I have loved tomatoes since I was a child and we visited my Grandma Flint in Fresno. I still remember the amazement I felt when ONE SLICE of tomato was enough to fill up a whole sandwich. We greatly enjoyed BLT's for lunch many summer days, although we almost never had "B" and often didn't have "L", so most often it was just a tomato sandwich. But with mayonnaise and salt and pepper, mmmmm... I can still just taste it. The photo below was taken at the Farmer's Market in San Luis Obispo last week and brought those memories right back.
A facebook post from my sister Fran also brought those memories back, and since this blog post is emerging spontaneously and I don't have a photo of my own BLT, I'm stealing hers. Plus it's gorgeous, isn't it? Additional tips from Fran, the BLT expert: in addition to bacon slices, crumble some and press it into the mayo, in addition to salt and pepper add a little celery salt, and TOASTED whole grain bread is best.
Of course, you all know that homegrown tomatoes are the best, and recently I've learned that heirloom tomatoes are even better. I continue to experiment with growing different varieties. The winners this year were "Bodacious" (not an heirloom but an inspiration from my Burpee's catalog), "Sungold" (a yellow cherry tomato that I was gifted last year from my neighbor and this year grew for myself) and "Cosmos" (a small red tomato with black skin, almost spicy in taste, that I was gifted by a woman from NextDoor in return for giving her lots of 6-pack pots). Continuing favorites from prior years include any color of Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, and Black Krim.
I also like Green Zebra, although it took me awhile to figure out when they're ripe (when they start to turn yellow and get soft). I mainly like Green Zebra because they make my salads so pretty, I think the taste is kind of "meh".
When you grow tomatoes, you either need a lot of friends that like tomatoes that you can give them to, or you need to get creative about ways to use them. So here are some examples of my favorite recipes "beyond BLT's":
Caprese salads are wonderful, and so easy to make. It really helps to have a variety of tomatoes here, and of course you need raw mozzerella and basil. I solved the basil problem by growing it, but usually I have to shop for raw mozzerella. I recently discovered Costco sells little mozzerella balls in 3-packs, so while it's a pain to unwrap each one, it's less expensive and then I'm more likely to have them around when I want them. The salad here was made with tomatoes from my friend Marti, and you can see how the different colors really make it pretty.
While you can make or buy a dressing to use on Caprese salad, I usually just drizzle balsamic vinegar on it. We really love the vinegar and oil sold locally at https://theolivepress.com/ (who knew it could be fun to taste vinegar and oil???) but we also discovered this one on a trip to DC. We went to Alexandria with Katelyn and on impulse stopped by this place and tasted. We liked it so much we had some shipped home, and recently mail ordered more. It's so good!!!
In addition to Caprese Salad, my friend Meloni Courtway, who used to write food blogs, shared this recipe. It's similar to Caprese, but without the cheese. I haven't made it in awhile, but it sounds delicious so I might have to remedy that soon. She called it "Heatwave Tomato Salad" because we all reach that point where our tomatoes get ripe all at once and you just want a yummy recipe to use some up! Sorry, no photo for this one. I've learned that having your computer open while you're cooking isn't too convenient, so I'll include a copy of the recipe that you should be able to print in case you're so inspired.
Heatwave Tomato Salad
A Mouse in the Pantry Blog – August 2010
Recipe:
1 lb ripe tomatoes, diced
10 large basil leaves, shredded
½ tsp finely diced garlic
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
¼ c balsamic vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl just before serving. Toss gently to combine. Serve over toasted crusty bread or lettuce, or “just gobble it up” (Meloni says).
Here is a recipe I discovered from one of my favorite magazines, Cooking Light. In addition to tomatoes, it uses lots of zucchini (which most gardeners have in spades) and bell pepper (I was highly successful ONE YEAR growing peppers, not so much since). This one is also SO HEALTHY! For drooling or shopping purposes, I'll include the recipe here and a photo below:
Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Cooking Light – September 2007
This colorful salad can be presented as individual servings or arranged on a large platter on a bed of chopped romaine just before serving. It can also be the basis for a main dish salad; simple add garbanzo beans and crumbled feta.
Ingredients:
1. 2 c chopped red bell pepper
2. 2 c chopped zucchini
3. 1 c chopped yellow or orange bell pepper
4. 1 c chopped seeded tomato
5. 1/3 c chopped red onion
6. ¼ c chopped flat-leaf parsley
7. 2 T red wine vinegar
8. 1 T extra-virgin olive oil
9. 1 t kosher salt
10. ½ t black pepper
11. 6 c chopped romaine lettuce
Directions:
Combine the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl, toss well. Cover and chill up to 1 hour. Arrange lettuce on platter or individual plates, top with bell pepper mixture. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
Another favorite recipe uses tomatoes AND avocadoes, and who doesn't like that combination??? Also from Cooking Light. Since I didn't have a photo handy, I stole the one from the magazine. For this one, the ingredient I usually don't have on hand is buttermilk, so I've learned to buy a small container, then freeze the leftovers in 1/3 cup portions.
Heirloom Tomato and Avocado Stack
Cooking Light – June 2008
For the prettiest presentation, choose purple, orange, green and red heirloom tomatoes. Cilantro lends the dressing peppery flavor and a subtle green hue. Vary the taste of the dressing by using basil and lemon rind. The dressing will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator, so consider doubling the recipe to keep some on hand.
Dressing:
1/3 c lowfat buttermilk
¼ c chopped fresh cilantro
2T reduce fat sour cream
1 T reduced fat mayo
1/2 t grated lime rind
¼ t minced fresh garlic
¼ t salt
1/8 t ground cumin
Dash of ground red pepper
Salad:
4 medium heirloom tomatoes
1 t salt
¼ c very thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 c diced peeled avocado (about 1 small)
Coarsely ground black pepper (opt).
Directions:
To prepare dressing, combine first 9 ingredients in a small food processor or blender, process 30 seconds or until pureed, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Cover and chill.
To prepare salad, slice each tomato crosswise into 4 equal slides about 1/2 “ thick. Place a tomato slice on each of 4 salad plates, sprinkle slices evenly with ¼ t salt. Top each servicing with a few onion pieces and about 1 T avocado. Repeat layers 3 times, ending with avocado. Drizzle 2T dressing over each serving, sprinkle with black pepper if desired. Yield 4 servings
Are you hungry yet? You should be set for using those end-of-season tomatoes. Stay tuned for more cooking recipes soon, I'm on a roll!
Comentários