Tomatoes

Published at

June-Oct

Like other “fragile” fruits, tomatoes can get a little bumped up on their trip to your kitchen. The most important thing you can do is sort them out, setting aside the ones that had gotten banged up on their journey. Rinsed, any questionable parts cut off, those tomatoes can go into the food processor, some with a clove of garlic, some with some onion, to be coarsely chopped. The chopped tomatoes, onions and garlic can go into a big refrigerator container and now you have a fabulous start to a whole range of dishes. Stewed okra, stewed corn, a start for gazpacho or for a hot soup, zucchini and tomatoes, salsa …. the list is endless and all you have to do is ladle out a cup or two as needed. In my house, a lot of it will just be eaten directly out of the container! I love it mixed with hummus, served up with cottage cheese, drained a little and put on bruschetta …. you get the picture. You can also freeze it in small portions and then you have a start to all those things I just listed, but ready for them when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season.

The unblemished tomatoes should go on your counter. Never refrigerate them unless you’ve cut into one and haven’t finished it. You can dehydrate tomato slices if you think you can’t eat them up before they go bad. And I understand you can freeze whole tomatoes although I’ve never done it. They’ll be mushy when they thaw but that’s perfectly fine for all those recipes were you would have used canned tomatoes. And yes, of course, you can can tomatoes, but that requires a lot of special work since tomatoes are a low-acid fruit and need special handling for making them safe for storage.

(2023) 5-Ingredient Apple Cider Vinaigrette

And for the cucumbers and sweet peppers and tomatoes and radishes, I’m going to make them into a big salad and dress them with this Apple Cider Vinaigrette recipe from Emily Nunn and the Department of Salad. I’ll make a bigger batch and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator to anoint salads for the next week or two. AND I’m going to slice an apple or two into the salad. Love adding fruit to salads. That little bit of sweet crunch is always a welcome surprise.

(2023) Okra and Tomato Stir-Fry

What to do with that bag of okra? This week I’m making Okra and Tomato Stir Fry, recipe below, from the new cookbook out by Natalie Keng. Love the homemade soy-ginger sauce recipe that’s a part of that. I still have little tomatoes from last week, but if I didn’t, I’d just chop up one of this week’s slicers.

From “Egg Rolls & Sweet Tea: Asian Inspired, Southern Style” by Natalie Keng.

(2023) Crispy Gnocchi With Tomato and Red Onion

And I’m not above using grocery store gnocchi for a quick dinner. See the recipe below from Hetty Lui McKinnon. Have you seen her new book, “Tenderheart”? It is HUGE, with almost 200 recipes in chapter after chapter of ideas for the vegetables we get every week. So here are two recipes from the book – the gnocchi and tomatoes AND her vegan mapo tofu with eggplant. I literally keep the book at my desk and just leaf through it when I am looking for inspiration.

Her note about this recipe: “Inspired by panzanella, the beloved Tuscan bread salad, this dish swaps out stale bread for pan-fried gnocchi. The plump, crusty dumplings do a surprisingly good job at soaking up the summery combination of tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, while still maintaining their crisp edge. Shelf-stable gnocchi work best, as they are sturdier and crisp up well, but you could use frozen gnocchi, taking extra care not to move them around too much in the pan so they don’t break apart. Top with a sharp cheese such as Parmesan, pecorino or ricotta salata, for a hit of saltiness, if you like. This meal is best eaten immediately while the gnocchi remains crispy, but it can sit for up to 30 minutes, giving the flavors time to mingle. (However, don’t let it sit too long, as the gnocchi will turn mushy.)”

(2023) Dumpling Tomato Salad With Chile Crisp Vinaigrette

And I can’t leave you without another recipe from The New York Times. Sorry. But it’s Dumpling Tomato Salad with Chile Crisp Vinaigrette and it’s pretty irresistible. At least at this house. Are you as addicted to dumplings and chile crisp as I am?

(2023) Tomato Tonnato

And I leave you with one tomato recipe from “Salad Pizza Wine” by Janice Tiefenbach, Stephanie Mercier Voyer, Ryan Gray and Marley Sniatowsky. Delicious. And not as complicated as it might seem, but a very impressive dinner dish. It’s just a tomato salad with a few delicious extras.

(2023) Lentil Soup

We’ve returned from a ten day road trip to the Madawaska Kanu Centre (MKC) in Ontario. In addition to a week full of daily paddling instruction, their kitchen kicks out homecooked meals three times a day. I grabbed some of their recipe cards from the gift store. 

The boys have chosen the following recipe for this week. Looks easy, uses that single old leek, celery, and the tomato from yesterday that was a little bruised, and can get served with leftover rice and pan-fried okra tossed in cornmeal, my favorite okra treatment.

NOTE: The leftover lentils were delicious in a salad with Ceasar dressing, and mixed into ground beef for burgers and meatloaf.

(2023) Coconut-Dill Salmon with Green Beans and Corn

Can’t resist also passing along this recipe that I ran into at cooking.nytimes.com. This one makes use of dill, corn, cherry tomatoes from this week’s box. Maybe you also have green beans leftover, or tucked into the freezer. Bonus: you can bake it wrapped in foil packages on the grill. The combo with the coconut milk sounds divine.

(2023) Pan Con Tomate

And there’s a Pan Con Tomate recipe below which I love as an alternative to a tomato sandwich that’s actually easier to eat (tomato sandwiches, at least my tomato sandwiches, are always so messy) and a perfect accompaniment to a salad or a big glass of basil lemonade. From Anne Byrn, once the food editor for the AJC, now living in Nashville and writing cookbooks.

(2023) Sabich Bowls

The Sabich Bowl makes great use of that eggplant in today’s box as well as a tomato and a little sliced cabbage for garnish.

(2023) Summer Skillet Corn, with Peppers, Eggplant, Tomato and Za’atar

I am tempted to just chop everything up and make a big salad with a little of everything in it – yes, raw corn, and YES, raw okra. And that will be dinner tonight. But eventually we’ll want something else, so I’ve got three ideas here – two from my go-to New York Times (cold noodles with tomatoes!) but one that was demonstrated at the Decatur Farmers Market. I have to say that I truly miss restaurant chef demos at local farmers markets. At once time that was a mainstay of the markets and always a source of creative inspiration … now they’re extremely rare, but the Community Farmers Market folks have local cooks who do demos most every week, and their recipes are perhaps a bit more practical and maybe easier to pull off.

So here’s the loosely written recipe for “summer skillet corn, with peppers, eggplant, tomato and za’atar” that was demonstrated at the Decatur Farmers Market. We don’t have eggplant in this week’s box, but you’ve got everything else and if there’s no za’atar at your house, just use whatever seasoning mix is on hand.

(2023) Cold Noodles With Tomatoes

I am tempted to just chop everything up and make a big salad with a little of everything in it – yes, raw corn, and YES, raw okra. And that will be dinner tonight. But eventually we’ll want something else, so I’ve got three ideas here – two from my go-to New York Times (cold noodles with tomatoes!) but one that was demonstrated at the Decatur Farmers Market. I have to say that I truly miss restaurant chef demos at local farmers markets. At once time that was a mainstay of the markets and always a source of creative inspiration … now they’re extremely rare, but the Community Farmers Market folks have local cooks who do demos most every week, and their recipes are perhaps a bit more practical and maybe easier to pull off.

(2023) Sesame Tomato Salad

There’s another idea for using those tomatoes below, a Sesame Tomato Salad from the New York Times (yes, my favorite source for recipes) which I loved because I would never have thought to combine toasted sesame oil with tomatoes, and it’s delicious.

(2022) Tomato Vinaigrette

With that one tomato, I’m going to try this Tomato Vinaigrette recipe from Emily Nunn of The Department of Salad. She adapted the recipe from “Williams-Sonoma Cooking at Home.” I’ve still got two red onions from past boxes, so I’ll put part of one to good use here.

(2022) Warm Okra and Tomato Salad

And finally, a different salad – this one with okra because I still have some of last week’s box of cherry tomatoes. It’s a recipe from the Washington Post.

(2022) Tomato Cracker Salad

And while there’s no zucchini in our box this week, I’ve been wanting to try this zucchini tortilla recipe that Ali Stafford adapted from https://whiteonricecouple.com/zucchini-tortillas/. So I’m trying it with yellow squash.

Stafford says keep an eye on these while baking. If you bake them too long, the Parmesan will cook too much and cause the tortillas to become brittle.

(2022) Matthew Reeves’ Ratatouille

With so many peppers and that pretty eggplant, it’s time to make ratatouille. Down below is the recipe I’ve adapted from one provided by Matthew Reeves, who with his wife Maggie Reeves, hosts a drop-off for Riverview boxes. What I love is that there are almost no quantities given (just a size for one can of crushed tomatoes). Ratatouille really must have been created as a delicious way to use up summer vegetables and you can juggle quantities of ingredients to suit what you have… and what you like. We didn’t get zucchini this week (at least not in my box) but we got eggplant, yellow squash, lots of peppers, and garlic. You could use the red onion that we got today if you like, or maybe you have some yellow onions on hand. At our house, we’re not big rosemary fans, so we’re leaving that out.

(2022) Cold Peanut Noodle Salad with Cucumbers

And because we have a bounty of cucumbers, I’ll make the Cold Peanuts Noodle Salad with Cucumbers from Alexander Stafford, down below. We like the dressing a little sweeter, so we add some honey.

(2021) Roasted Radishes with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce

Also including a recipe for roasted radishes. This is for a big batch – two pounds of radishes – but just adapt the idea to the little bunch you have if you’re already putting something in the oven. Also a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. Love the yogurt dressing and the crunch of added nuts at the end. That dressing will be great on your lettuce, too.

(2021) Eggplant Focaccia With Ricotta and Olives

And then we got two Italian eggplants. I’ve got two recipe ideas below – neither is quick to cook, but both delicious. The Focaccia with Ricotta and Olives makes a delicious lunch. I’m hoping to get mine baked before we head out to the beach so we’ll have squares available for snacking on the road and enough left for a light dinner with a salad.

(2021) Charlotte’s Favorite Sausages & Veggies in Rice

Last night I finally tried Charlotte’s go-to recipe, sausages cooked in rice. I think we found a new family favorite, and another way to hide 3 cups of squash. (Psst: they didn’t even know it was in there!) That tomato in my box that didn’t survive its encounter with the watermelon? It joined the squash and onion in the rice. The end result was similar to risotto all cooked in a single skillet. Bueno.

(2021) Melon, Cucumber and Cherry Tomato Salad

I haven’t cut into those melons yet. They’re in the refrigerator chilling. But I’m sharing a recipe I saw in the New York Times for a melon, cherry tomato and cucumber salad. Nothing particularly unusual in it, except for the concept. I just wouldn’t have thought to add melon to a tomato and cucumber salad. That’s the great thing about looking for and sharing recipes. It’s always fun for me to look for things that sounds intriguing and just a bit different from what I’d traditionally make.

(2021) Shakshuka

The box also prompted me to find this non-recipe recipe from the folks at Aluma Farm for Shakshuka. We have at least one version in the tomato recipe section of grassfedcow.com. But some may prefer this no-recipe approach using the tomatoes, the onion, and a pepper or two from the box. Add eggs, and it’s dinner. Add toast and it’s a delicious meal.

(2021) Speedy Summer Gazpacho

For a recipe that won’t heat up the kitchen, I’m considering this easy gazpacho published in a story called “Eat to Beat Illness” by Rupy Aujla. It calls for a few more tomatoes that were in the box, but …. you could use some cherry tomatoes, you could just cut down on tomatoes, or maybe just like me, you bought some tomatoes last weekend at a farmers market and have a few to spare. The proportion of ingredients is totally up to you and what’s sitting on your counter. The recipe calls for serving right from the food processor, but I’m going to chill mine before serving. Which I guess defeats the “speedy” of the title, but I just like my gazpacho cold!

(2020) Slow-Roasted Tomato Confit

From Bon Appetit Y’all, by Virginia Willis. This remains one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. Chef Willis suggests taking a cue from French kitchens and folding the confit into scrambled eggs, tossing with salad greens or pasta, or topping grilled bread crisps with chopped herbs.

(2019) Green Goddess Dip with Vegetables and Homemade Pita Chips   

In case you still need some pepper or green bean inspiration, I’ve got a way to enjoy them as raw vegetables with dip. It makes me happy to have a platter of cut up vegetables and dip standing by while we’re sitting here enjoying sunsets at the beach. I’ll make the dip and buy my vegetables from a local farm stand.

(2019) Shakshuka

A box like this week’s has me thinking “shakshuka.” (With the most tomatoes in one box that I think I’ve seen all year.) And I’m amazed to see I’ve never posted a recipe for this versatile dish – baked eggs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce. So look below for a recipe adapted from one at from feelgoodfoodie.net. This one is actually pretty basic – so add hot pepper flakes or other forms of heat as your household prefers.

(2019) Pricci’s Rigatoni Alla Norma

I’ve adapted this recipe slightly. When Pricci sent the recipe originally, it called for fresh tomatoes. Then they revised it for canned Italian tomatoes. That was fine, and probably is closer to what they serve at the restaurant, but I liked it best with fresh tomatoes. Today’s eggplant and tomatoes are exactly what you need for this recipe.

(2019) Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Because there’s always room for one more recipe and I’ve got shrimp to cook, how about this one from “Live, Eat, Cook Healthy” by Rachel Khanna?

(2018) Zeb Stevenson’s Tomato Pie

This week my tomatoes are going into a tomato pie. I could have sworn I shared this recipe before. It’s from Zeb Stevenson when he was the exec chef at Watershed. We ran it in the AJC three years ago.

Best. Tomato. Pie. Ever.

Stevenson has created a tomato pie with a biscuit-like crust and a layer of cheese that keeps the crust crisp but doesn’t overwhelm the bright tomato flavor. It’s a far cry from the soggy, mayonnaise-filled pies you may have tried before.

The recipe basically has you creating your own self-rising flour. This is perfect if, like at the restaurant, you don’t want to take up room storing something that isn’t often used. Instead of stocking up on self-rising flour, just make your own. Of course, if you have self-rising flour in the pantry, substitute 2 cups of that for the flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

(2018) Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q’s Frito Pie

And here’s a fun recipe that looks more complicated than it is. Basically they’re making a big pot of chili (using their barbecued brisket) and then serving it out of individual bags of Fritos.

(2018) Brunswick Salad

David Larkworthy demoed this recipe at the Morningside Farmers Market in 2010 and I still remember it every year when okra arrives in season. It looks a little complicated because it’s a riff on Brunswick stew, a mixture of lots of flavors, but it really goes together pretty quickly and will surprise anyone who thinks okra can only be served cooked.

Recipes for Brunswick Stew are some of the most frequent requests we get at the AJC. Here’s a delicious summer variation, adapted from a recipe Chef David Larkworthy of Five Seasons Brewery as demonstrated at the Morningside Farmers Market this July. The okra in this recipe is raw, and it’s delicious. But here’s a tip: don’t expect this salad to keep. The okra is fresh and crisp when first cut, but after a day in the refrigerator, it starts to exude that sap that makes it such a great thickener, and that’s not a texture you want in your Brunswick Salad.

(2017) Fresh Tomato Sauce

By this time of year, you might be ready to cook your tomatoes. Try this simple recipe from Cook’s Country magazine.

(2017) Fried Tomato and Eggs

This week I’m feeling like having breakfast for dinner. Here are two ideas. The original inspiration? Lost in the mists of time.

(2017) Vegetable Crostata with Tomatoes

This recipe was submitted by CSA subscriber Silvia Medrano-Edelstein, the chef instructor and founder of Word of Mouth Cooking Club specializing in kid’s gourmet meal-kit prepping camps and specialty events like kiddie mocktails and gingerbread houses. Her recipes don’t include exact measurements, but you can figure it out.

(2017) Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

I went a little crazy at the farmers markets this weekend and came home with about five different kinds of cherry tomatoes. I just finished roasting up a pan. Some I’m eating on toast, but the rest will be used in this recipe. It’s from “Seriously Simple: Easy Recipes for Creative Cooks” by Diane Rossen Worthington.

(2017) Tomato and Herb Dip

From Saveur magazine, you can use up all those tomatoes you’re accumulating. (Maybe you’re like me and went crazy at local farmers markets this weekend. I came home with a bushel basket’s worth of tomatoes from an organic farmer who sells at the Jonesboro Farmers Market.) It’s from chef Sara Hauman of Huxley restaurant in San Francisco. Yes, you’ll heat up your kitchen, but it sure will smell delicious.

(2017) Ratatouille Quiche

Finally, a pretty complicated recipe from Frank Stitt of Birmingham’s Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega Cafe and Chez Fonfon. Delicious and worth the time it takes to make it. Maybe this could be a project for this weekend? Do you have some zucchini left from last week? Perfect. If not, maybe substitute another eggplant for the squash called for her.

(2017) Gazpacho with Tomato Sherbet

I love gazpacho, especially when it’s as hot as it is right now. This recipe is from “Julia Reed’s South: Spirited Entertaining and High-Style Fun All Year Long.” There’s the gazpacho and then there’s a sherbet. You can make one or the other, or both – but it’s a very impressive combination if you can make the time to do the sherbet. Gazpacho goes together in minutes.

(2017) Summer Bread Salad

Craig Richards of St. Cecilia demoed this recipe at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Love the combination of melon, cucumber and peppers.

(2017) Tomato and Feta Tart

Another fun recipe adapted from thekitchen.com. Looks more complicated than it is. No puff pastry around? Use a pie crust. It’s so pretty and fancy enough for entertaining.

Vegetarian Chili

This is a recipe from Margaret Roach, a former Martha Stewart staffer and now author of “A Way to Garden.” She recommends this chili as a way to use up bits of beans you may have stocked in the freezer (she grows all kinds of beans in her New York State garden), but you can use canned beans and all the wonderful peppers from today’s box. She suggests you can also add some of your greens to the chili. Great idea!

Fish Stuffed with Pico de Gallo

The calendar says “fall.” The contents of our box say “fall.” But the temperatures? Summer still reigns.

This light fish entree works perfectly with these crazy hot temperatures and the peppers and tomatoes in today’s box. It’s a recipe that first came from Saveur magazine. Grill the fish instead of broiling it if you wish.

If you don’t want to cook fish, at least make the pico de gallo (first five ingredients) and use it for something yummy.

Deborah Madison’s Romesco Sauce

This is an all-purpose recipe. Delicious on crostini, on roast vegetables or potatoes, stirred into a soup or served with beans. I remember reading about Romesco sauce for years and never thinking it would be something I’d like. Then I had to make it for a column for the paper – delicious! Now I’m a huge fan. This recipe comes from “Vegetable Literacy” by Deborah Madison.

Pepper-Tomato Flatbreads

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, combine tomatoes, pepper, onion, and parsley and process to reach the consistency of a thin sauce. Place this mixture in a mixing bowl with the ground meat, olive oil, paprika, cumin, pepper, and salt. Manually mix until all ingredients are integrated. The mix Read More…

Asha Gomez’s Kerala Meets Brunswick Stew

Asha Gomez, chef-owner of Spice to Table and the late lamented Cardamom Hill, says it was Fat Matt’s Brunswick stew that inspired this dish, a riff on the beef stew her grandmother made in Kerala, India. I’ve adapted this from a recipe published in Atlanta magazine.

Escalivada

This recipe is from Eric Roberts of The Iberian Pig and was demonstrated at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market this summer. A lovely side dish, a lovely snack all by itself.

Woody Back’s Charred Tomato Soup, with Eggplant Chow Chow

Charring vegetables is one way Woody Back, executive chef of Roswell’s Table & Main, likes to add flavor to his dishes. When he’s cooking, he’s looking for six components – fat, acid, salt, aromatic, sweet and bitter. The charring provides the bitter in this soup. He demonstrated these recipes at the Morningside Farmers Market and Peachtree Road Farmers Markets this year.

He likes garnishing the soup with crumbles of soft goat cheese, but croutons offer a way to add a little crunch. He’s adamant about his crouton preparation though. No toasting squares of bread in the oven. “That just dries out the bread and gives you something like a rock. Melt butter in a skillet and toast your croutons until the surfaces are golden.” One more tip for crouton making – no little cubes. Just tear small pieces of bread from the loaf for irregular pieces with lots of craggy surfaces to soak up butter and provide a satisfying crunch.

Tomato Margarita with Fennel Salt

But first, a recipe for those tomatoes. You’ve eaten fresh tomatoes all summer, now start fall with a Tomato Margarita from seriouseats.com. You could do this with your peppers, too. Or combine the peppers and tomatoes. Delish. And so easy.

Tomato, Pasta and Potato Bake

Yes, you can eat potatoes with your pasta.

This idea comes from Everyday Food magazine. Love that you don’t have to precook the pasta. Makes for a much easier dinner and less heat in the kitchen.

Red Rice with Shrimp

I am crazy about red rice. There are dozens of red rice recipes. I happen to like this one. If you have fresh tomatoes, just use those instead of the canned variety. Skip the shrimp if you like.

Tomato-Watermelon Salad

Have we talked about combining tomato and watermelon in a salad before? Fabulous. Add some feta or goat cheese or little mozzarella balls if you like. Basil? Yum.

Cathy Conway’s Collards with Smoked Tomatoes and Cornmeal Dumplings

Chef Cathy Conway is the founder/executive chef of Avalon Catering – completely dedicated to local food. I do not remember how I got this recipe from her, but it’s delicious. I’m just loving dumplings these days.

Do you have some Riverview cornmeal leftover from last year’s boxes? Then you’re all set.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

If, unlike me, you haven’t consumed all those yummy Sun Gold tomatoes, then here’s a quick and delicious suggestion. Make a salad and it’s dinner or cut into little squares and serve as a first course for your favorite dinner guests.

Roasted Corn and Tomato Salsa

And since there were so many ears of corn, I can also make this salsa. It’s from Lyn Deardorff who is “Preserving Now” and demonstrated this recipe at the Freedom Farmers Market.

Summer Squash Salad Sliders

Jon Wolf of The Terrace on Peachtree at The Ellis Hotel demoed this recipe at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market five years ago. It’s such a nice idea – raw, chopped vegetables as a slider – that I’m resurrecting it here. You could serve this as a simple salad as well, but it’s kind of fun to surprise people with a vegetable sandwich.

Braised Beans with Tomatoes, Garlic and Mint

I just saw this recipe on SeriousEats.com this week and I love what the author said:

“If you ask me, people don’t overcook their vegetables often enough. The truth is, vegetables can sometimes be absolutely delicious when cooked until there isn’t a trace of crispness left. In fact, some vegetables practically require long cooking—like these beans braised in tomatoes, which are best only after you’ve cooked them to death.”

Penne with Roasted Tomatoes and Corn

This week I’ve been reading “Cooking for Mr. Latte” by Amanda Hesser, former food editor of the New York Times. All this week’s recipes come from that book – a lovely combination of memoir and cookbook.

Squash Baked with Tomatoes

This week I’ve been reading “Cooking for Mr. Latte” by Amanda Hesser, former food editor of the New York Times. All this week’s recipes come from that book – a lovely combination of memoir and cookbook.

Beans and Tomatoes with Vinaigrette

This week I’ve been reading “Cooking for Mr. Latte” by Amanda Hesser, former food editor of the New York Times. All this week’s recipes come from that book – a lovely combination of memoir and cookbook.

Corn, Squash and Tomato Stir Fry

The first corn of the season – yum. A tip if you’re not familiar with no-spray corn. Most ears are likely to have a corn worm or two. Just cut off the affected part of the ear and you’re good to go. If I have more corn than I can use right away, I grill the extra ears in the husk. When they’re done, the husks and silks slip off easily and I store the grilled corn in a sealable plastic bag in the refrigerator. It will keep about a week that way and is still as sweet as it was the day it arrived.

In the meantime, if you need an idea for today’s fresh corn, try this recipe from Martha Rose Shulman of the New York Times. No Thai basil? Any basil will do, or just omit.

Cherry Tomato Vanilla Bean Preserves

You might not need this recipe with the first sweet, sweet cherry tomatoes of the season, but if you end up with a bounty of cherry tomatoes – this is a great way to use them up.

I cannot remember where I got this recipe but it’s delicious with goat cheese. Or over ice cream. Yes!

Pectin is sold with canning supplies in small Jello-size boxes with brand names like Sure-Jell, but also in store brands. I think Ball maybe is now also selling a small “bulk” container so you can just spoon out a teaspoon or so rather than using a whole box to make a batch of jams. Great for small batch preserving.

Grilled Shrimp and Smoky Grilled Corn Grits

Shrimp and grits is the most requested dish I get for the AJC’s “From the menu of” column. This recipe was printed in Southern Living. I just happen to have a few ears of fresh corn in my vegetable bin – but maybe you have some you froze from the bounty this summer?

Easy Greek Chopped Salad

Loved getting cucumbers back again – perfect for a Greek salad. This one came from seriouseats.com but there are a million variations. This one salts the tomatoes and cucumbers to get rid of some of the water, and rinses the onion to calm a little of its bite.

Gazpacho

Stir together bread, garlic, vinegar, and 3/4 cup cold water in a medium bowl. Set aside. Process cucumber, peppers, and bread mixture in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Puree half of the tomatoes in the blender, and transfer to the bowl with cucumber mixture. Puree remaining tomatoes, slowly adding oil while Read More…

Pasta with Fresh NoCook Tomato Sauce

So many tomatoes! And in their travels from farm to us, a few of them got bruised along the way.

Here’s my general plan of attack for tomatoes. I sort through them and set aside the ones that are perfect and will live to be enjoyed another day.

For the ones with bruises and the occasional very soft spot, I rinse them and then cut out all the bad spots. Chop the remainder with olive oil, garlic and herbs of my choice, and then season with salt and pepper. Now I have a no-cook pasta sauce that can sit in the refrigerator getting better and better for a couple of days. Here’s a more formal recipe.

Fresh Tomato Soup 2

Fresh tomato soup recipes abound. A few years ago I suggested a similar one to this, but it wasn’t heated and used sugar instead of honey. This one has more peppers in it ( you could use a jalapeno or two if you like) and just a tiny bit of cream. Serve it with a grilled cheese and caramelized onion sandwich ?

Eggs Baked on Grits with Bacon and Tomatoes

Veering away from a focus on onions and garlic, just a reminder that those veggies make great breakfast food. This recipe from seriouseats.com calls for quick cooking grits, but you can (and should!) substitute long cooking grits like those from Riverview. Grits are another one of those things that you can cook up in a slow cooker – start them the night before and let them cook on slow overnight. Season to taste in the morning.

Summer Vegetable Soup with Dill

Like all these recipes, adapt the herbs to whatever you have on hand and your household prefers. This recipe appeared in Fine Cooking magazine in August 2011.

Fish Tacos with Roasted Tomato Salsa

Does summer have you craving tacos? Or are you like us and crave them all year around? The recipe for this dish was inspired by one from Hugh Acheson, chef of Five & Ten in Athens, Georgia. Use whatever peppers are handy, even those nice mild ones from the box.

Do you happen to have some of those dried black beans from last year’s boxes? Cook them up and use them here. Yum.
It’s a very traditional recipe for salsa, and a little more work than just chopping up vegetables, but so worth it.

Parmesan Crusted Squash with Fresh Tomato Sauce

The sundried tomatoes in this recipe are totally optional as far as I’m concerned. And with the pretty yellow tomatoes from this week’s box, I think I’d skip them. It’s a recipe adapted from one at Whole Foods. If you don’t have pesto, or don’t like it, just brush the squash slices with olive oil and then use the same breading. The orange juice in the sauce is a really great idea. I’m seeing more and more recipes pairing oranges and tomatoes. Not exactly in season together, I know, but the acids and the sweetness of each complement each other really nicely.

Grilled Chicken and Potatoes with Tomato and Cucumber Salad

This recipe comes from the March 2013 edition of Fine Cooking magazine. The combination of olive oil, lemon, anchovy and garlic is one of my favorite marinades for any kind of grilling. If you have a little time, you can use the vinaigrette to marinate the chicken for up to 4 hours before grilling. Delicious.

Tomato Egg Salad

Don’t know why, but it had never occurred to me to combine these ingredients into a salad – but it seems perfect for a summer lunch or dinner. It’s adapted from a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Some Ideas for All Those Tomatoes

It seems that everywhere I’m looking right now people are writing about what to do with tomatoes. I think it’s been a bumper year across America. Here’s a piece I ran into this week in Esquire magazine’s blog. I was surprised. Esquire writing about tomatoes? Really?...

Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

I’ve seen this recipe printed in various places for many years, but have yet to try it. This weekend, that’s going to change. I was reminded of it this week on the blog Food52.

From Marcella Hazan’s “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking”

Serves 6, enough to sauce 1 to 1 1/2 pounds pasta

Santa Fe Summer Pot

Or how about this idea for a dish that will use up some tomatoes and require no cooking (if you buy precooked shrimp)? It’s from “The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories and Opinions from Public Radio’s Award-Winning Food Show” by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift (Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2008). The shrimp could be switched out for tofu, tempeh, chicken, meats or other fish.

Serves 4

Fusilli Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and “Hidden” Squash

And all those gorgeous tomatoes! So here’s my favorite tomato sandwich. You might want to try this if you’re over your fixation with white bread and mayo. You’ll need a crusty loaf of bread like a ciabatta. Split the bread in half and layer on sliced tomatoes, olive oil, sliced fresh garlic, capers, anchovy (optional as always) and basil. Throw on a splash of red wine vinegar. Close up the loaf and let the ingredients sit for at least an hour. Eat it outside.

Your basil, like mine, probably looked pretty wilted. Do not throw it out! It’s still perfectly wonderful for a sandwich like the one above, or you can do what I did last week with mine – make ice cream. There’s a wonderful new book out, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. She makes a vanilla ice cream base and then suggests adding a bunch of basil to the ice cream mixture as it cools. Strain out the ice cream before freezing. Amazing. Then, to make it even more wonderful, she suggests caramelizing some pine nuts in honey with just a bit of butter, salting the mixture, and then stirring it into the finished ice cream for storage. Salty-sweet-buttery nuts, basil ice cream. Fabulous. I saved a little money and used half pine nuts/half pumpkin seeds. Perfect.

Don’t want to make ice cream? Try the minestrone recipe below, with its bonus recipe for a basil pistou made with almonds and tomato. Or throw the basil in the freezer (yes, well wrapped please) and pull it out when you want to make a big pot of pasta fagioli this fall. Tie the basil into a bunch and then you can just fish it out of the finished soup. Or chop it up and throw it into your next batch of spaghetti sauce. Wilted, slightly browned, none of that will matter.

And if you need another idea for tomatoes and squash, how about this pasta?

Our box held a mix of tomatoes today. Use the smaller, meatier ones for this recipe, which means leaving the big juicier specimens for your favorite sandwich. Serves 4.

Stuffed Tomatoes 2

What? You’re weary of tomato sandwiches and tomato salads and ……

Ok. Try this recipe from Prevention magazine’s “The Healthy Cook.”

Tomato and Peach Salad

Have you noticed more and more restaurants are including fruit in their salads? Of course, tomatoes are really a fruit, but peaches, blueberries and strawberries are making their way into more salads than ever before. Love this combination of tomatoes and peaches, both available in abundance right now. Peel your tomatoes and peaches or not, up to you.

Tomato Marmalade

This recipe is adapted from The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders (Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2010). Marmalades are not instant preserves, you have to make them over two days, but you can easily arrange the timing to suit your schedule.

Makes 11 to 12 8-ounce jars, but you can cut this recipe in half.

From the book: “Tomato marmalades are the perfect partners for crackers, cornbread, or sourdough. They have a long history in the United States, where they were traditionally seen as a way to use up extra fruit during summer’s long tomato season. Like tomato jam, they tended to be heavily spiced with cinnamon and cloves. For this lighter version, I have introduced saffron into the mix. The result is magic.”

That said, the saffron is totally optional.

Stuffed Tomatoes

There are a million ways to stuff tomatoes. This one is adapted from one offered from the folks at Serenbe Farms.

Tomato Water

I loved that they’re still serving tomato water. It was the chef’s darling a year or two ago and has sort of disappeared. I had my doubts when I first heard of it, but it’s actually really delicious.

Squashed Tomatoes

A recipe from “Cucina del Sole: A Celebration of Southern Italian Cooking” by Nancy Harmon Jenkins.

Fresh Heirloom Tomato Soup with Cream

This recipe (and the next one) comes from Lynne Rossetto Kasper of public radio’s “The Splendid Table.” This recipe will freeze perfectly, great for winter when you just wish you had a box with 3 dozen gorgeous summer tomatoes. Peel the tomatoes or not, up to you.

Tomato Chips

This recipe comes from “The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table: Recipes, Portraits, and History of the World’s Most Beautiful Fruit” by Amy Goldman. I haven’t tried this yet but for all those folks who love to make kale chips, maybe this is the summer alternative.

notes about tomatoes

The first thing I did when I got home (at 10pm after a very late night at work) was to sort out the tomatoes, setting aside the ones that had gotten banged up on their journey. Rinsed, any questionable parts cut off, those tomatoes went into the food processor, some...

Watermelon and Tomato Salad

I will probably just eat my waternelon in big chunks, but if you want to do something different, this lovely salad idea from Bill Smith of Crook’s Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina is a nice combination of sweet, spicy and sour.

Ratatouille

This is James Beard’s recipe, adapted from his book, “Beard on Food.” You know – the James Beard of the James Beard Awards that our chefs are all so anxious to win every year?

This is a classic Provencal dish, perfect with grilled meat or fish or as a filling for an omelet or as dinner all by itself. The Beard folks note that in France it’s often presented as an appetizer with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Toss in one of those jalapenos if you like.

Grilled Sausage and Eggplant Parmigiano Pizza

Are you game to try grilling a pizza? Seems like a great way to entertain as nights get just a little bit cooler. I’ve adapted this recipe from the August 2010 issue of Fine Cooking magazine. Substitute store-bought pizza dough (Trader Joe’s has balls of white and whole wheat pizza dough for about $1 each.) if you don’t want to make your own. No Riverview Italian sausage in your refrigerator? Run out to the Farm Mobile or one of their local markets this week.

Bloody Mary Mix with Pickled Okra

I am so excited that we have all the makings of this recipe from our box this week. I was afraid I’d have to save this recipe for next year, but the tomatoes are back! This recipe is adapted from one demonstrated by Atlanta mixologist Lara Creasy at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.

Ripe Tomato Stack with Pine Nuts and Mozzarella

Since we’re still getting tomatoes, perhaps you’d welcome an idea for a variation on tomato caprese salad. This one comes from “The Spendid Table’s How to Eat Supper.” I like the addition of currants.

Sweet Potato Cottage Pie

I know all these recipes are looking so long …. but is there anything more comforting that shepherd’s pie? This is just a variation of the traditional form – but with sweet potatoes instead of white. The filling is along the lines of a Cuban picadillo with its olives and dried fruit. I love this combination.

101 ideas for Tomatoes

Rumor had it there would be a tomato or two in our box this week and that some folks might like a little inspiration beyond tomato sandwiches and caprese salads. (Although how you could ever tire of those, I don’t know.) So – I promised 101 ideas for things to do with...

Tomato Sandwich

And all those gorgeous tomatoes! So here’s my favorite tomato sandwich. You might want to try this if you’re over your fixation with white bread and mayo. You’ll need a crusty loaf of bread like a ciabatta. Split the bread in half and layer on sliced tomatoes, olive...

Sautéed Okra

Here’s an idea for your okra. It’s a recipe offered by Steven Satterfield of Miller Union last summer in a chef demo at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Like most of Satterfield’s recipes, it’s simple and it’s delicious.

Satterfield calls for the tomato to be peeled. You can use a paring knife to peel a tomato, or try his technique if you don’t mind boiling water to do the job: In a small pot or medium sized saucepan, bring some water to a boil. Place the tomato into the boiling water for approximately 60 seconds or until the skin bursts. Remove the tomato immediately and plunge into ice water. Peel the skin off then trim and dice into medium sized pieces.

Okra Stew

And finally, an idea for your okra. It comes from Mark Bittman, also of the New York Times, and he says: “If you like okra, which is in season now, you’ll probably like this recipe for okra stew, because, well, it’s okra. If you hate okra, you’ll also probably like this recipe for okra stew, because the okra practically disappears.”

Squash Tian

I turned last week’s squash into a Mexican casserole layering steamed squash with corn tortillas and a spicy sauce I had made from tomatoes and peppers. (Did you try Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce recipe from last week? It’s genius! I’m a total convert.)

This week I’m going to try this variation on a recipe from Martha Rose Shulman who writes for the New York Times. I think it ran in 2010. Any rice will do, or you can leave out the rice and substitute more breadcrumbs (adding some to the squash mixture and still sprinkling some on the top). You just need the rice or some other starch to help hold the slices together.

Tomato-Mango Chutney

I like this idea from Splendid Table, a chutney of tomatoes and mangoes. There are lots of ideas for fresh chutneys around, almost as many as there are salsa recipes, but it’s been a while since I thought about tomatoes for a fresh chutney. If you look through Indian cookbooks, you can find cooked tomato chutney recipes as well. The folks at Splendid Table offered this idea as an accompaniment to grilled burgers, but I’d love it with any grilled meat or Indian-flavored stir fry. Use all tomatoes if you don’t have fruit on hand.

Tomato, Goat Cheese and Basil Cornbread

And finally, how about baking up some of those tomatoes? This recipe comes from the “Green Market Baking Book” by Laura Martin. Once you’ve enjoyed it fresh from the oven, you could vary the experience by toasting slices until golden brown.

White Bean Stew with Greens and Tomatoes

I am sorry to say that I have no idea where I got this recipe. The combination of white beans with greens is a classic though, and the addition of Parmesan adds a jolt of umami that makes the combination so satisfying. You could use every green in the box in this stew – mustard, kohlrabi, collard and turnip. And substitute that jar of canned tomato sauce if you don’t have fresh tomatoes left from previous weeks.

South American Butternut Squash Stew

Thanks to Andrea B. who picks up her Riverview box in Grant Park for sending in this recipe from the February 2010 issue of Cuisine magazine. he recipe headnote says it’s an iconic South American stew called locro, and a perfect winter meal when served with crusty bread. This would be a great use for that jar of tomato sauce in this week’s box.

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Adapted from a recipe in “The Sweet Potato Lover’s Cookbook” by Lyniece North Talmadge.

Perfect with your leftover mashed sweet potatoes from Thanksgiving, or make it with sweet potatoes prepared especially for this dish. I’ve added rutabagas to the filling. Yum.

Tomato Egg Cups

And I love this idea that I’ve seen in lots of places – and when you’ve tired of tomato salads and tomato sandwiches (yes, it could happen!), you may be looking for an idea for those gorgeous big tomatoes. Easy, elegant – a fabulous quick supper, brunch or yes, breakfast dish.

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Feta, Tomato, and Melon

Serves 4 as a main dish Preheat the grill. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper; marinate at room temperature for 5 minutes. Thread the shrimp onto metal skewers or wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for...

Spicy Quinoa, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Adapted from a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman who writes the “Recipes for Health” series for the New York Times.

This refreshing summer salad can sit in the refrigerator for a few hours without deteriorating, so it makes a great choice for bringing to work or to a summer picnic. There was a hot pepper in my box which I will use for this recipe, or you can substitute one of the other sweeter peppers. Since the cucumbers in my garden are coming in like crazy, I’ve got everything I need for this salad. And of course you could substitute bulgur or some other grain for the quinoa.

Herbed Crumb-Cheese Filling

The crumb-cheese filling recipe below would be just as good stuffing the tomatoes or peppers.

If you think your squash might be a little mature and need some tenderizing, scoop them out and then boil for about 2 minutes in a mixture of water, garlic and whatever herbs you have on hand or that go with your filling. Drain upside down while you prepare the filling.

Fresh Tomato Soup

And this recipe for tomato soup was a fabulous surprise. No cooking at all, and absolutely delicious. I served it to Marcia, MellowBellies’ intrepid photographer, this evening and she kept saying, “It’s so sweet!” That was just because of the fabulous MellowBelly tomatoes. You’d only want to make this when you have really wonderful summer tomatoes. But it couldn’t be easier and I think it will keep for several days in the refrigerator. It does separate when it settles, so just shake it up before serving. The recipe came from the August 2010 issue of Woman’s Day magazine.

Watermelon Gazpacho

I’ve been experimenting with cold soups this week, and I’m really enjoying these two options which use a number of items from this week’s box.

I‘ve been a huge fan of gazpacho since my first taste at the Peasant Uptown at Phipps Plaza (which means I’m really dating myself since they’ve been closed for years). Spicy, flavorful tomato gazpacho, topped with shrimp … and served with their cheese toast …. it opened my eyes to the pleasures of cold soup. Now most summers I keep a half gallon jar of gazpacho in the refrigerator as soon as the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers come in.

Recently I’ve been seeing recipes for watermelon gazpacho, and this week I finally tried it out. Delicious! Here’s one way to make it, but I’ve seen it demonstrated by chefs at local farmers’ markets using many variations including adding tomatoes, using more hot peppers, or varying herbs like using dill. I liked this recipe because it used what I have in my garden and box right now. You could leave out the crab, or substitute shrimp. The sweet seafood is a nice foil for the spicy fruitiness of the soup.