"You like tomato, I like tomahto. Let's..."

Opening Morika’s e-mail announcing Norwood CSA included tomatoes as part of last week’s share, frankly got me more excited than a grown man should.  If there is one garden staple I would loathe to forego, it is this wondrous red fruit (in the U.S. a vegetable legally, according to an 1893 Supreme court ruling), this love apple, tomatl to the Aztecs, pomme d’amour, to the French, lycopersicon esculentum to botanists (which translates to edible wolf peach, go figure).   Would we be getting delicate heirlooms or the sturdier beefsteaks?  Perhaps small baskets of intensely sweet cherry tomatoes would be on hand or their cousins the longer, more ovate, grape tomatoes.  Or would we be getting the made for sauce (“gravy” in Italian-American households) thick-skinned San Marzano variety? The possibilities seemed endless and I thought of the several ways I would press my “love apples” into service.  None would disappoint, that was assured.

Arriving in the garden, I headed straight for the tray with my beloved “pomidori” (literally, apples of gold in Italian, their tomatoes must have been yellow back then) in their natural state patiently waiting to be rescued and brought home.  Placing them to the side while I selected the rest of my share, I made sure to make a safe space for them to rest on the short ride back to our kitchen where these “pomi dei mori” (apples of the moors) would make this night’s meal one to savor. 

Safely in the kitchen, I thanked my juicy red friends, my “love apples,” for the sacrifice they would make to help provide us with such a pleasing and tasty dinner.  Is there any food better than a fresh, farm-grown, vine-ripened, Northeastern, August harvest tomato?  Oh, I think not!

Here are two simple ways to enjoy our tomatoes.  One from the Catalan region of Spain, the other an Italian-American staple:

Let’s call this Catalan Tomato Toast:

Ingredients:

1 large ripened tomato (firmer varieties like this week’s are best)

2 cloves of garlic

Fresh basil

2 slices of hard crusted Italian bread (for this dish, I prefer the round Italian bread, sliced uniformly, sold at Madonia’s bakery on Arthur Avenue)

Salt and pepper to taste

1.             Toast 2 slices of bread to desired doneness.

2.             While toasting, grate the tomato into a bowl.  Use the thick, coarse side of the grater.  Discard the skin.  Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper.

3.             When the toast is done, rub the garlic liberally over the toasted bread.

4.             Spoon the liquid tomato over the garlicky toast and garnish with torn basil leaves.

5.             Get your mouth ready to bite into deliciousness.  Why not with a glass of chilled white wine?  I poured Bombino Bianco from Puglia.  Aaahh!

Or here is another easy, quick salad that can turn into a meal. Let’s call it what it is: Italian Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

Fresh beefsteak tomatoes

Red Onion

Basil

2-3 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Oregano

1.             Slice the tomatoes into wedges and ring your bowl with these gorgeous smiles.

2.             Slice the onion into half-moons (or any way you prefer to slice them) and add them to the bowl.

3.             Season the salad to taste.  Be generous with the oregano.

4.             Pour the olive oil into the bowl and mix the ingredients, being sure to coat the tomatoes and onions.  Try not to over-soak, however.  Use just enough so there is no pool of oil at the bottom, but all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed.

5.             Cover your salad with foil or wrap (I have these new, re-usable, washable wraps from ETEE, check them out) for about a half-hour.

6.             Use the time wisely and select a nice red wine to go along with this cool summer treat.  My red choice this summer is Amicone-Rosso Veneto.

Have some hard crusty bread to eat along with your Tomato Salad.    This one is truly delightful.  Buon appetito e por centi