For many of us, a ripe tomato is the drumbeat of summer seasonal eating. I grew up listening to my mom’s memories of the Jersey tomatoes of her Philadelphia upbringing. As an adult supporter of farmers markets who understands the flavor difference of eating seasonally, tomatoes for me are the most versatile ingredient in my summer eating. I almost never eat tomatoes from October through May because they are so disappointing, so I make up for it when they arrive in the summer in a kaleidoscope of shapes and colors. I live in the middle of LA, but I manage to grow tomatoes in containers every summer. Sometimes I’ll just have one or two productive cherry tomato plants. This year, I was more optimistic and have six plants, a mixture of heirlooms and early season varieties.
But once they are available in abundance, how do we use them? I ask the question because we all get stuck in recipe ruts that are hard to break out of, which is why I think it’s important to add one or two or three new ways of eating tomatoes to your culinary repertoire.
Ripe tomatoes are so good that most ways to prepare them are very simple. They do the heavy lifting with their meaty, sweet-acid balanced juiciness. We all make tomato and mozzarella salads, and chop them up and mix with olive oil, herbs, and garlic to toss into hot pasta. We eat thick slices atop garlic-rubbed toasts or with mayonnaise on white bread for the perfect summer sandwich. Every summer, I make a cherry tomato pie with a cheese-garlic crumble at least once. Here are the tomato ideas I’d like you to try this summer. Who knows, maybe they’ll find their way into your permanent rotation.
Rawaan Alkhatib illustrates tomatoes with dates and sizzling brown butter. Alkhatib is the author and illustrator of “Hot Date: Sweet and Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date from Party Food to Everyday Feasts.” Credit: Rawaan Alkhatib.
Earlier this year, I interviewed Rawaan Alkhatib, author and illustrator of Hot Date: Sweet and Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date, From Party Food to Everyday Feasts. It’s a joyous book filled with date ideas that we can explore another time, but her recipe for Tomatoes with Dates and Sizzling Brown Butter is so unexpected and completely luscious. You start with good, soft dates and your favorite summer tomatoes. They can be any variety, size, or shape. To make the recipe, you tear the dates in half and strew them on a plate. Then cut the tomatoes approximately the same size as the dates. Lay the cut tomatoes amidst the dates on the plate. Then make brown butter. Stir a bit of yuzu kosho into the nutty melted butter, then pour it over the dates and tomatoes. Yuzu kosho is a Japanese condiment made from a fermented paste of red or green chile peppers, yuzu zest, and salt. Finish off the dish with a good crunchy salt like Maldon, and be ready to sop up the juices with good bread. If you don’t have yuzu kosho, you can add a hit of red wine vinegar to the butter.
I’ve been interviewing authors for years who share their tomato recipes with us. Of course, we have a list.
Another author I interviewed recently is Noor Murad, who ran the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen for years. In her new book Lugma (“bite” in Arabic), she has a recipe for Pan Fried Tomatoes with Za’atar, Pine Nuts and Halloumi. This one requires a little cooking, but it’s still easy to do. For this recipe, you want firm tomatoes that can stand up to a brief sear in the pan. She calls for cutting medium-sized tomatoes in half and searing them cut size down in the pan, but I think this dish would also be great with cherry or grape tomatoes. You fry them until caramelised, then arrange on a serving plate. Then cook pine nuts in a bit of oil until golden, then add garlic and oregano until the garlic colors a bit and gives off its aroma. Take off the heat and add the za’atar. Pour the mixture into a bowl so it cools. Then you combine grated halloumi with ricotta, then spoon it over the tomatoes. Finish the dish with the pine nut and za’atar mixture and additional za’atar to your taste.
Tomato granita is an unexpected summer refresher. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.
For something particularly refreshing and summery, make a tomato granita by first marinating the chopped fruit with a bit of salt and sugar to taste, lemon juice, then spices to your liking. Ginger, garlic, or even black pepper, and vinegar work well. Once marinated for a bit, puree, then pour into a metal cake pan, and put in freezer. Once the mixture starts to chill, run a fork through it to break up the crystals. Continue doing this every half hour or so until the mixture is granular and completely frozen. Serve with a dollop of burrata.