Tomato

About Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a summertime staple. Fresh, juicy tomatoes are the perfect addition to burgers, pasta dishes, and salads. But you don’t have to cram all your tomato love into just the summer. Try preserving your own tomato jam, salsa, or sauce.

Recipes

• Three-Ingredient Salsa
• Heirloom Tomato Salad
• Panzanella with Crisp Chicken Skin
• Simple Tomato Soup
• Tomato and Watermelon Salad

Preserving

• Tomato Jam
• Basil-Garlic Tomato Sauce

Three-Ingredient Salsa

from Smitten Kitchen

Yield: About 1 1/2 cups

• 1 pound plum or roma tomatoes, stemmed and cut in half
• 1 or 2 jalapeños (depending on how hot you want the salsa), stemmed and cut in half
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Turn on your broiler and place a rack five inches away from the heating element. Line a skillet or baking sheet with foil and place the tomatoes, jalapeño halves and garlic on the skillet; season with salt. Cook under the broiler for five minutes (this, and all broiling steps, took much longer in my weak oven), or until the jalapeño and garlic have brown spots. Remove the jalapeño and garlic from the skillet and place in a blender.

Meanwhile, return the skillet to the oven and continue to broil the tomatoes for five more minutes, or until they have browned on top. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and add them to the blender, also pouring into the blender any juices that may be in the skillet. Begin to pulse on a low speed until the salsa reaches your desired texture; I usually add about 2 tablespoons water to loosen mine — you may need up to 1/4 cup, or more, for a thinner salsa. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Eat with everything.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

from 101 Cookbooks

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings

• 2 pounds / 1 kg tomatoes ( a mix of small heirlooms & cherry tomatoes), halved
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup
• couple pinches of fine grain sea salt
• 1/3 cup toasted almond slices
• 2 tablespoons capers, fried in a bit of oil
• 6 oz good mozzarella, torn into chunks
• a handful of torn lettuce leaves
• generous drizzle of lemon olive oil or chive oil*
• chive (or herb) flowers or minced chives, to serve

To start, you’re going to roast about 1/2 of the tomatoes – as I mention up above, preferably a mix of cherry and heirlooms. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and adjust the oven rack to the top third of the oven. Toss the tomatoes you will be roasting gently (but well) in a bowl along with the olive oil, sugar, and salt. Arrange them in a single layer, cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, without stirring, until the tomatoes shrink a bit and start to caramelize around the edges, 45 to 60 minutes. Set aside to cool.

When ready to serve, gently toss the roasted and raw tomatoes with a bit of chive or lemon oil, most of the almonds, the capers, the mozzarella, and the lettuce. Taste and season with a bit more salt if needed. Serve topped with the remaining almonds, and any herb flowers you might have.

*To make chive oil, use a food processor to puree 1/4 cup chopped chives with 1/2 cup / 120 ml good olive oil. Stir in another 1/4 cup finely chopped chives by hand. Season with sea salt to taste.

Panzanella with Crisp Chicken Skin

from The New York Times

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 ¼ pounds very ripe tomatoes; a mix of varieties and colors is nice
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• ¾ teaspoon kosher sea salt, more to taste
• 6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, more as needed
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups leftover or rotisserie chicken including some skin (about 1/2 chicken)
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained and patted dry
• 1 6-inch length of ciabatta or baguette (about 4 ounces), preferably stale, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 sprigs fresh oregano
• Chopped fresh basil, for serving

Cut tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Using a large chef’s knife, mince 1 of the smashed garlic cloves. Add a pinch of salt and using the flat side of your knife, smash into a fine paste. Add garlic paste to the tomatoes along with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss to coat and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in 3 tablespoons olive oil until the mixture is thickened. Remove the skin from the chicken, shred the meat and combine with the vinaigrette. Roughly chop the chicken skin and set aside.
In a 10-inch skillet over high heat, add 1 teaspoon olive oil. When oil is shimmering, add the chicken skin and capers. Cook while stirring occasionally until the skin is crisp and the capers are beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil.
In the same pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, bread cubes, the remaining smashed garlic clove, 1 sprig of fresh thyme or 1 sprig of fresh oregano and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook while stirring occasionally until toasted and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely. When cool, discard the garlic and thyme and add bread cubes to the tomato mixture.

Add the leaves of the remaining uncooked thyme or oregano, the shredded chicken and toss to combine. Transfer to a platter or individual plates and serve garnished with the capers, chicken skin, chopped basil, and freshly ground black pepper.

Simple Tomato Soup

from 101 Cookbooks

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, olive oil, or coconut oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, plus more to taste
• 3 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes (pref. fire-roasted)
• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk

To serve: any of the following that sound good to you – cooked brown rice, lemon wedges, toasted almond slices, pan-fried paneer, fresh thyme or oregano, oregano drizzle, a poached egg

In a large pot over medium heat melt the butter. Add the onions and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions really soften up – 10 minutes or so. Not so much that they brown, just until they’re completely tender and unstructured.

Stir in the curry powder, coriander, cumin, and chile flakes, and cook just until the spices are fragrant and toasty – stirring constantly at this point. Just 30 seconds or so. Stir in the tomatoes, the juices from the cans, and 6 cups / 1.5 L of water. Simmer for fifteen minutes or so, then puree with a hand blender until smooth. This is the version you see up above (minus the toppings). That said, at this point you can decide if you’d like your soup even a bit thinner – if so, you can thin it with more water, or if you like a creamy version, with some coconut milk. Taste and adjust with more salt to taste.

This soup is great served simply with a dollop of cream from the top of a can of coconut milk (a little goes a long way) and a toasted wedge of good bread. That said, I love it most with the coconut cream, served over a scoop of brown rice with a squeeze of lemon, some toasted almonds, and a jolt of herbs.

Tomato and Watermelon Salad

from The New York Times

• 4 to 6 large tomatoes, ideally heirloom varieties, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 small seedless watermelon, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup feta cheese, torn into large crumbles

Combine the cubed tomatoes and watermelon in a large, nonreactive bowl and toss gently to combine. Add salt and let stand 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the dressing.

Whisk together the oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the cheese to the tomatoes and watermelon, then the dressing, and toss gently to combine.