Here in Maryland tomato season is upon us. My CSA (community supported agriculture - a membership in a local farm - find one in your community here) sent us a huge bag of tomatoes this week in all colors, shapes and sizes and it got me thinking about the many ways to eat tomatoes.
I will highlight some of my favorite tomato recipes. What is your favorite tomato recipe?
My favorate way to eat tomatoes is in a basic tomato salad. I use this salad with or without mozzarella as a light lunch with some nice bread, as a side dish with grilled steaks, as a salsa to serve over fish, chicken, or steak or I add pasta for a warm or cold pasta dish. I make this quick salad almost every day that I have good tomatoes in the house & use it one way or another.
Tomato salad
1 cup diced tomatoes (if using cherry tomatoes quarter them)
1 Tbs basil chiffinade (make a pile of leaves, roll tightly & slice thinly)
1 Tbs good olive oil
salt & pepper
1 cup diced mozzarella (if using mini balls quarter them) -optional
Toss all ingredients together...done!
Serve as is or add 1 cup cooked pasta & toss. Serve warm or chill & serve as a pasta salad.
A quick note: I am a huge pasta snob & have tasted lots of brands of dried pasta. The quality of the pasta, and the cooking method, makes a huge difference in your final product. My favorite brand of pasta is Montebello Organic. I buy it at whole foods but you can find it online too. You will be surprised what a difference it makes. The other important factor is how you cook your pasta. There are a few simple rules, use plenty of water, cook the pasta at a rapid boil, use plenty of salt in the water (my grandmother said it should be as salty as the ocean) and don't put oil in the water.
The following picture is using the Montebello Strozzapreti
Another great way to use tomatoes is Gazpacho
There are a million different Gazpacho recipes and they vary greatly. I want to give you two recipes one representing what I call a california gazpacho (because thats where I first had it) a chunky fresh salsa like cold soup. and the other one will be a spanish gazpacho, a smooth pured bread enhanced chilled tomato soup.
Ruby's California Gazpacho (based on the Moosewood recipe)
4 c Tomato juice
1/2 c Finely minced onion
2c Freshly diced tomatoes
1 Clove garlic, minced
1 Bell pepper, minced
1 t Honey
1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded, and minced
2 Scallions, minced
Juice of one lemon or lime
1 t fresh Basil
1/4 tsp spanish paprika
2 tb Olive oil
salt & pepper
Combine all ingredients.
Puree 1/2 of ingredients, stir in the other half. Chill well & serve
When I went to spain I was quite surprised by the gazpacho. It was very different from any gazpacho I'd ever had in the US. It was smoothly pureed and garnished with a huge crouton. In recent years, as spanish cuisine has become more popular you see more & more of this variety of gazpacho.
Gazpacho
1 (2-inch-long) piece baguette, crust discarded
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground spanish paprika
2 1/2 lb ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
1/2 cup mild extra-virgin olive oil
Soak bread in 1/2 cup water 1 minute, then squeeze dry, discarding soaking water.
In a food processor (or blender) process garlic & salt. Add bread, 2 tablespoons vinegar, sugar, paprika, and half of tomatoes and process until tomatoes are very finely chopped. With motor running add remaining tomatoes then gradually add oil in a slow stream, blending until as smooth as possible, about 1 minute.
Force soup through a sieve into a bowl, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids. You can also put it through a food mill.
Transfer to a glass container and chill, covered, until cold, about 3 hours. Season with salt and vinegar before serving.
Garnish with large croutons. (I like to toast or grill a slice of baguette & spread it with goat cheese)
How do you use your tomatoes?