Tomato Season
Summer is upon as and that means tomato season. There are few ingredients that are as delightful with minimal adornment as the fresh summer tomato. I’m going to share a couple of my favorite ways to show them off today.
I’m usually working with local heirloom tomatoes that I get from my market. I like to grab a variety in different colors, picking from whatever looks, smells, and feels best. Whatever the variety, and whether you’re shopping at the farmer’s market or supermarket, you’re looking for tomatoes that have a ripe aroma, consistent coloring, a heavy feel, and are firm with just a little bit of give.
Tomato and Ricotta Salad
This is a play on the traditional Italian caprese salad, with tomato wedges and rustic dollops of ricotta cheese layered in a bowl with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, sea salt, and basil. It’s a perfect summer side dish.
Serves 2-4
2 medium ripe tomatoes
1 garlic clove
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Maldon flaky sea salt
Small container of ricotta cheese
Fresh basil
Thick aged balsamic vinegar (recommended but optional, for finishing)
Method
Prep and season the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and trim off the core. Add them to a bowl, and add a pinch of Maldon sea salt, a glug of extra virgin olive oil, and a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar. Grate the clove of garlic into the bowl with a microplane grater if you have one, or mince it finely. Toss everything together and let the tomatoes marinate for 15 minutes or more.
Plate the tomatoes in a bowl with ricotta and basil. Use a slotted spoon to place some of the tomato wedges in the bottom of a small bowl for individual servings or a larger bowl for family-style. Spoon out a couple dollops of ricotta and nestle amongst the tomato wedges. Tear a couple leaves of fresh basil and scatter them around. Repeat, adding layers of tomato, ricotta, and basil, until the tomatoes are all used.
Garnish. Drizzle a couple spoonfuls of the marinating liquid over the tomatoes. Add a couple last dollops of ricotta, and some of the smallest, intact fresh basil leaves. Sprinkle a little more Maldon sea salt on top, and finish with a drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil and a thick aged balsamic if using.
Burrata Caprese Salad
Sometimes you just want to eat tomato, cheese, and basil every day so it’s good to have a few variations to keep it interesting. This is another play on the caprese salad, but with thick slices of tomato instead of wedges, and creamy burrata instead of ricotta cheese or the traditional fresh mozzarella. I also skip the grated garlic and the marinating step here, so it’s even faster to get out to the table.
Ingredients
Serves 2-4
2 medium ripe tomatoes
8oz burrata
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Maldon flaky sea salt
Fresh basil
Thick aged balsamic vinegar (recommended but optional, for finishing)
Method
Prep and season the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into thick slices and arrange them on a serving platter in a single layer with some overlap. Sprinkle them with Maldon sea salt, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Garnish. Place the burrata atop the tomatoes in the center of the platter, and slice open to expose the creamy center. Sprinkle a little more Maldon sea salt on top of the cheese, and add another drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil and a thick aged balsamic if using. Arrange a handful of small intact basil leaves, or torn larger leaves, around the platter.
Tomato Carpaccio
Ok, there’s a theme emerging here. Tomato, sea salt, olive oil, balsamic. It’s a can’t-miss combination. The main difference here is that we’re slicing the tomatoes super thinly, and topping with some arugula and prosciutto.
Ingredients
Serves 2-4
2 medium ripe tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Maldon flaky sea salt
Handful of arugula
3-4 slices prosciutto
Thick aged balsamic vinegar (recommended but optional, for finishing)
Method
Prep and season the tomatoes. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on a plate. Cut the tomatoes into very thin slices, and arrange atop the olive oil as you go. I usually slice a little bit off the top and bottom of the tomato so it stands flat, and then slice horizontally as thinly as I can with a very sharp knife. Season the tomatoes with Maldon sea salt.
Garnish. Scatter a handful of arugula atop the tomatoes, and nestle a few chunks of prosciutto amongst the arugula. Finish with a drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil and thick aged balsamic vinegar if using.
Pan con Tomate
We’re finally moving on from Italy and making a pit stop in Spain for what’s currently my favorite breakfast. Grated tomato, a little garlic and olive oil, and a good crusty baguette or sourdough is all you need.
Ingredients
Serves 2-4
2 medium ripe tomatoes
1 garlic clove
Extra virgin olive oil
Maldon flaky sea salt
Bread, ideally a crusty baguette or sourdough
Method
Make the tomato sauce. Slice the bottom of the tomatoes off and grate the flesh into a bowl using a box grater. You’ll end up with just the top of the tomato and the skin left in your hand once you’ve grated all the flesh into the bowl, and you can toss that away. Add a pinch of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil to the bowl. Grate or finely mince the garlic clove and add that too. Stir to combine.
Serve with toasted bread. Cut your baguette in half or cut off a thick slice of sourdough, and toast the bread. Put the bread on a plate and spoon over a couple spoonfuls of the tomato sauce, just enough to soak into the bread a bit and leave a thin layer of tomato on top.
Tomato, Mayo, and Herb Sandwich
Our last stop is right here in the US of A. For lunchtime during tomato season, the iconic tomato & mayo sandwich never misses. I’m just dressing it up a little bit here with a pile of fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Makes 1 sandwich
1 medium ripe tomato
2 slices of sandwich bread
Butter (optional, for toasting the bread)
Mayonnaise
Maldon flaky sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Handful of fresh basil and dill, coarsely chopped
Method
Toast the bread. For a little extra flavor, I like to toast both slices of bread in a pan on the stovetop with butter until golden brown. You can just pop them in the toaster if you prefer.
(Optional) Make homemade mayo. This dish is great regardless, but I promise that it’s worth making homemade mayonnaise if you have the inclination. If you have an immersion blender, it’s pretty easy too. Check out Kenji’s two-minute mayo recipe over at Serious Eats.
Make the sandwich. Slather both slices of bread with mayonnaise. Cut the tomato into really thick slices and layer them on one slice of the bread. Sprinkle them generously with sea salt. Drizzle a little olive oil over the tomato. Top with the herbs and the other slice of bread. Slice in half and serve.
Summer tomatoes are a treasure, and I hope this post helps you prepare simple dishes at home that really make them shine. Tomato season is in full swing right now but it won’t last forever, so go out and get some while the gettin’s good!