Finally, after a long summer of absolutely lousy weather, tomato season is here. Hallelujah! It’s about damn time. I’ve been particularly anxious wondering when the little beauties would finally arrive. Week after week, there were a couple small ones but I was starting to get a little on edge, anxious to make a break from the mediocre supermarket stand-ins. It seemed as if the farmers market was somehow incomplete without tables piled high with red and yellow tomatoes. And then suddenly … there they were. Not many, mind you, but definitely the first wave.
We didn’t get a lot of really good tomatoes while I was growing up in Arizona. It’s another thing on my list of food I didn’t understand the fuss over until I moved to Chicago. We had what could be kindly called an overdose of flippin’ hot weather that didn’t bode well for tomatoes. I’m sure someone was growing them successfully but we never figured out how to do it. Real vine-ripened tomatoes were something in particular that my mother really missed, having been raised in Chicago with a steady supply from her dads’s backyard garden. Once, I actually packed up a box and carried it ever so gently on the plane home for a visit. Wonder if you could do that now or if tomatoes would be considered a “liquid.” I’m sure there’s some technicality that would have them confiscated. TSA can be so frustrating at times.
When I first moved here, I tended to skip by the high piles of red and yellow tomatoes. I was more interested in the greens, the colorful beets and endless stone fruits that I adore. The first time I bought a few, I had in my mind that I was going to make a fresh cold gazpacho. As I cut into a giant red speicimen, I was in awe that it was a deep bright red all the way through. Raised on the subpar supermarket versions, I wasn’t used to seeing that. The flavor was deep and sweet, rich in an almost meaty way. I ate the whole thing right there off the cutting board and revised my dinner plans. I was now one of the converted.
When it’s late in the summer and the tomatoes are this good, I think they’re best as is; the less fuss the better. Cook tomatoes any other time of the year when heat can condense the flavor and improve even a mediocre specimen. When they’re fresh and ripe, don’t mess with them too much. Make a tomato sandwich. If you’re adventurous, tomato sorbet is rather terrific and refreshing. Enjoy some fresh salads – caprese, panzanella, just plain chopped tomatoes and a little sea salt is wonderful. BTW, this is the only time you should be eating a caprese salad. Nothing bugs me more than seeing insalada caprese on a menu in February. Bleech.
My very favorite thing to do with fresh tomatoes is to make a uncooked tomato sauce for pasta. The recipe is beyond simple – just a few quick steps that can be varied at any point. Instead of balsamic, use lemon juice. Rather than basil, substitute another fresh herb such as parsley or even mint. Mix and match the tomatoes based on what looks good. If the tomato skins are too thick for your liking, plunge them in boiling water for 30 seconds then into an ice bath and slip the skins off. Honestly, in the summer, that’s too much effort for me but it’s your call. Then sit back with a nice cold glass of white wine and enjoy.
Some thoughts on parmesan. Do yourself a favor and pick up a good wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Yes, it can be pricey but the flavor is out of this world and you only need a little. Make the extra effort – Costco even sells it now and it’ll last for a while. Now then, if you have the “green can” on hand, consider this … very little cheese is shelf stable. Cheez Whiz, E-Z Cheez, Velveeta and the green can stuff. Think about it.
FRESH TOMATO PASTA SAUCE
Serves 4
3 Tablespoons good fruity extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 ½ pounds good tomatoes, heirloom if you have ’em
3 Tablespoons finely minced fresh basil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound pasta such as angel hair, linguine or my favorite – bucatini
shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano (or other good parmesan)
- Core and coarsely chop the tomatoes and put in a medium bowl, juices included.
- Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, basil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- Toss with cooked pasta and top with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Enjoy.
I am looking for recipes. Grew heirlooms this year in my backyard. Yes, I live in the city. I have 20 plants, 12 varieties and they are going crazy right now. I am looking for recipes and this sounds amazing…I am also going to experiment with canning for the first time and am thinking this would can well?
Oh! That’s such a nice problem to have! I’ve only canned a tomato sauce that was cooked then water processed. Stuff kept forever. I don’t know if this sauce alone – without cooking – would can well. You can make sauce, can the tomatoes straight, make salsa, oven dry, relishes, ketchup. There’s lots of possibilities. Best bet is to google and check out some sites – this one looked good – http://www.canning-food-recipes.com/canning_tomatoes.htm. Or buy a book. I’ve used a few to great success – “Putting Food By”/Greene, Hetzberg & Vaughan; “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving”; “Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving”/Topp & Howard.
You are so right about the fresh parmigiano. This makes all the difference. I also like to slice tomatoes very thin, arrange them on a plate, drizzle really good olive oil, sea salt & fresh basil and top it with fresh shaved parmigiano. It’s one of my best evening meals when it’s too hot to cook anything 🙂
How well I remember August in the Midwest and those fantastic tomatoes. Unfortunately, the tomatoes here in Phoenix are crap. I’ll give your recipes a try anyway!
Our tomato plants started off slowly this summer but are starting to finally come around. I can’t wait to try the “Ball” preserving book you gave me!
I have been eating fresh heirlooms with loads of fresh herbs (basil, parsley, etc.) from the garden, some fresh cheese, aged balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and extra v olive oil… Throw in a little bread and some diced salami and I am in heaven.
Is there anything finer you can do with a beautifully ripe tomato than to make a sandwich with it, using fresh crusty bread, a little butter, salt and pepper? Aside from maybe eating the tomato hot off the vine. Love this post, it makes me hungry reading it 🙂