happy tomato season

3 ways of looking at a tomato

I’ve got tomatoes on my mind.

Mainly because Mom came back from the shore with three huge red heirlooms. This time last year I was also thinking about tomatoes probably because we are in the thick of tomato season in my neck of the woods. What a relief it is that tomatoes come to us during the dog days of summer!

Speaking of last summer, allow me to indulge and reminisce. This time last year I was beginning my first Big Girl job at a catering company in the city. “I’ll be working close to food, so that’s a step in a good direction,” I wrote. How sweet! Little did 22-year-old me know what was coming. (For those of you who missed it: culinary school!) I had also just returned from a trip to one of my favorite places on earth, the Hudson Valley, and was spending lots of time with my friends who were also living at home. This summer has been much different than the last, and I’m very excited to move into the next chapter of my life. A year ago I never would have imagined I’d be going back to school, and I owe a lot to the past year for figuring out what I actually want to do with my life! So grateful for the opportunity to come home and for all the doors I got to walk through this past year. 

Alright, to the tomatoes we go!

Cantaloupe “panzanella”

I grated two cloves of garlic into a little bowl and topped them with lots of rice wine vinegar (about ¼ cup) and about half as much olive oil. Seasoned with salt & pepper and let it sit so the raw garlic wouldn’t have as much bite. Then in a bigger bowl, I added one large diced heirloom tomato, ½ a thinly sliced red onion (taking out the mandolin truly saves you so much time), and lots of cubed cantaloupe. I added more salt and fresh basil before pouring the dressing over the fruit.

This would be so so good with a crunchy loaf of bread or even on top of a soft cheese, like burrata or ricotta. But we are fresh out of bread, so I just had a fork in one hand and the other hand in a bag of kettle chips. Delish. 

Caramelized shallot and jammy tomato sauce

I heated up some olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and added 2 large thinly sliced shallots. Let them sizzle for a bit before adding 1 pint of cherry tomatoes. (If you slice them, place them in the pan cut side down so they get really caramelized). Let everything sit for a while — you could even add a splash of red wine vinegar for some tang — and then add a little bit of pasta water to the pan. Top with parsley, basil, oregano, whichever herbs fit your fancy.

Good ol’ BLTs

If it ain’t broke, why fix it? Because you deserve the best! One of my go-to meals at work when we get takeout for dinner is a BLT and fries. Even if I take my first bite out of it three hours after it was delivered, it still hits. We haven’t made BLTs at home yet, but with our abundance of tomatoes this week, it’s bound to happen. Fun ways to jazz up your classic BLT include:

• Adding more veggies — I know, not the most exciting fix, but why not? Avocado, roasted red peppers, long hots, banana peppers, pickles, the world is your oyster.

• Grilling your tomatoes — or frying up some green tomatoes!

• Spreading a layer of jam on your toast — try fig, bacon, or tomato jam

• Subbing herb aioli for plain mayo (but Duke’s do be hitting)