Heirloom Tomato Tuesday
A few months ago a friend asked me why I didn't have many recipes with tomatoes on my blog. It was April and the answer was obvious to me. I don't eat tomatoes outside of the late summer months. Tomatoes are one of the fruits that just don't taste at all the same when they are not perfectly in season. Few food experiences gross me out more than biting into a mealy, tasteless slice of tomato. Ugh!
As Sag Harbor's Tomato Lady ( of the Tomato Lady Stand Est. 1973 ) says “anyone selling (local) tomatoes in July is bringing them from somewhere else.” I have to agree with her. August tomatoes just taste better than anything you can get the rest of the year. As summer winds to an end I wanted to share my three favorite ways to eat local heirloom tomatoes. Enjoy!
Heirloom Tomatoes with Basil and Sea Salt
- 1 large heirloom tomato
- 5-6 leaves of basil sliced thin
- sea salt
- Cut the tomato into wedges and arrange on a plate
- Sprinkle liberally with sea salt
- Top with basil slices
Heirloom Tomato, Peach, and Corn salad
- 2 heirloom tomatoes of various colors
- 1/2 a red onion
- 1 peach
- 1/4 cup fresh corn removed from the cob (1 cob)
- 4 basil leaves sliced thin
- 1 tsp olive oil
- sea salt
- Cut onion into slices
- Cut tomatoes and peaches into wedges
- Arrange onion, peach and tomato slices on a platter
- Top with basil slices
- Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt before serving
Heirloom Tomatoes and Avocado with Cilantro Pesto
- 1 large heirloom tomato
- 1 and 1/4 avocado
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 of a medium zucchini
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- sea salt
- black pepper
- Slice the avocado ( reserve the 1/4 avocado for the pesto) and tomatoes into wedges and arrange on a plate
- In a blender combine the cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, zucchini and remaining avocado until smooth
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Spoon the pesto over the tomato and avocado slices before serving
