to give and receive sustenance
we belong here
tomato season is here. tomato season reminds me that pleasure is bountiful, life is meant to be tasted and savored, good things take time, happiness is fleeting but not any less meaningful, and as anne carson said - i will never know how you see red and you will never know how i see it.
these are a few ways i’ve been consuming summer’s long awaited and treasured gems:
sun golds and early girl tomatoes, quarted and sliced in half.
in a small saucepan, gently heat up 4 tbs of olive oil (i eyeball this and you should too) with 3 cloves of smashed garlic. sauté the garlic in olive oil until softened and fragrant but not burned. let the garlic oil cool down.
once the garlic olive oil is cooled, dress the tomatoes with the olive oil, a decent splash of champagne vinegar (or lemon juice or red wine vinegar), finished with flaky salt and a handful (literally) of thinly sliced chives. i know people gravitate toward basil when it comes to tomatoes but the allium-y flavor of chives is my preferred tender herb when it comes to tomatoes. this is the simplest way to enjoy summer tomatoes but i find it so satisfying and delicious. i could eat this every single day during tomato season and never, ever tire of it.
a huge bonus is tearing off a chunk of crusty baguette and using it to enjoy the tomato and olive oil juices.
tomato and garlic confit to enjoy slathered on a piece of toasted bread or baguette with ricotta salata or with pasta and a dollop of ricotta. when the tomatoes are good, this is one of the easiest and another favorite way to enjoy tomatoes. it might seem like a crime to cook tomatoes when they’re in season and this flavorful but the slow cooking brings out their sweetness even more and when paired with a mellowed out and softened garlic, it’s just perfect.
preheat your oven to 325 degrees. in a shallow oven safe pan, add as many tomatoes as you can fit along with 5+ more cloves of peeled garlic (or slice your garlic crosswise and add the whole bulb). i usually make little X slits on my tomatoes so they can get very melty and roasted but i don’t think making the little X’s matter all that much. you can add rosemary or thyme but sometimes i just like cooking tomatoes and garlic with enough olive oil and flaky salt. roast at 325 degrees for at least 90 min but check on them occasionally to make sure they aren’t burning. it’s okay to turn down your oven temperature and cook them longer.
this doesn’t require a recipe.
sungolds (i have a hard time picking a favorite between ripe sungolds and early girl tomatoes, sometimes) sliced in half, sitting in a good olive oil with heavy squeeze of lemon juice for at least 20 minutes with bocconcini, flaky salt, a lot of freshly cracked black pepper and finished with thinly sliced fresh basil. this would be so good with a mortadella sandwich.
i made this pasta on a whim one day before leaving for new mexico. i went on a sun gold extravaganza and needed to use them up before leaving town so i threw this together and it ended up being one of my favorite quick meals i’ve made in a long time.
i used mini bow tie pastas but you can use any pasta you want. i think this pasta would work best with a pasta that is not a long noodle. in a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, sun golds, good tinned tuna or salmon, lemon juice, lemon zest, a heavy generous glug of good olive oil, fresh dill, feta, a bit of sumac or aleppo pepper, freshly cracked pepper and flaky salt. mix together and serve with more lemon zest and fresh dill.
i ate this on the floor of my dining area in complete silence, just completely relishing every bite and thinking how insane it is we are allowed to enjoy such things.
in a small pot, add 1.5 cups of apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 tbs of red chili flakes and bring to a boil until the sugar and salt are dissolved. pour the hot vinegar over a bunch of opal basil (regular basil works, too) and let the basil steep for at least 20-30 minutes. then move to the refrigerator to cool down completely.
quarter heirloom tomatoes and set aside. once the spicy basil vinegar has cooled down, add 1/2 cup of it with 2/3 cup of olive oil, lemon juice and salt to taste to make a vinaigrette. dress the tomatoes in the vinaigrette and after plating, add a drizzle of white soy, a lot of freshly cracked black pepper and a lot of thinly sliced chives.
maybe we will see red the same way.
at least 90 hours? 😩 don’t put us to sleep with the oven on ethaney!
I'm gonna make all of these and eat so much tomato I turn into one <3