The other day, while taking a stroll through my local grocery store, stocking up on groceries after a slightly painful move to a new apartment, I noticed that there was a whole section in the produce area dedicated to tomatoes. And that there must have been 10 different varieties all lined up in neat little rows on plastic shelves. And later that same week, in the farmers market I noticed the same thing. Lots and lots of varieties of tomatoes, minus the neat rows and plastic shelving, arranged for my viewing and dining pleasure. It’s the peak of tomato season so that’s to be expected, and I spent a fair amount of money buying up one or two of each type of tomato, taking them back to my apartment and eating them. And I realized that in the case of this particular fruit (yes, it’s a fruit), each variety has its own distinct flavor, though they all have the same name. 

In the time I spent eating and thinking about tomatoes and their uses day to day I realized what we, the American people, use tomatoes for. They are a main staple in salad, sandwiches, and pasta dishes, thought of as one of the main Italian ingredients, but so rarely featured on their own. I’d say that now, in the peak of tomato season is the time to let this incredibly underrated ingredient shine. A few months from now, when winter rolls around, most tomatoes will be grown indoors,  picked unripe and gassed to achieve the rosy red flavor we have come to associate with a ripe, juicy tomato. And who wants to showcase that? In the winter months I tend to use more canned tomatoes, as they’re cheap and have a consistent flavor. Canned tomatoes are great in sauces and stews, but not nearly as pleasant to eat on their own as the fresh variety. I eat mine whole, like apples, but with a little bit of salt. It may sound a bit weird to some, but personally, I find it delicious.

Now for a bit of a history lesson. Mostly because I did my reading and feel a need to share. Tomatoes are not native plants of Italy. In fact they are a native plant of south and Central America, and when first brought to Europe, it was not the Italians but the Spanish who brought them across the ocean. But they got to Italy, clearly, and probably a good thing too, because Italian food put tomatoes on the map more than any other cultures food (with Mexican food as a close second). Alright, that’s enough history. Because if you feel so inclined, you can go do a search on any number of websites and find out all about the history of the tomato. Then I don’t have to type it and I can move on to the fun stuff. Like food.

And speaking of food, for a while there I had an apartment full of tomatoes. And, being the good little researcher that I am, I tried each kind. The best for both flavor and texture would have to be, hands down, the heirloom tomato. I’m definitely not saying to run out and buy nothing but heirlooms. They are more expensive than absolutely any other kind. They do happen to be a very nice splurge though. Excellent for raw preparations when the tomato flavor is really put on display, but if you don’t have the money, don’t go all out. Heirlooms are those funny looking, bumpy, veiny, multicolored fruits that most people see and pass up based on looks. But their flavor can’t be beat. And they look beautiful on a plate, sliced up, with all the different colors. The reason for this distinctive look and flavor is that the seeds are old, not hybrids like most of what you find in the supermarket. They could be the way tomatoes looked and tasted hundreds of years ago when the Spanish brought them back across the Atlantic.

The tomatoes I tend to used a lot, based on balancing price and flavor and all that jazz are plum tomatoes. They’re smaller, sweet, and still pretty tomatoey tasting. They work well raw and go very well in sauces, making them more versatile than the heirlooms, which are so great on their own that I’m afraid to cook them. The big round tomatoes that you see in the store and are considered “normal” or “regular” will taste mealy and watery compared to either of the two mentioned above. And I totally suggest a taste test, though probably not on the scale that I did mine. You may get sick of tomatoes. Those tomatoes that are marketed as “on the vine” are pretty good. I find that you pay extra for those three words and the stem holding them all together.  I’d take a nice and slightly cheaper plum tomato every day. As far as cherry tomatoes, they make an excellent snack, are great in salads, and if you ever try to bite into one you’ll end up with seeds all over your only clean shirt. They’re meant to be eaten whole.  But for the most part I get the grape tomatoes. And I make sure I always look at the box to make sure the skin is smooth and there aren’t too many squished on the bottom. That’s a sure sign of over ripeness.   

Well now that I’ve gone on and on about tomatoes, its time that people give them a try. I already gave one recipe that features the tomato in my soup article. Another way to serve them raw would be to make a salad of them. I have mine sliced up with balsamic vinegar, salt, and a little basil. One could add mozzarella to that and it would be delicious. I’m just not much of a cheese eater. And there you have a salad, and from the previous article, a soup. Sticking true to my format for these articles, I’m giving you one “real” recipe, for a tomato dish featuring a slightly cooked tomato as a delicious serving vessel. This recipe was one that came into my head when I was cooking for a friend of my family, and that I perfected over time. I find that it’s a good use for the leftover rice I get with Chinese food every time I order out, but you can also make rice fresh for this meal.

Tomatoes with Red Rice and Pesto

• 2 medium plum tomatoes
• 1 cup cooked white rice
• 2 diced shallots
• 2 TBS olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 cup pesto (recipe below)

1. Half the tomatoes lengthwise (best knife to use is a bread knife)
2. With a spoon, scoop out the insides of the tomatoes. Set them in a bowl
3. Add olive oil to a pan. Get it nice and hot.
4. Drop shallots into the hot pan. They should sizzle on the way in. if not, the pan is not hot enough. If the oil is smoking, take it off the heat. That means the pan is too hot.
5. When shallots begin to become translucent, add the rice and cook until the rice is heated through. Keep the pan moving or it will burn.  
6. Add the bits of tomato that you removed from the middle to the pan. Make sure its nice and mixed in with the rice.
7. Salt and pepper to taste then remove from the heat
8. Fill the halved tomatoes with the rice mixture. Do not overstuff. Whatever leftovers you have will make a great breakfast or snack.
9. Top with a layer of the pesto. You don’t need to pile it on too high.
10. Place the tomato halves on a baking pan. Broil on high for about 5 minutes, until the tomato skin starts to blister, but remove if you see any signs of burning on the pesto. It will brown a little, due to the cheese, but should not be allowed to blacken)
11. Remove from oven, turn off the broiler, serve, and enjoy.

Pesto Recipe

• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 medium cloves of garlic (peeled)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Put all the ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor and process until they form a paste.
2. With the machine running, slowly add the oil. The sauce should be a thick paste. If it’s dry enough that it’s forming clumps, add more olive oil.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Good on pasta, chicken, salmon and all sorts of other things as well as the tomato dish. I like it spread on sandwiches instead of stuff like mayo. 

Enjoy!

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