Tomato Explosion

Tomato Explosion For the past week, despite the best efforts of my chicken and the ground squirrels, I have been experiencing a tomato explosion in my garden. Home grown tomatoes are one of summer’s best things. But, as much as I am thrilled to have them, I am running out of ways to eat them.

My favorite way to eat tomatoes is semi bruschetta style or what some may call tartine. I fry a slice crusty bread in olive oil until it is golden brown on both sides. Then I lay alternating slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella on the bread and sprinkle with chopped fresh basil. Finish it off with a little salt and some fresh pepper and you have the best lunch in the world. But even the best lunch can’t be eaten every day.

I’ve also sliced my tomatoes up and served them on a platter alongside some ripe avocado slices with a drizzle of Italian dressing for an easy dinner side dish that goes well with anything coming off of the grill on a hot night. Of course there have been many sandwiches made with thick tomato slices adorning them. And so on…

I could make a tomato tart. But, I feel like exposing these beauties to heat would be a travesty. I have posted a number of tomato recipes on the blog over the years so I figured I would go back and take a spin through the archives. (I have also been doing this with the back issues of magazines that I have saved. It’s made coming up with dinner ideas a bit easier. And, it’s helped jump start my cooking brain again..) I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of tomato recipes that I haven’t made in a while. It’s like what’s old is new again and the Tomato, Chile, Melon Salad is calling my name!

I am slowly making my way through them all and the good news is my tomato pile is getting more manageable but the green ones still on the vine tell me that there are more coming…if the squirrels don’t get them first.

Here’s my list of recipes.

Roman Summer Salad
Don’t be afraid of the anchovies! They add a dimension to the flavor of the dish, but not the “fishy” flavor.

Jumbo Pico Salad
The great thing about this Jumbo Pico Salad is the big chunks of veggies. It has all the flavor of pico de gallo with something you can sink your teeth into.

Tomato, Peach, and Avocado Bruschetta
The combined flavors are amazing.

Eggplant and Squash Tian
If you want to try this recipe my way (because you, too, think eggplant is gross), omit the eggplant entirely and increase the proportion of squash and tomatoes.

Backyard Tomato Salad
The flavor in this tomato salad is accentuated by salting the tomatoes, so don’t be shy of this step. This is a fantastic summer tomato salad!

Fresh Tomato Bruschetta
I use this as my base recipe, and improvise.

Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Platter Salad
This is the perfect blend of all things summer: corn, tomatoes, and avocado. Plus, it has cumin in it and in my world everything is better with cumin.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
Nothing looks prettier on a plate than some thickly sliced heirloom tomatoes with a drizzle of tangy blue cheese dressing. Making your own dressing is pretty easy. Though, I have to say the freshly made dressing we have in our cheese department is even easier.

Tomato Chile Melon Salad
This recipe has so much appeal! It’s basically an appetizer platter in a bowl.

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