Yes Yes and YES! We’re on Week 4 of our Summer Fest and can I tell you how jazzed I am to be featuring tomatoes? I’ve written so much about them before so I won’t tell you how I’m a freak for them, alrighty? For me it’s just not summer without them.
I think the biggest attraction I have with summer tomatoes, heirlooms to be specific, is that there’s not a lot that needs to be done to them. They’re excellent as is and with minimal prep. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with them because you certainly can. Here are ten of my favorite things to do with summer tomatoes.
1) Sliced and drizzled with olive oil, sea salt, maybe some shavings of really awesome Pecorino? Hell to the yes.
2) In a Roasted Tomato Bloody Mary.
3) Chopped with garlic, olive oil, basil and shallots for bruschetta.
4) Sliced and SLATHERED with mayo on really good bread. I SAID SLATHERED.
5) Made into a nice chilly sorbet!
6) Pop them in my mouth like there’s no tomorrow (provided they are the lil ones).
7) Grated and tossed with pasta, olive oil and lemon juice for a quick no-cook sauce.
8) Chopped in a bowl and sprinkled with nuoc mam (this makes my eyes roll back into my head I’m telling you).
9) Heirloom & Fennel Soup that’s raw and chilly and perfect on a hot day.
10) Look at them and weep tears of happiness.
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This is the last week of Summer Fest and I can’t thank you everyone enough for the participation! I’ve been so inspired with all the amazing ideas for using all these amazing fruits and vegetables that summer brings us. Leave your suggestions in the comments and make sure to check out what our other Summer Fest Hosts have been doing with tomatoes!
• Margaret’s making Quick Tomato Sauce, Ever So Slowly
• White On Rice Couple are doing Tomato Jam and Preserves with an entire cast of cute kids and Sierra, my girlfriend.
• Paige gives us her Curried Carrot & Tomato Soup and I can taste that marvelous combo already
• Jaden and her delicious Caprese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
• Marilyn’s — wait for it, wait — Upside Down Tomato Bread. I think I just saw Heaven.
• Shauna makes a mouthwatering Smoked Tomato Salsa
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Roasted tomato bloody mary? Sign me up, pronto. Meanwhile, I’m reinventing my favorite tomato soup in a chilly version, perfect for a steamy day like this one. LOVE your graphic, btw. Gorgeous.
such great tomatoes ideas-love it! thanks for hosting summer fest, i enjoyed participating this year! here are my thoughts on tomatoes:
http://thecosmiccowgirl.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/provencal-tomato-tart/
Matt, fresh vine ripened tomatoes are delicious just about any way you can serve them.
My hands down favorite pasta sauce in the summer is this no cook one that when mixed with hot pasta just explodes with flavor. http://tinyurl.com/o4tafh
And we all love our salads in the summer especially when gorgeous tomatoes are everywhere! Here is my easy Heirloom Tomato Salad With Goat Cheese Crumbles at http://tinyurl.com/qj9nbb
Deb
fantastic!!
I love them “slathered” in blue cheese dressing with crumbles of blue cheese on top.
fantastic photo!
I’ve never even thought of doing a sorbet! Love that idea! Here’s my entry for this week – my favorite ways to use raw tomatoes:
http://tnlocavore.typepad.com/tennessee_locavore/2009/08/my-name-is-kristina-and-i-have-a-problem.html
Oh, I am absolutely sending that Bloody Mary recipe to my friend – she’s been looking for one.
My take on this week is a bit of a cheat, but with my mom’s hand-me-down recipe, which I think makes up for it: http://jekyllian.blogspot.com/2009/08/tradition-cheating.html
Great ideas. Never considered a sorbet or roasted in a Bloody Mary.
Yes, I can weep with joy when the tomatoes are at their best. I also weep with frustration when faced with a winter’s worth of tasteless, soapy-textured hot house non-tomatoes.
My contribution this week is a simple salad.
http://christie-corner.blogspot.com/2009/08/summer-fest-week-4-tomato-salad.html
I’m coming over right now for that roasted Bloody Mary. Wow. Or the bruchetta, or fennel soup, and I must try the sorbet! So many good ideas.
I’ll bring this along with me to share:
http://penandfork.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/heirloom-tomato-napoleon/
Matt, I have just discovered your blog, and I think I have gone to food and photography heaven. Really, truly, your photos are amazing. Breathtaking. I am so inspired and excited. I looked at our whole site. I love your portfolio. It was especially fun to see places and people I know: Number 9, and my apple man from the Sunday farmers market. I am so excited that I found your stuff! I dream of one day attending one of your photo workshops..until then I’ll just look here and learn.
I love all these recipes. Here is one from me–a no peel, cherry tomato pasta sauce that is so fresh, easy and good, you’ll make extra to freeze and eat it all winter long!
http://picnicsinthepark/2009/08/taste-of-summer.html
We made a version of your #7 (no-cook sauce) but we added pieces of mozzarella cheese and some homegrown basil. The post and recipe are here:
http://marriedwithdinner.com/2009/08/17/everything-new-is-old/
Wow, what a wonderful resource for tomato recipes! This will definitely be bookmarked for later.
Today I am sharing my favorite tip for getting tomatoes home from the farmers market without squishing them:
http://summertomato.com/farmers-market-update-how-to-transport-soft-fruits-and-vegetables/
I may have mentioned this before, but one of the best Bloody Mary’s I’ve ever had was made with mint infused vodka, fresh tomato juice (right from the garden) lemon and pickled dilly beans. So refreshing and nice.
I love tomatoes any way. Here’s my contribution – Tomato Peach Salad http://bit.ly/N7eiM
Tomato Paella:
http://mostlyfoodstuffs.blogspot.com/2009/08/tomato-paella-roasted-artichokes.html
The tomatoes roast and concentrate their flavor on top of saffron-scented rice. Fancypants enough for company, yet shockingly easy. And delicious.
Love it! I am making that no-cook sauce tonight – it sounds so delicious!
LOVE the shot so much! kxx
Thanks to Charmian Christie for inviting me to Summer Fest. I’m feeling a little underdressed.
I also see that I’m not the only one wearing cold tomato soup. Too late to change:
http://5secondrule.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/08/how-to-make-fresh-tomato-soup.html
Thanks for organizing, Matt.
Oooooh! I forgot to send you mine……made a savory heirloom tomato galette for a dinner party: http://tokyoastrogirl.blogspot.com/2009/08/summer-dinner-party-as-i-mentioned-in.html
Seriously, is there a more perfect summer food than a ripe heirloom? NO!
All fabulous recipes for the delicious tomato. I made a roasted tomato and cheddar tart, that was delish!
http://piccantedolce.blogspot.com/2009/08/roasted-tomato-cheddar-tart.html
I used to eat tomatoes from my grandma’s farm, hot from the vine like they were apples, with a sprinkle of salt in one hand for dipping. Here’s a small post I did on herbs (yeah, I’m late to the party, but I brought somethin’) http://cathyshambley.blogspot.com/2009/08/chillin-it-with-herbs.html
You had me at Roasted Tomato Bloody Mary!!! Here’s my take on our uncharacteristically warm Pacific Northwest tomato season http://plantedathome.com/blog/2009/08/18/pacific-northwest-tomatoes/
Eat. Savor. Share. Enjoy. Repeat
Outside the obviously call-me Bloody Mary, I’ll take tears of joy, thank you. I am so sad when good tomatoes disappear and leave us with mealy pink zombies!
And why are you so graphically gifted? Everything here is just beautiful.
Don’t forget roasted tomatoes! Slow-roasted tomatoes. Sometimes I add them to pesto, sometimes I eat them w/ mozzarella and drizzled with olive oil and basil. Other times I add them to pasta as a “sauce” because the flavor is so intense! I also bake them w/ zucchini. Happy Summer Fest!
http://www.thenaptimechef.com/2009/07/napping-with-vegetable-roasting-rules.html
http://www.thenaptimechef.com/2009/07/napping-with-edible-vineyard-sunday.html
Sadly my tomato plants JUST started to flower – so I’ll be lucky if I get a few by the end of September. However the farmer’s markets have had some lovely grape and cherry tomatoes lately and they’re just delicious with salt, pepper and a teensy drizzle of olive oil. Nothing is finer than a fresh Jersey tomato.
REALLY want to try the sorbet. Looks amazing. As for the bloody Mary….Sunday morning kick start, oh ya!
I made 3 types of homemade ketchup this week for the final installment.
http://thehealthyirishman.com/2009/08/homemade-tomato-ketchups/
Heirloom tomato and mayo sandwich? I’m on my way to the kitchen!!!
I’m totally on board with your tomato obsession! I’m a week behind you guys for tomato posting, next week I’m posting slow roasted tomatoes and some delicious recipes to use them in like pastas and salads. But I do have some older yummy ones, like parmesan crusted tomato slices.
http://dianasaurdishes.com/05/how-to-boil-perfect-corn-on-the-cob-with-parmesan-tomato-slices/
I’ve spent this summer fussing and fretting over a jungle of 50 tomato plants. I’ve enjoyed flavour packed Sungolds that drip off every truss and am waiting impatiently for the jurassic looking Carbons to spin through the colour wheel from green to plumblack.
So everyone’s recipes are a wonderful glut gift.
My post is a variant on a Jamie Oliver tomato salad. He calls his the Mothership Salad so I’ve called mine the Satellite Salad.
http://tomatolover.com/jamies-tomato-salad/
i’m with everyone else, the roasted bloody mary sounds amazing! all these ideas to. and i really really love the opening graphic. sigh. we’re equally obsessed about tomatoes. this time last year i had a post dedicated to ways to pay homage to heirloom tomatoes too, but…
this year, with tomato season being less than perfect, i think this is the recipe i’d like to submit for summerfest. it coaxes the best out of even less than perfect tomatoes with a little trick–a quick vinegar soak.
http://lesauce.typepad.com/le_sauce/2009/07/pickled-tomato-sauce-with-fried-basil.html
WOOPS–sorry, here’s the link again
http://lesauce.typepad.com/le_sauce/2009/07/pickled-tomato-sauce-with-fried-basil.html
I think I could live off of heirloom tomatoes… and I completely agree that they are best served raw. Do you believe that I hated tomatoes up until last year? That was when I discovered the deliciousness that is our local Tennessee heirloom tomatoes.
Needless to say we’ve been cooking a lot of them lately, but this recipe really stood out:
http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2009/08/heirloom-tomato-panzanella.html
Panzanella, with fresh local heirloom tomatoes, basil, and cucumber, it’s like summer on a slice of bread. Yum!
I made the classic today…. gazpacho!! added a little smoked paprika for depth… so good… and just baked up a fluffy and creamy apricot bread pudding.. going to be great in the AM with my coffee!
I do a recipe that I cannot remember the link for but I did read it on some blog so I cannot take all the credit but here goes….using grape or cherry tomatoes I layer with mozzarella slices and basil slices onto a stick like a brochette and then we eat it either in one bite if it is on a toothpick or as if we are eating corn if it is on a larger stick…..next time tho I use Jaden’s vinaigrette
Ending Summer Fest with tomatoes is truly saving the best for last! Here’s the sauce that converted my formerly red sauce phobic middle child. With only 4 ingredients in Marcella Hazan’s recipe– tomatoes, butter, onion, and salt – what’s not to love?
Fresh Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
Thanks for giving me something better to do than write the article I’m supposed to be writing right now. Just thanks a lot. No really.
To add a couple more to your list, I made a roasted cherry tomato clafoutis – http://tinyurl.com/q3jedo – but my favourite tomato thing this year was a roasted Roma tomato and goat cheese Tarte Tatin. http://tinyurl.com/q7spcy
Some seriously good ideas there – I still say my absolute favorite way is 1) simply sliced and seasoned. Add some basil there and I could eat it forever! Our tomatoes are just starting to ripen http://www.rosylipsandlavender.com/2009/08/summer-fest-tomatoes.html#comments but lots of fab ideas of things to do with them once they’re good to go!
The bloody mary would have been a perfect drink for last week’s Sunday brunch, a sweet & savory tomato tart:
http://zested.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/caramelized-tomato-tart/
Great roundup – this is one of my favorite photography sites out there.
i loveeeeeee tomatoes especially if that nuoc mam is garlicky & spicey (with a touch of tang)! yummm!! <3
What a wonderful coincidence! I just finished a series of tomato salads on my blog so I can join in on the summer festivities! Here are my 3 favorite tomato salads:
http://80breakfasts.blogspot.com/2009/08/tomato-salad-1.html
http://80breakfasts.blogspot.com/2009/08/tomato-salad-2.html
http://80breakfasts.blogspot.com/2009/08/tomato-salad-3.html
Glad to celebrate tomatoes with you all!
Love you ten ways…especially the Bloody Mary! 
Hi Matt, Margaret’s A Way to Garden postings got me to post (http://macgardens.org/?p=1067) about our enjoyment of the tomato harvest and led me to your site. Great photography and enthusiasm for food!
ah, wonderful ideas and a fantastic cover photo.
love them simply drizzled with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh oregano and basil from the garden; add in fresh mozzarella and you have a traditional Caprese. Slowly roasted in the oven with garlic and an onion, then pureed, sieved, and combined with some fresh chicken or vegetable stock for a divine soup. Tossed fresh with pasta-yum! Or combined with the makings for salsa: chiles, cilantro, onions, garlic, and lime juice, or a late summer gazpacho. Oh, so much tomato goodness.
Matt, try your chopped tomato/nuoc mam with chopped fresh cilantro. It will make you roll your eyes back into your head even more!
So late to the party again! Salsa Huevona – a salsa recipe for those of you who are feeling hot and lazy towards summer’s end! xogabriela
Why do you live so far away? Every single post you write makes me want to hang out with you even more!
And that top shot? good god. I would like a poster of that on my wall to sustain me through January.
Wow. Fantastic career-fantastic blog! I quoted you on my blog today. Godspeed! Keep cooking, keep eating and keep lovin’.
My first ever blog post. I feel a little shy about it.
http://unfussyfare.com/2009/cherry-tomato-and-farro-salad/
I love to make an Heirloom Tomato Salad with Watermelon Sorbet and Pickled Watermelon Rind! The recipe and a photograph can be found here:
http://www.porktopurslane.com/search/label/Heirloom%20Tomato%20Salad%20with%20Watermelon%20Sorbet%20Pickled%20Rind%20and%20Micro-Basil
oh the roasted tomato bloody mary sounds sinful! i recently had an amazining tomato-based cocktail i hope to write about soon, but for now this will have to do:
http://www.alamodejournals.com/index.php/2009/08/harvest-crusade/
Great ideas! Plus, is there anything better than a tomato SLATHERED in mayo? I think not!