What are your favorite kinds of tomatoes? Do you like tiny, sweet and delicate currant tomatoes or big, beefy, and red Mortgage Lifters? Are you partial to tart and colorful ones like Green Zebras, juicy ones like Kumato, or the bright orange fleshy Kellogg's Breakfast? Thanks to many growers, over the last several decades there are more heirloom varieties of tomatoes than ever before.
Chances are, if you have enough sun in your backyard you are growing tomatoes this summer. If not, you have no doubt found a staggering array of them available at every farmer's market, farm stand, and even a few grocery stores. There is something about tomato season that makes me want to try every variety I meet.
The thing about tomatoes is, it is simply impossible to process, cook, dry, or freeze them and retain the deep mysterious flavor of a fresh ripe one. Freeze some corn, and although it may become translucent and watery, it will still taste exactly the same. This is another reason why tomato season is so precious.
For the last two summers I have been growing Matt's Wild Cherry tomatoes. These are tiny, cardinal red, super sweet, and delicate tomatoes. For years I thought "Matt" was a local farmer and I went around asking about him. Duh. Then I learned that this particular little cutie was introduced in 1996 by Matt Liebman, then a member of the University of Maine's agriculture faculty. He brought the seeds back from Hidalgo, Mexico, where they grow wild. Interestingly enough, his specialty, now in the department of agronomy at Iowa State University, is weed ecology and management, but he loves this tomato exactly for its weediness, according to Amy Goldman, author of "The Heirloom Tomato."
My Matt's Wild Cherry tomatoes are the hooligans of my Bridge Gardens community garden plot. I only have two plants but they have spread themselves sideways, up and down, and take up more room than that chubsy-wubsy fella who inevitably sits next to you on the plane, hogs the armrest, and then falls asleep on your shoulder. But they're worth it!
There is a measurement for fruits, vegetables, and wine's sweetness called the Brix scale, named after the 19th-century German chemist Adolf Ferdinand Wencenslaus Brix, who was first to measure the density of plant juices. Large tomatoes range from 2.3 to 8.2 in Brix units, Matt's Wild Cherry tomatoes are 11.5. One of my other favorites, Sungolds, measure in the 10-unit range.
The kind of tomato you want depends on what you plan to do with it. For a sandwich, a big, juicy, ribbed oxheart, globe, or beefsteak is best. For sauces, these are great, as are any plum tomato varieties, which have more flesh than seedy goop. For a beautiful salad, it is fun to have a mixture of all shapes and colors and acidities. I usually just put the Matt's Wild Cherry clusters on top of a salad, or lay them upon a filet of striped bass with olives, onions, and herbs.
It's not for me to say that this has been a good year for tomatoes, I have not had one yet that totally blew me away, but we have certainly had enough sun for them. For about another month you will be able to find plenty of tomatoes. If you plan to make sauces, keep your eyes out for "seconds," those slightly bruised, split, or simply less attractive tomatoes to be found at a great discount.
It is also worth finding or harvesting unripe green tomatoes to make fried green tomatoes, a popular dish down south but almost unheard of around here. I had a version in New Orleans years ago that I still remember fondly. It was thick slices of firm, tangy, green tomatoes, dusted in cornmeal and Cajun spices, fried, and served with what tasted like a bacon fat gravy. Naughty, naughty!
For a basic tomato sauce for freezing or putting up, you can't go wrong with a Marcella Hazan recipe; there are many. I like to go heavy on the garlic when preparing sauce for freezing, and then add more fresh herbs when I defrost it.
Here are some recipes to inspire you during this tomatopalooza time.
Dayton Farms at Hardscrabble Sungold Tomato Soup
I know I gave a general recipe for cold Sungold tomato soup in a column a few weeks ago, but it bears repeating. I have made this soup five times now. I'm going to name it after the farm stand where I have been buying most of my corn and tomatoes, Dayton Farms at Hardscrabble.
Makes approximately four small servings.
4 pint baskets Sungold tomatoes
1 small onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, cut into a few pea-size bits
about 1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375.
Put all ingredients in single layer in roasting pan (non-reactive, should be enamel or glass). You may need two pans.
Roast tomatoes for about 45 minutes, tossing occasionally. Let cool briefly and then puree in food processor, Vitamix, or similar high-powered blender. Puree for about one minute, then strain into a bowl and taste for seasoning. Remember that this will be served chilled, so bump up the salt and pepper and add a pinch of sugar if you desire. Stir occasionally until room temperature, then refrigerate.
Spaghettini con Sugo di Erbe e Pomodoro Crudo (Thin Spaghetti With Herbs and Raw Tomato)
I have been making quite a few raw tomato pasta sauces lately. I usually just hammer them with chopped garlic and a lot of basil. This recipe from Marcella Hazan's "Marcella's Italian Kitchen" will be the next one I try.
Serves four to six.
1 1/2 lbs. fresh ripe tomatoes
3 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped mint
1 lb. spaghettini
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Wash, split in half, remove seeds, and dice tomatoes into half-inch cubes. Place into bowl that you will be serving pasta in, along with all of the fresh herbs.
Begin to cook pasta, and when it is nearly done, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over high heat. When it is smoking hot, pour it over the tomatoes and herbs in the serving bowl. It should be hot enough to sizzle as it hits the contents of the bowl. Add salt, a few grindings of pepper and mix well.
When pasta is done, drain it well and transfer immediately to bowl, tossing thoroughly. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Fig and Tomato Salad with Purple Basil
This is a beautiful and unusual salad from Pascale Beale's "Salade: Recipes From the Market Table."
Serves eight.
1 lb. assorted tomatoes
1 basket figs, assorted if possible
1 bunch purple basil leaves
Good fruity olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Black pepper
Wash tomatoes and figs gently. Using a serrated knife, slice the tomatoes horizontally. Arrange them on a dinner plate mixing the varieties and colors so they cover the whole surface.
Cut each fig into thin slices the same way you sliced the tomatoes, carefully insert the assorted fig slices between tomato slices.
Insert the whole basil leaves between the fruit and then drizzle a little olive oil over the entire salad. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper.
Tomato Lemon Tart
I'm pretty sure I have already shared this recipe before, but it is a good recipe all year round. This is from a September 2017 Bon Appetit magazine.
Serves four.
1 thawed sheet frozen puff pastry (one 14-oz. package or half of a 17.3-oz. package)
1 finely grated garlic clove
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon
1/2-3/4 cup torn basil leaves
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, about 3 medium
More olive oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Crème fraîche for serving
Preheat oven to 375.
Roll thawed puff pastry on a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper to a large rectangle measuring about 15 by 10 inches. Prick pastry in a few places with a fork, leaving a one-inch border around the edges, and then slide parchment paper onto rimmed baking sheet.
Combine garlic with olive oil and brush pastry with oil, staying within border.
Thinly slice lemon on a mandolin and remove seeds. Arrange lemon in a single layer over pastry. Scatter basil leaves over lemon.
Slice the tomatoes into thin slices and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange these over the lemons, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and ground pepper, then drizzle more olive oil over the top.
Bake tart until edges of pastry are golden brown, puffed, and crisp, about 30 to 35 minutes. (I bake a little bit longer, I like a well-done crisp on the bottom crust.) Wait 10 minutes before cutting.
Cut into eight pieces and drizzle with more olive oil. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream.
