洞，那一个漏勺！

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 flakes   

小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人

参考例句：

• It's snowing in great flakes. 天下着鹅毛大雪。
• It is snowing in great flakes. 正值大雪纷飞。

6 dehydrator   

n.脱水器；除水器

参考例句：

• The invention relates to a cationic polymer dehydrator for sludge. 本发明涉及一种用于污泥脱水的阳离子型聚合物脱水剂。 来自互联网
• The vibrating centrifugal dehydrator and scraper discharge centrifugal dehydrator are usually used in coal mine industry. 振动离心脱水机与刮刀卸料离心脱水机是煤矿常用的两种离心脱水机。 来自互联网

7 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

8 crumble   

vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁

参考例句：

• Opposition more or less crumbled away.反对势力差不多都瓦解了。
• Even if the seas go dry and rocks crumble,my will will remain firm.纵然海枯石烂，意志永不动摇。

9 ripen   

vt.使成熟；vi.成熟

参考例句：

• I'm waiting for the apples to ripen.我正在等待苹果成熟。
• You can ripen the tomatoes on a sunny windowsill.把西红柿放在有阳光的窗台上可以让它们成熟。

10 twine   

v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕

参考例句：

• He tied the parcel with twine.他用细绳捆包裹。
• Their cardboard boxes were wrapped and tied neatly with waxed twine.他们的纸板盒用蜡线扎得整整齐齐。

11 noose   

n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑

参考例句：

• They tied a noose round her neck.他们在她脖子上系了一个活扣。
• A hangman's noose had already been placed around his neck.一个绞刑的绳圈已经套在他的脖子上。

12 ripened   

v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They're collecting the ripened reddish berries. 他们正采集熟了的淡红草莓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The branches bent low with ripened fruits. 成熟的果实压弯了树枝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》