20 fresh and fast tomato ideas - ways of preparing tomatoes

Sunset, Sept, 1997 by Christine Weber Hale, Elaine Johnson

Eaten ripe and sun-warm from the garden, a tomato is a flavorful, juicy, vitamin-packed orb of instant gratification. The simplest way to enjoy them is sliced, sprinkled with salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, and garnished with basil.

STRAIGHTFORWARD AND SIMPLE

1. Vary a classic. Instead of mozzarella cheese, use the fresh Mexican cheese panela, and slice it to serve with tomatoes and fresh basil. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and finish with fresh-ground pepper.

2. Get colorful Select several colors of tomatoes, big or small. Slice and arrange on a platter. Drizzle with a flavored oil - garlic, cilantro, porcini, chili, mustard, herb - then splash with rice vinegar. Season with coarse salt and Japanese sansho pepper (available in Japanese markets).

3. Substantial salad. Top thick tomato slices with thinly sliced sweet red onion rings, sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese, and season to taste with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Serve with toast.

4. Quick appetizer. Cut pearshaped yellow cherry tomatoes in half. Top cut sides with a dab of Rondele or similar soft cheese (plain or seasoned) and grind fresh pepper over the cheese.

WHIRL THEM UP

5. Pour a cool soup. Puree equal amounts of ripe yellow and red tomatoes separately. Pour each through a fine strainer into a separate bowl and season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice or white wine vinegar. Pour purees simultaneously into opposite sides of shallow bowls, filling each with the two tomato mixtures. Sprinkle each serving with chopped fresh basil leaves or chives.

6. Puree a fish sauce. In a blender or food processor, puree about 2 parts ripe tomatoes, 1 part plain low-fat yogurt, and fresh dill, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Serve the sauce with hot or cold cooked salmon, sturgeon, or striped bass.

7. Dress a salad. Puree ripe tomatoes and flavor to taste with seasoned rice vinegar, olive oil, and chopped fresh mint. Mix with a salad of cooked sweet corn kernels, cooked black beans, and silvered romaine lettuce.

PASTA, PRESTO

8. Mix chopped ripe tomatoes, silvered fresh basil leaves, and capers with hot angel hair (capellini) pasta. Add enough hot chicken broth to make pasta moist and saucy.

9. Hollow firm-ripe beefsteak tomatoes; save the pulp for other uses. Fill tomatoes with a salad of cool cooked orzo or small shell-shape pasta, shelled cooked tiny shrimp, thawed petite peas, grated lemon peel, lemon juice, minced parsley, mayonnaise or nonfat yogurt, and salt to taste.

10. Season hot cooked tortellini with chopped ripe tomatoes mixed with a generous measure of chopped fresh basil leaves, a few crushed fennel seeds, and extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

BREAD AND TOMATOES

11. Redesign the BLT. Spread slices of toasted sourdough bread with mascarpone or cream cheese, then layer ripe tomato slices, crisp-cooked pancetta, and arugula between the sourdough slices.

12. Keep it simple. Lightly moisten slices of crusty, coarse-textured bread with extra-virgin olive oil. Pile ripe tomato slices and fresh basil leaves between the bread slices.

13. Add cheese. Start with Keep it simple (number 12), but instead of using olive oil, spread bread thickly with cambozola cheese and tuck fresh basil leaves among the tomato slices.

14. Use focaccia. Split a square of plain focaccia and toast cut sides. Spread with an herb-flavor soft cheese. Fill sandwich with ripe tomato slices and thinly sliced smoked salmon adding capers and lemon juice to taste.

15. A Catalan specialty. Rub thick slices of crusty bread with a cut clove of garlic. Cut a ripe, juicy tomato in half. Rub cut sides of tomato over bread until slices are pink. Save tomato for other uses. Drizzle bread with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt to taste.

HOT TOMATOES

16. Season cooked vegetables. Saute chopped firm tomatoes with a few chopped shallots and ground cumin to taste in a little olive oil just until sizzling. Spoon over hot cooked asparagus, summer squash, or poached leeks and sprinkle with chopped roasted, salted pistachios.

17. Top off meat. Finely dice ripe red, yellow, and orange tomatoes; mix with an equal measure of slivered arugula and add shredded parmesan cheese to taste. Spoon over grilled chicken, beef, or lamb. Add salt to taste.

18. On the side. Cut firm-ripe tomatoes in half. Set cut side up in a shallow pan. Sprinkle generously with shredded parmesan cheese, lightly with dried bread crumbs, and sparingly with dried thyme, then drizzle with olive oil. Broil about 6 inches from heat until topping is browned and tomatoes are warm.

19. Make a nest. Saute thinly sliced mushrooms in butter, stirring until limp and juices are gone. Add diced tomatoes and cook until soft. With the back of a large spoon, make impressions in vegetable mixture, 1 at a time, and break an egg into each nest. Cover pan, and cook over low heat until whites are firm and yolks are soft (or as firm as you like). Season with salt and pepper.

20. Fry 'em. Coat thick slices of unripe (green) tomatoes with cornmeal, then sizzle in salad oil (or part bacon drippings), turning once and browning well. Dust with salt and pepper or chili powder.