Tomatoes of August
Most gardeners consider August the best month of the year. All the planting is done, hopefully the weeds are under control and each day you can bask in the pleasures of harvesting fresh and colorful produce, with tomatoes being the stars of the month.
For the cook, it is the opportunity of serving colorful everyday meals and even cooking with fresh tomatoes whether from your own garden or the local farmer’s market. Summer tomatoes have a special flavor of their own, which can not be found at other times of the year. What is more, they are good for you. A medium tomato has only 18 calories, is high in fiber, potassium and full of lycopene, s powerful antioxidant as demonstrated by their red color.
You can have an instant colorful salad by simply arranging a sliced tomato on a plate over fresh basil leaves. Dot the tomatoes with some black Kalamata olives, add a splash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil and you are ready to go. If you want to gild the lily, dot with small balls of fresh Mozzarella or crumbled Feta cheese.
Tomato soup cooked with fresh tomatoes and roasted red peppers is far above the average tomato soup served anywhere, and is worth the bit of extra effort. Since it also freezes well, you might make a large pot and freeze some for lunch for that first snowstorm in December. It can also be made with a 24 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, but the flavor is going to be less intense.
Tomato and roast pepper soup.
In a large pot heat 2 tblsp. olive oil and sauté 1 large chopped onion, 1 ½ sliced celery stalks and 3 chopped garlic cloves for 5 minutes. Stir in 4-5 chopped ripe tomatoes, 32 oz. chicken broth, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. sugar, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, 1 tsp. herbes Provence, 1-2 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce, bring to boil and cook for 20 minutes on medium high heat.
Drain and rinse 1 jar of roasted red peppers, add to the soup and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Cool slightly and puree in batches in a blender with a handful of fresh basil leaves and 1-2 tblsp. balsamic vinegar. Serve hot, sprinkled with onion greens, oyster crackers or croutons.
Tomatoes also add color and flavor to many other salads as well including tabouleh, pasta, lentil and bean salads either as a diced component or as decorative side. Here is my white bean and chorizo luncheon salad with tomatoes, which was served with deviled eggs and Kalamata olives.
White bean and chorizo salad with tomatoes.
Rinse and soak overnight 1 cup small white beans in excess water. Cook 30-40 minutes in water, covered by 2 inches, to al dente with 1 tblsp. dried onion flakes, ½ tsp. dried oregano, 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, ½ tsp. celery seed, ½ tsp. powdered garlic, ½ tsp. salt.
Dressing: 2 tblsp. olive oil, 3 tblsp. red wine vinegar, ¼ tsp. dried oregano, ¼ tsp. celery seed, ¼ tsp. cumin seed, ¼ tsp. salt.
Toss warm drained beans with dressing and adjust salt and pepper seasoning if needed. In addition, toss with 1 diced ready to eat chorizo sausage with the casing removed, ½ seeded and diced red pepper and 2 scallions with greens thinly sliced. Serve chilled over lettuce or arugula with tomato wedges, halved Kalamata olives and deviled eggs.
Tomatoes today, come in all sizes and colors. In fact, a rainbow salad of red, green striped, yellow and black Krim heirloom tomatoes with basil is eye stopping. They have come a long way from the pea sized fruit originally discovered in Peru and Chile!
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)
