ShareThisSimple is best when it comes to enjoying a fresh-picked garden tomato. Who can resist one of these ripe beauties when it's seasoned with salt and pepper or sliced in a sandwich with bacon and lettuce?
When you have a bumper crop of these orbs and you need to go beyond the usual salsas, salads and sandwiches, here are 20 ways to enjoy this fresh summer favorite:
1. Stuff -- Cut the top 1/3 of the tomato off and hollow out the bottom, being careful not to puncture the shell. Fill with meat, rice, or even seasoned breadcrumbs. Replace tops and bake.
2. Grill -- Cut tomato in half and remove water and seeds. Brush with oil, season and grill cut side down 3 or 4 minutes. Or place whole cherry tomatoes on a skewer, brush with oil and grill.
3. Make a vinaigrette -- Puree two tomatoes until smooth. Strain. To the juice, add garlic, lemon juice and 1/4 cup olive oil, blending until smooth.
4. Add to eggs -- Chop tomatoes and add to an omelet. Or mix them into the beaten eggs and make an Italian frittata.
5. Make a pasta sauce -- No need for bottled sauce this time of year. Chef Michael Richey at Pago in Salt Lake City tosses hot pasta with freshly chopped tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. (Recipe below.)
6. Put on pizza -- For a quick, healthy take on pizza, arrange sliced tomatoes over pizza dough, sprinkle with cheese and herbs. Bake.
7. Make ketchup -- Homemade ketchup doesn't contain the high-fructose corn syrup found in many commercial varieties. It also has a fresh tomato flavor. (Recipe below.)
8. Toss with green beans -- For an easy side dish, saute tomatoes with a bit of olive oil and garlic. Toss in green beans and cook until tender. Garnish with fresh basil and crumbled goat cheese.
9. Make soup -- Gazpacho is the official cold soup of summer. Combine chopped tomatoes, green onions, bell pepper, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. Stir in a bit of tomato juice to thin. Keep it chunky, or puree half the mixture. Garnish with fresh breadcrumbs.
10. Blend it in a cocktail -- Forget bottled tomato juice cocktails. Scott Evans, owner of Pago, has shared his homemade Bloody Mary recipe, made with garden tomatoes and pepper-infused vodka. (Recipe below.)
11. Pickle -- Pickled green tomatoes are a unique side for grilled foods or on sandwiches. Just soak in a salt-vinegar-garlic brine for at least a week in the refrigerator.
12. Fry -- It's the classic way to eat green tomatoes. Just cut into slices, dredge in cornmeal and fry in oil.
13. Make chile verde -- Ian Brandt of Sage's Cafe and Vertical Diner, both in Salt Lake City, uses green tomatoes as a substitute for tomatillos in chile verde.
14. Broil -- Place tomato halves on the sheet pan, seed side up. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs. Broil about 8 minutes. Top with cheese and broil about 1 minute more.
15. Toss with watermelon -- These two summer foods seem like an unlikely combination, but you'll be surprised at how good they taste together, says Jennifer Gilroy at Salt Lake City's Meditrina. (Recipe below.)
16. Make a chutney -- Serve a chunky chutney with crackers or over beef or chicken. To make, combine quarter tomatoes, fresh cilantro, garlic and hot peppers with a bit of olive oil. Season with cumin and roast in a 350-degree oven for about 35 minutes. Cool and coarsely chop.
17. Stir into grits -- Hot tomato grits are good for breakfast or as a side dish. Just make grits according to package directions, then stir in chopped tomatoes and green chiles. Garnish with bacon.
18. Put in a tart -- Line a pan with dough, top with shredded mozzarella and sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil. Bake until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.
19. Add to cooked rice -- Brighten up leftover rice by stirring in chopped tomatoes and drizzling with a light vinaigrette. Fresh herbs, crumbled cheese or shrimp make it a meal.
20. Oven dry -- Robert Bryant, the chef at the Utah-based Harmon's Grocery Stores, slices a small batch of tomatoes 3/8-inch thick, sprinkles them with salt and pepper and lets them dry in a 180-degree oven about 6 hours. Add these concentrated tomatoes to a salad, pasta or place on a crostini. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
PAGO'S LINGUINI WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO SAUCE
Makes 8 servings
Sauce:
10 medium heirloom tomatoes
2 cloves porcelain garlic
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Pasta:
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons whole milk
12 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
Garnish:
Fresh basil leaves, torn
For the sauce, score the tomatoes and blanch for 30 seconds in hot water to remove the skin. Place peeled tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper into a blender and pulse gently. (Or use a food mill. No need to peel tomatoes first.)
For the pasta, place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until even crumbs form, about 30 seconds. Pour onto a clean work surface without flour and knead for five minutes. Wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Then roll out sheets with pasta roller or by hand.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water for 2 to 5 minutes depending on how wide the pasta is cut. The wider the pasta, the longer it takes to cook. Drain. Place pasta in a saute pan with the tomato sauce. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until hot.
Add torn basil and cook until just barely wilted. Remove from heat and serve.
-- Pago
BLENDER KETCHUP
Makes 3 cups
7 cups chopped, peeled plum tomatoes, about 4 pounds
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pickling salt
1 cinnamon stick, 2 inches long
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Combine tomatoes, onion and red pepper in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour into a large stainless-steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add vinegar, sugar and salt. Tie cinnamon, allspice, cloves, peppercorn and bay leaf in cheesecloth and add to saucepan. Return to a boil. Boil gently, uncovered, stirring frequently until volume is reduced by half or until mixture rounds up on a spoon without separating, about 90 minutes. Remove cheesecloth bag. Cool and store in a large jar or container in the refrigerator.
-- "Small Batch Preserving" by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard
PAGO'S HEIRLOOM-TOMATO BLOODY MARY
Makes 8 servings
Bloody Mary mix:
6 medium-sized heirloom tomatoes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 wax peppers, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon torn basil
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
To serve:
1-1/2 ounces vodka
1 ounce wax pepper infused vodka (add wax peppers to vodka and let sit for 24 hours)
Garnish:
Armenian cucumber wedge
Cherry tomato
To make the Bloody Mary mix, remove the skins of the tomatoes by scoring the bottom and blanching in hot water for a minute or two. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until desired consistency.
To serve, pour 2 ounces of bloody Mary mix into a tall glass with regular and infused vodka. Fill with ice.
-- Pago
MEDITRINA'S TOMATO AND WATERMELON SALAD
Makes 2 servings
Maple-champagne vinaigrette:
1/2 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 teaspoons freshly chopped thyme
2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
Arugula or watercress
2 to 3 heirloom tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 cup or more seedless watermelon, cut into chunks
Crumbled feta cheese, for garnish
Combine all the vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
For salad, arrange arugula or watercress on a plate. Top with tomatoes and watermelon. Drizzle with vinaigrette and garnish with feta cheese.
-- Meditrina
(E-mail the Salt Lake Tribune's Kathy Stephenson at kathys(at)sltrib.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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